Getting to Ioannina
By plane
The easiest way to reach Ioannina is by plane via Athens.
On a daily basis three flights connect Athens airport with Ioannina. The flight duration is approximately 1 hour.
For your booking, visit the Aegean airlines and the Olympic Air web pages.
An alternative, but less straightforward path is to travel from Athens to Aktio-Preveza by plane (on a weekly basis there are three flights: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, flight duration approximately 55 minutes) and then from Preveza, reach Ioannina by bus (it is a one-hour bus ride). The Preveza airport is served by Olympic Air.
Flights are usually heavily booked, so booking in advance (2 months) is recommended. Typically, the airfare from Athens (or Thessaloniki) to Ioannina is less expensive, if it is booked as a domestic rather than an international flight.
By bus
Ioannina is accessible by bus from Athens, Thessaloniki, Corfu or Igoumenitsa.
Bus from Athens to Ioannina:
There are nine daily bus connections (departure times: 6:00, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 13:00, 15:30, 17:00, 21:30, 22:30) from Athens to Ioannina.
The trip duration is about 6.5 hours and the bus fare is approximately 30 Euros (one way).
If you decide to reach Ioannina by bus you should go from Athens airport to the Athens central long-distance bus terminal (named Kifissos terminal).
You may either get a taxi (cost about 30 Euros) or use the X93 express bus line (bus is 3.90 Euros).
Bus from Thessaloniki to Ioannina:
There are six daily bus connections (departure times: 7.30, 11, 13.30, 15.00, 18.00, 21.30) from Thessaloniki to Ioannina.
The trip duration is about 5 hours and the bus fare is approximately 27 Euros (one way).
If you decide to reach Ioannina by bus you should go from Thessaloniki airport to the Thessaloniki central long-distance bus terminal.
You may either get a taxi (taxi fare is about 15 euros) or use the Number 78 bus line (bus fare is 0.50 Euros; buses are leaving from the terminal every hour) that connects the airport with Thessaloniki's central long-distance bus terminal.
Bus from Corfu or Igoumenitsa to Ioannina:
From May, there are several charter flights that connect most European capitals to Corfu.
Once you are in Corfu, you can reach Ioannina by bus.
There are two daily bus connections (departure times: 7.45, 19.15) from Corfu to Ioannina.
The trip duration is approximately 3 hours and the bus fare is approximately 15 Euros (one way - it includes the ferry fare).
If you miss the bus at Corfu, just take the ferry across to Igoumenitsa (ferry fare is about 5 euros) and then catch one of the buses at the Igoumenitsa long-distance bus station, which is within walking distance from the port.
From Igoumenitsa, Ioannina is a 1.5-hour bus ride.
There are ten bus connections (departure times: 6.30, 8.15, 9.15, 11.30, 14.30, 16.45, 18.00, 20.00, bus fare is about 8 euro - one way).
By boat
The port of Igoumenitsa is connected with several major Adriatic Sea Italian ports (Trieste, Venice, Ankona, Brindisi, Bari).
Then from Igoumenitsa, Ioannina is a 1.5-hour bus ride (see Bus information from Corfu or Igoumenitsa to Ioannina above) and less than one hour if you decide to drive.
By car
If you decide to drive from Athens or Thessaloniki to Ioannina, you may rent a car in the arrivals area of Athens or Thessaloniki airports.
Driving directions from Athens to Ioannina:
From the Athens airport, take Attiki Odos motorway and follow the signs to Athens and then Elefsina. After Elefsina, keep driving on Greek National Road 8A (sometimes called National Road 8) westbound, until you reach Rio Junction. Pass the Rio-Antirio bridge, and then follow National Road 5 northbound. National Road 5 ends at downtown Ioannina.
Driving directions from Thessaloniki to Ioannina:
From Thessaloniki airport, drive in the direction of Athens following National Road E-75/A1 for a while, which later becomes E-90 and E-75. Continue until you reach the intersection which takes you to Veria. Make a right turn towards Veria and Kozani. Now you are on E-90/A2 freeway (a.k.a Via Egnatia). Do not enter Veria. Make a left towards Kozani and stay on E90/A2 until Grevena. You go through Grevena and on A2 you follow the signs to Ioannina, Metsovo and Milia. The road goes through the mountains and you pass the villages of Kipourio, Krania, and Milia. After Milia, follow the signs to Metsovo and Ioannina. Do not enter Metsovo; just drive on the road that becomes E-92, following the signs to Ioannina.