Igoumenitsa Cruise Port

Igoumenitsa is a coastal city in northwestern Greece, serving as the chief port of Thesprotia and Epirus and ranking among the country's largest passenger ports. It connects northwestern mainland Greece with the Ionian Islands and Italy, and following two phases of development the port now handles passenger, commercial and tourist traffic, including large cruise ships. It functions mainly as a port of call on Mediterranean itineraries, though it occasionally serves as a turnaround port too.

The city sits at the easternmost end of the Gulf of Igoumenitsa on the Ionian Sea, with a hot summer Mediterranean climate of mild, rainy winters and hot, relatively dry summers. Surrounded by forest and known for its clear blue waters, the area is also home to Drepanos Beach nearby, one of the region's longest stretches of sand at over 7 kilometres.

The city carries layers of history. In ancient times, the nearby town of Gitanae stood as one of the most important settlements of the Kingdom of Thesprotis during the 4th century BC, and excavations there have uncovered a theatre seating 2,500 alongside the ruins of two temples. After the region's liberation from Ottoman rule during the Balkan Wars in 1913, the town was known as Grava until 1938, when it was renamed Igoumenitsa upon becoming capital of the Thesprotia prefecture. Destroyed in 1944 during the Axis occupation, it was rebuilt around a new ferry terminal through the 1950s and 1960s.

The 670 km Egnatia Odos motorway, which serves northern Greece, terminates here, making Igoumenitsa a popular starting point for travellers arriving from Europe. Car ferries connect the city with Brindisi, Ancona, Bari and Venice in Italy, as well as with Corfu.

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