How do I get to Zagori?

The nearest airport is Ioannina (IOA), thirty-one kilometres south of Mikro Papigo with daily flights from Athens. The drive from Ioannina to Papigo takes around an hour through the Vikos-Aoos National Park. Alternatively, drive from Athens (approximately five and a half hours via Egnatia Highway) or from Thessaloniki (around three and a half hours).

What's the best hike in Zagori?

The Vikos Gorge full traverse runs from Monodendri to Vikos village — approximately six hours of walking through the gorge floor. For a shorter walk, the rim trails between Oxia and Beloi viewpoints deliver the substantive panoramic views without the full descent. The Drakolimni climb from Mikro Papigo reaches the alpine lake at 2,050 metres in four hours.

Is Zagori suitable for families with children?

Yes — the lower-altitude village walks, the Voidomatis rafting programmes (with grades suitable for families), and the stone-bridge circuit are all accessible. The high-altitude Drakolimni climb and the full Vikos Gorge traverse are better suited to older children and adults with hiking experience.

Boutique Hotels in Zagori, Greece

Mikro Papigo

The smaller of the two Papigo villages on the western flank of Mount Tymfi, sitting at the head of the Vikos-Aoos Geopark with the limestone Towers of Astraka (Pyrgoi) rising directly above. The village is car-free under its UNESCO designation — guests park outside and walk in along the cobbled lanes. Mikro Papigo 1700 Hotel & Spa anchors the village in eighteen rooms and suites distributed across seven traditional Zagorian stone buildings — a family operation running since 1953, with interiors signed by Philippe Starck, Castiglioni, Citterio, Urquiola, Le Corbusier and Zaha Hadid that complement rather than dominate the Mikro Papigo settlement architecture. The Veranda at 1700 restaurant runs a Greek organic-herbs slow-food programme under consultant chef Panagiotis Siafakas and head chef Konstantinos Schizas, with produce from the property's own Organic Zagori Farm inside the Geopark. Direct trail access from the property reaches Drakolimni alpine lake, the Voidomatis river springs, and the Vikos Gorge. Named Europe's Most Sustainable Hotel by the Boutique Hotel Club in 2021 — Green Key and TÜV certified, the first eco-hotel in North Greece.

When to visit

Zagori is one of the few Greek destinations that genuinely works year-round. April through June delivers the spring wildflowers across the high meadows and the snowmelt running through the Voidomatis. July and August carry the rafting season at peak (the Voidomatis is among the cleanest rivers in Europe) and the dry trail conditions for the Vikos Gorge and Drakolimni hikes. September and October bring the autumn colour through the beech and oak forests. December through March delivers genuine winter — snow on the higher villages, wood fires in the stone-floored taverns, and the quieter Zagori that the summer crowds don't see.