Florina: Prespa Lakes, History and Wine

Six natural lakes define the Florina regional unit: Vegoritida, Petron, Zazari, Cheimaditida, Great Prespa Lake, and Small Prespa Lake. The landscape also includes protected areas, archaeological sites, museums, and Amyntaio’s wine culture.

Prespa Lakes: Landscape, Water, and Cultural Heritage

Prespa National Park is of outstanding ecological importance and is home to rare plant and animal species. On Small Prespa Lake, you can kayak through reed beds. Boat trips depart from Psarades on Great Prespa Lake and take you to the lake’s hermitages and rock paintings. The two activities differ both in the body of water and in their destinations.

A 630-meter pedestrian bridge connects the island of Agios Achilleios to the opposite shore of Small Prespa Lake. The island is home to the ruins of a 10th-century Byzantine basilica and the 15th-century Panagia Porfyra Monastery. The basilica and monastery date from different centuries.

Archaeology and Museums in Florina

The Archaeological Site of the Hellenistic City of Florina preserves house foundations, storage vessels, hearths, and iron workshops. They belonged to a city founded in the 4th century BC in the Kingdom of Lygistida. The Archaeological Museum of Florina presents the region’s history from the Neolithic period to the Byzantine era. The Florina Museum of Contemporary Art has a different chronological focus: it preserves more than 700 works created after 1950.

Explore Nature and Compare Trails

Outside Nymfaio, the ARCTUROS Bear Sanctuary occupies a specially designed 50-acre forest site. There, visitors can observe bears cared for and protected by ARCTUROS. The Wolf and Lynx Sanctuary in Agrapidia is located in a 70-acre oak forest and offers the opportunity to observe protected wildlife.

For active days, Amyntaio offers mountain biking routes through lake landscapes, forests, and fertile hills. In the Florina regional unit, hiking trails range from riverside walks to extremely challenging mountain paths. The clear difference in the difficulty described makes choosing a specific route an important part of planning a hike. Paragliding flights take off above Prespa National Park. The Vigla–Pisoderi Ski Centre is 19 kilometers from Florina.

Wine, Cuisine, and Seasonal Traditions

Amyntaio is home to Greece’s highest-altitude wine-growing zone and is considered one of the country’s leading wine regions. Wine tourism includes visits to traditional and modern wineries, tours of production areas and cellars, and tastings centered on PDO Amyntaio Xinomavro. Prespa beans are a product with a protected geographical indication and a key part of local cuisine.

Seasonal traditions take place at different times in autumn and winter. Amyntaio holds an annual trade fair on the first weekend of October, with market stalls, brass bands, and lively festivities. In December, the neighborhoods of Amyntaio gather around the “Tsiri-Varvara” fires for bean soup, wine, tsipouro, and dancing. The Christmas bonfires of Florina light up the city on the night of December 23; they feature music, dancing, local specialties, and communal celebrations.

Discover more destinations: Flóriná, Agios Germanos, Lemos, Filotas, Variko, Krystallopigi, Lechovo, Proti, Vevi, Pisoderi, Antartiko, Nymfaio, Amíndaion, Agia Paraskevi, Prespes, Psarades, Tripotamos.

For the wider travel overview: Western Macedonia.