Best things to do in Kastoria

Kastoria's Essential Treasures

Kastoria is centered around the high-altitude Lake Orestiada, featuring a collection of over 70 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches dating from the 9th to the 19th centuries. This list highlights the city's defensive history through its Byzantine walls and religious significance via sites like the Panagia Koumpelidike and the lakeside Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa. Visitors can explore well-preserved frescoes in small neighborhood chapels and visit the Byzantine Museum, which houses one of Greece's most important collections of religious icons.

Kastoria's Essential Treasures — Map

Pvasiliadis / CC-BY-SA-3.0

A

Lake Kastoria

Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria is a lake in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern Greece.

B

Byzantine Museum

The Byzantine Museum of Kastoria is a museum in Kastoria, Macedonia, Greece, dedicated to religious art from the area's late Byzantine and…

C

Mone Panagias Mauriotissas

An 11th-century monastery located on the shores of the lake. It features significant 12th-century frescoes on both interior and exterior walls, including a notable depiction of the Tree of Jesse.

D

Byzantina Teiche

Remnants of the Byzantine fortification system originally constructed during the 6th-century reign of Emperor Justinian to protect the peninsula.

E

Byzantina Teiche

Portions of the ancient defensive walls that once enclosed the settlement, showing layers of Byzantine and later masonry.

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Byzantina Teiche

Preserved sections of the city's Byzantine-era fortifications, illustrating the strategic military architecture used to defend the Kastoria peninsula.

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Byzantina teiche

Historical fragments of the stone walls that served as the primary defense for the city during the Byzantine period.

H

Panagia Koumpelidike

A 9th-century church and symbol of the city, notable for being the only Byzantine church in Kastoria featuring a high circular dome, or 'koumpes'.

I

Agios Stephanos

A 9th-century three-aisled basilica featuring a unique elevated gallery and a rich collection of frescoes from the 10th and 14th centuries.

J

Panagia Eleousa

A small, traditional Byzantine church known for its interior hagiographies and stone masonry.

K

Agioi Anargyroi Gymnasiou

An 11th-century church featuring impressive marble decorations and well-preserved wall paintings from the Middle Byzantine period.

L

Agios Nikolaos Magaleiou

A small post-Byzantine stone church typical of the local ecclesiastical architecture found in the city's old quarters.

M

Taxiarches Metropoleos

A 9th-century church known for its frescoes and for housing the remains of Pavlos Melas, a prominent figure in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia.

N

Agioi Treis

A small Byzantine-style place of worship located within the historic district of the city.

O

Prophetes Elias

A church situated on a high point of the peninsula, offering panoramic views of Lake Orestiada and the surrounding mountains.

P

Agios Georgios tou Bounou

A medieval church built into the hillside, representing the city's long-standing Orthodox tradition.

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Agios Nikolaos Kyritze

A 14th-century church featuring detailed frescoes and traditional stone construction.

R

Agioi Anargyroi

An 11th-century Byzantine church recognized for its elaborate external ceramic decorations and extensive interior frescoes.

S

Parko Olympiakes Phlogas

A public lakeside park located near the city entrance, serving as a focal point for local events.