Years ago, one of us spent a family holiday in Syrrako. What stayed with us was not a sight. It was the stone everywhere, the quiet, the birdsong, the flagstone lanes, a plane tree by the café, a small square, and playing outside until the light was gone. Syrrako still feels like that, and that feeling, more than any monument, is the reason to base yourself here.
The short answer
Base yourself in Syrrako if you want a car-free stone village, silence in the evening and walks that start at your door. Skip it if you need nightlife, a beach within reach or a long list of restaurants to rotate through. It is a small place, and it asks you to slow down.
Where Syrrako is
Syrrako sits at about 1,200 metres on a slope of Mount Lakmos, in the Tzoumerka (Athamanika) mountains of Epirus. By road it is roughly 53 km from Ioannina, a little over an hour. The last part is uphill and twisting, so give yourself time, and on a first visit try not to arrive after dark.
Syrrako, Kalarrytes or somewhere else?
Syrrako and its neighbour Kalarrytes face each other across a deep gorge. On foot they are close; by car it is a loop of around 40 minutes. Kalarrytes is known for its stone mansions and its history of silversmiths. Syrrako has the main square with its plane trees, the stone fountain and a small folk museum.
We stayed in Syrrako, so that is the village we can speak about. We have not stayed in Kalarrytes, and we have not stayed in Pramanta, the larger village of the area, which is known for its grill restaurants. Treat both as leads to check, not as our recommendations.
Getting there and getting around
A car is by far the easiest way. Buses connect the Tzoumerka villages with Ioannina and Arta, but they will not take you to the gorge paths or the monastery on your own schedule.
Syrrako is a protected traditional settlement, so cars stay outside. You park at the entrance to the village (there is also parking near the church of the Theotokos) and walk in on stone-paved paths. Before you book, ask your host exactly where to park and how your luggage will get to the room.
When to go
Late spring and early autumn are, by most accounts, the sweet spot, the months most often recommended for walking in Tzoumerka. Winter brings snow, which is beautiful, but the road up is long and winding. If you plan a winter stay, ask your hotel about road conditions on the day you travel.
What to do
- Wander the stone lanes and sit in the square. The covered Goura fountain runs with very cold mountain water.
- Visit the Krystallis family home, now a small folk museum. Check opening times locally before you go.
- Walk the old path between Syrrako and Kalarrytes across the Hrousia gorge. Sources give anything from about an hour to under two, so ask locally about the trail and the weather first.
- Drive to Kipina Monastery, built into a rock hollow in 1212 and known for its frescoes. It is around 30 minutes from Syrrako and combines well with a visit to Kalarrytes.
Do less than you planned. That is what the place is for.
Where to stay: what we check
Syrrako has a small number of guesthouses and hotels in old stone buildings, so there are not many rooms. Book ahead for weekends and holidays. Before we book in a mountain village like this, we check:
- Parking and luggage: how far is the room from where you leave the car, and who helps?
- Heating: stone houses at 1,200 metres get cold, even outside winter.
- Noise and windows: old buildings carry sound, and the quiet is the whole point.
- Breakfast and food: ask what is open on the nights you will be there, especially off season.
- Directions from the host: a good host will tell you about the road and the trails before you ask.
Our own stay, around ten years ago, was at The Old School Boutique Hotel. We have no commercial relationship with it and we have not been back recently, so check current reviews and conditions before booking.
Our take
Syrrako is for travellers who measure a trip by how little it asks of them. If you need a beach or a bar, you will be bored. If you can sit by a plane tree and be happy, it is one of the most rewarding places to base yourself in mainland Greece.
- For: a car-free stone village, real silence, walks from the door, Kalarrytes and the monastery close by.
- Against: a long, twisting road, a small choice of restaurants, little use without a car, and snow in winter.
What comes next
Looking for another quiet mountain base? Read our guide to Troodos in Cyprus, or let us plan it for you.
Prefer the sea after the mountains? Read our guide to the Ambracian prawns of Preveza.
Coming down from the mountains? On the coast, Lefkada’s lagoons are worth a stop in winter: A winter flight over Lefkada’s lagoon.
Opening times, trail conditions and road conditions change, so confirm them locally before you travel.
Photo credits: the main square and the stone-paved lane are by Draizis (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons: 182 SYRRAKO.jpg and 191 SYRRAKO.jpg). The view of the village on its slope is by Michael Paraskevas (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons: Συρράκο – panoramio.jpg). The Kalarrytes photo is by Nikos Kavvadas, via Unsplash. Wikimedia photos were cropped and resized, and the mountain-slope photo was also colour-adjusted; adapted versions are shared under the same licences.
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