A day exploring Nikopolis, the Nekromanteion and Kassope near Preveza

Nikopolis: the "city of victory"

Nikopolis — literally "victory city" — was founded by Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus) to commemorate his win over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, just across the strait. It grew into one of the largest Roman cities in Greece, and the site today sprawls across walls, a theatre, baths, and early Christian basilicas with well-preserved mosaics, about 7km north of Preveza.

The Archaeological Museum of Nicopolis, which reopened with new accreditation from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in 2024, is worth building time around — it houses finds from the site and gives helpful context before or after walking the ruins. Nikopolis is also on Greece's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, with an active nomination push in recent years backed by the official Actia Nicopolis Archaeopark project, which has been working to open up more of the site to visitors.

Augustus also built a victory monument, the Tropaeum, on Michalitsi Hill overlooking the strait where the battle was fought — it's reportedly open to visitors as part of the Archaeopark, though it's worth confirming current access locally before you go out of your way for it.

The Nekromanteion of Acheron

Near the village of Mesopotamos, close to where the Acheron River meets the sea, sits a fortified sanctuary that's traditionally identified as the Nekromanteion — the mythological "Oracle of the Dead," where the ancient Greeks believed the living could commune with the spirits of the departed. That identification comes from excavations carried out by archaeologist Sotirios Dakaris between 1958 and 1964, and it's still the name used in Ministry of Culture literature and by most visitors today.

It's worth knowing, though, that some scholars have since questioned that reading of the site, suggesting the remains could instead belong to a fortified farmhouse or a watch-post rather than a religious oracle. The atmosphere — thick walls, a vaulted underground chamber, and the genuine sense of standing somewhere the ancients associated with the underworld — is worth the visit either way; just treat the oracle story as the traditional, popular account rather than settled fact.

The drive out is part of the appeal: quiet countryside roads through the Acheron valley, with the option to combine the stop with a walk along the river itself if you have the time.

Kassope and the Zalongo monument

Kassope was a substantial hilltop city founded around 340 BC on a plateau above the modern village of Kamarina, with an estimated population of 8,000–10,000 at its peak. Its ruins — a theatre, agora, and grid of house foundations — give a clearer sense of everyday ancient life than the grander, more reconstructed Nikopolis. The city was largely abandoned when its population was forcibly relocated in the years following the Battle of Actium to help populate the new city of Nikopolis.

One tomb on the site is said to be the only Macedonian-type tomb found in Epirus, though that claim comes mostly from tourist literature rather than a source we could independently verify — worth mentioning to fellow travellers with that caveat attached.

High above the ruins, on the mountain that gives the area its name, stands the Zalongo Monument: six towering female figures commemorating the Souliot women who, in December 1803, chose to leap from the cliff with their children rather than surrender to advancing Ottoman forces. The historical event is well documented; the monument itself is a modern sculpture rather than a contemporary memorial, but the view from up there over the Ambracian Gulf is reason enough to make the climb.

Planning your day

How much of this you can fit in depends on how much time you have and whether you're picking up or dropping off your van — either way, all three sites sit within a compact triangle around Preveza.

Keep planning your trip

• Preveza: the town most tourists drive straight past
• The Acheron River by campervan: trekking the river of the dead
• 7 Days in Western Greece: the complete campervan itinerary
• Browse our campervan fleet