Dragon's Cave, Show cave on Lake Orestiada, Kastoria, Greece

Dragon's Cave lies on the shore of Lake Orestiada, about 15 m from the water at the 3rd km of the lakeside road from Kastoria to the Mavriotissa Monastery. It holds seven underground lakes, ten chambers and five tunnels, and reaches a depth of 18 m. Its largest chamber measures 45 m by 17 m, with a central section rising above two side sections that are partly covered by lakes.

The cave entrance was found by local amateur explorers in the 1940s, when the lakeside road from Kastoria toward the Mavriotissa monastery was cut; before that the opening was hidden by deposits and reachable only from the lake. The Greek Speleological Society mapped it in 1968, exploration was completed in the 1990s and 2000s, and the Municipality of Kastoria opened it to the public at the end of 2009.

The name comes from a legend told after Kastoria's founding: King Kastor showed his brother Polydeukes a cave guarded by a dragon that breathed flames and poisonous vapours and protected a gold mine inside. A young man killed it, and the dragon floated dead on the lake. When townspeople entered with torches, a voice said those who took a handful of mud and those who did not would both regret it; outside, the mud turned to gold dust.

The cave maintains a constant temperature between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius year-round, making it comfortable for visits in any season. Guided tours are the standard way to explore, so visitors should plan their time accordingly and check current opening hours beforehand.

Researchers discovered bones of an extinct cave bear species that lived here thousands of years ago. The find reveals that the cave was home to large animals long before humans found their way inside.