Activities
Tradition
What should you do first when you are in Metsovo? Visit the Averopheion Garden, which is a short walk away, just above the main square. Because here you will not only get to know a name that is at the center of the history and culture of this city, but you will also enjoy the breathtaking view of Pindos National Park. The Averofian Garden is filled with trees and plants representing the flora of Pindos, while at its center is the church of Agios Georgios, where George Averof – one of Greece’s greatest benefactors and a famous Metsovite – prayed before departing for Alexandria of Egypt in 1837.
Walking around the city, you can see all these traditions in architecture and textiles that brought Metsovo so much prosperity during the Ottoman era. You may also hear the Vlach dialect and smell the grilled meats that visitors love so much. It is one of the favorite Greek winter destinations, and not only that! As you will find out very quickly, you can have a vacation in Metsovo all year round.
The E. Averof Art Gallery is a museum of Modern Greek art with representative works of all the great Greek artists of the last two centuries
The Folklore Museum of Metsovo is housed in the reconstructed Tositsa Mansion, the ancestral home of the well-known family of benefactors, built in the 17th century. It shows the visitor the way of organization and operation of a Metsovite mansion.
From Metsovo you can also head south towards Haliki. A little further down, at the intersection on the right, a beautiful route to Sirako, Kalarites awaits you. Canyons and rivers, snow-capped mountain peaks and of course these two villages, with stone-built mansions spread out on two slopes, so integrated into the natural landscape that from afar, you can’t tell them apart from the opposite slope. Guesthouses for hospitality and taverns with frosted jamo leaves are waiting for you to taste the local goodies and home cooking.
The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos in the Arachthos river valley can be visited either by hiking following the stone-paved path from Metsovo or by road.
Routes around Metsovo
The most well-known route starts just outside Metsovo in the direction of Katara – you will find a sign on the left to Vovousa. You will cross the entire lakeside route of the lake of Aoos – a landscape of rare beauty, winter and summer where you may even meet horses that live freely – and you will head to Flambourari and from there to the picturesque Vovousa. You are already in the heart of the National Forest, in Valia Kalda. If in Vovousa you head west towards Laista, Tsepelovo, you open another sensational route to Western Zagori, with its famous villages, Kipis, Aristi, Papigo.
Near Metsovo are also the villages of the Ano Aspropotamos area which are villages “choked” in firs and plane trees. The landscape is completed by the towering peaks of Lakmos (2295 m.) and Kakarditsa, the fir forests and the rushing waters of Aspropotamos, as well as the Achelou Springs. Exciting routes through centuries-old forests and fir-covered ravines, which end in the two villages, Pertouli and Elati, and of course in the nearby ski resort.
Sports
Choose activities that can give you a completely different sense of the place and unique experiences. Daily excursions for rafting, hot-dog, canyoning, horseback riding, canoeing, hiking, paragliding, climbing, cycling, mountain tours by 4×4 car or motorcycle.
About 25 minutes from Metsovo is the Anilio Ski Center, hidden among the peaks, the newest ski center in Greece operating since 2012, it has nine slopes from 1,650-1,850 meters for alpine skiers and snowboarders. The more adventurous can try mountain climbing on skis (skimo), ski-mobile or sledge.
