Luxury Ionian Coast Holidays

The area of Greek mainland known as Epirus borders Albania and is directly opposite the island of Corfu. Its interior is a lush and soaring landscape reminiscent of Scotland at its finest. There are mountain villages, dense forests, low-key seaside resorts and the gloriously unspoilt Ionian Sea coastline stretching from Igoumenista in the north to Preveza and Lefkada to the south.

In this, the most mountainous region of Greece, is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s deepest canyon, the Vikas Gorge. Epirus feels remote and largely undiscovered. It boasts desolate and lonely clifftop monasteries, soul-stirring mountain vistas, skies patrolled by birds of prey including golden eagles, forests, waterfalls, ice-cold mountain lakes and the charming Zagori villages which bring to mind Alpine retreats.

Somewhat unexpectedly this area is also home to Greece’s third largest city, the lovely lakeside Ioannina. The lowlands and coast are wonderful too. The turquoise Ionian Sea laps at a wild and dramatic coastline with a few long sandy beaches and low-key seaside resorts of note. Preveza's yacht harbour has an international clientele, and the massive ruins of Nicopolis, the largest ancient city of Greece, sprawl casually by the road.

In this area of outstanding natural beauty, a stretch of appealing beaches and coves unfurls between Sivota, to the north, and Parga, in the south. Some of the beaches are busy, others provide escape-from-it-all serenity, but all are lapped by the turquoise and crystal clear waters of the Ionian Sea.

Sivota harbour

With many beaches dotted along the unspoilt Ionian Coast, all manner of boating excursions and island charters leave from here. You can hire motorboats if you fancy exploring the coast at your own pace.

Metsovo

This mountain village is widely regarded as one of the most traditional in Greece, and is two hours’ drive east from Sivota. Famed for centuries of shepherding and the production of unique colourful hand woven textiles, during the 17th and 18th centuries it supplied the wool not only to Ioannina and nearby villages but throughout the Balkans and even north Africa.

Meteora

Just under a three hour drive east of Sivota, rising above the city of Kalampaka, Meteora is a series of incredible sandstone rock towers where, dating back to the 11th century, 24 monasteries were constructed on the peaks of the columns to enable monks to live as hermits. Today six of the monasteries have survived and this awe- inspiring area is now an UNESCO World Heritage site.

Acheron River

Only 35 minutes from Parga, Acheron River is an area of outstanding natural beauty famed for its mythological springs. In ancient Greece Acheron was one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld.

Ioannina

The regional capital city on the shores of Lake Pamvotida is just under 90 minutes’ drive east from Sivota. There’s plenty of fascinating history to explore, including the Cathedral of St Athanasius and an impressive 6th century castle.