Greece · Epirus · Premium route guide
Zagori & Vikos Gorge (Ioannina → Papingo → Metsovo loop)
Greece's quietest big-mountain corner — 355 kilometres of second- and third-gear roads through 46 stone-built villages, over arched Ottoman bridges, along the rim of the deepest gorge in the world (by depth-to-width), and up to Metsovo at 1,200 m. Full route on the map, a GPX for your GPS, and the motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted around Ioannina.
- Distance
- 355.4 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,724 m
- Elevation gain
- 7,399 m
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
The route
Loop from Ioannina up the west rim of the Vikos Gorge through Monodendri and Vikos village, over to Aristi and Papingo under the Astraka towers, then east across the Zagori plateau via Kipoi, Kapesovo and Vradeto to Tsepelovo. From there down to Metsovo on the E92 and back to Ioannina. Pins are motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted.
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Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route — how to load this into your GPS
What you're downloading is a GPX track — a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It's not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zūmo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner → new trip from track) if you want turn-by-turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive — it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it doesn't re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour — Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these don't read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX-capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line — pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~440 m at the base to 1724 m at the top — 7,399 m of total climbing across the route.
This is not a fast road. The Zagori is 46 villages of stone-slate roofs, arched bridges the Ottomans built in the 18th century, and mountain corners that reward looking at the scenery rather than the exit apex. Give it two days: one for the west rim (Monodendri → Papingo → back), one for the east rim (Kipoi → Vradeto → Tsepelovo → Metsovo). Or link them in a long single day if you're basing in Ioannina and just riding.
The best single moment is the road up to Megalo Papingo. The last 12 km climb through pine forest to a village of stone houses at the base of the Astraka wall — 2,436 m of vertical limestone directly above you. Park in the village square, walk 10 minutes to the natural rock pools if it's warm, and understand why the Greeks who know this corner never go back to the islands.
The road, honestly
Greek mountain tarmac is variable — mostly good, occasionally patched, rarely dangerous. The Zagori roads have been steadily improved for tourism over the last decade and the main routes (Ioannina → Monodendri → Papingo, and the east loop through Kipoi to Tsepelovo) are properly maintained. The spur roads to Vradeto and up to individual villages get narrower and rougher; ride them at Greek pace, not Alpine pace.
Traffic is the reason to be here. Even in July the Zagori is empty compared to Meteora or Crete — most Greek and international tourists don't know it exists, and the ones who do come by car for a night in Papingo. Ride midweek and you'll have most corners to yourself. Weekends bring day-trippers from Ioannina, but nothing like an Alpine pass in season.
Where to base yourself
Ioannina is the practical base — a lakeside city of 100,000 with every amenity, an atmospheric Ottoman old town on the water, and 45 minutes to the start of the good roads. Best if you want a proper city evening and rider-friendly parking.
Papingo (Megalo or Mikro) is the postcard base — stone-built guesthouses under the Astraka wall, one main street, no traffic. Two nights here lets you ride the east loop as a day trip and still have breakfast on a stone terrace. Book ahead in July–August.
Metsovo (east end of the loop) is the third option — a Vlach mountain town on the E92 with good tavernas and a slightly warmer atmosphere in shoulder season. Natural pair with a next-day ride south to Meteora if you're linking to the Olympus & Meteora route.
Weather, altitude and what to pack
The Zagori sits between 700 and 1,400 m for most of the ride, and the highest passes on the loop (the Vradeto plateau, the E92 into Metsovo) top out around 1,700 m. That's Alpine-cool in the morning even in July — pack a mid-layer. Afternoon thunderstorms are common June through August in the mountains; ride the exposed sections early and the sheltered village roads after lunch.
Winter closes some of the higher spur roads (Vradeto, the road up to Astraka trailhead) November to March, but the main loop stays open year-round. April to October is the honest ride window; May and September are the sweet spot for quiet roads and warm-but-not-hot temperatures.
Fuel: fill up in Ioannina or Metsovo. There are small stations in Konitsa (north of the loop) and along the E92, but nothing on the Zagori spur roads themselves. Cell coverage is patchy in the gorges — download offline maps.
What to do off the bike
The Ottoman-era stone bridges around Kipoi are the Zagori's signature — three-arched Plakidas bridge, the single-arched Kokkorou bridge, the Kalogeriko triple-arch. All within 15 minutes of each other, all signposted, all walkable in 10 minutes each. Bring the camera.
The Vikos Gorge Vradeto viewpoint (Beloi) is a 20-minute walk from the road at Vradeto — the view straight down 900 m of limestone to the river is the definitive Zagori photograph. Do it in the morning before the haze builds.
Ioannina old town, on the lake, is worth a rest-day evening — Byzantine walls, an island monastery reachable by boat, and the best baklava in northern Greece at the Ottoman-era shops near the citadel.
What to see along the way
- Monodendri — South-rim village at the head of the Vikos Gorge. Traditional stone houses, the Agia Paraskevi monastery clinging to the cliff edge, and the start of the classic gorge hike.
- Vikos village viewpoint — West-rim village with the best free viewpoint into the gorge — no admission, just walk to the church square and look east.
- Megalo Papingo — Postcard village under the Astraka wall. Stone guesthouses, one taverna square, the Voidomatis river below. Natural overnight base.
- Kipoi stone bridges — Cluster of three 18th-century Ottoman arched bridges within 15 minutes of each other. All signposted, all walkable.
- Vradeto plateau — Highest inhabited village on the loop at ~1,340 m. Walk 20 minutes from the parking to the Beloi viewpoint over the Vikos Gorge — 900 m straight down.
- Tsepelovo — East-side Zagori village on the road down to Metsovo. Coffee stop with the best view of the Tymfi massif from a village square.
- Metsovo — Vlach mountain town at 1,160 m on the E92. Good tavernas, sheep-cheese shops, and the natural link east toward Meteora.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Zagori & Vikos Gorge (Ioannina → Papingo → Metsovo loop)
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Ioannina — change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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