Travelling within the Peloponnese Itinerary I (see Greece train map)

Patras-Kalamata

This route begins in Patras (via Italy or Athens) and passes through three administrative districts, culminating in Kalamata and offers access to Olympia, one of Greece's most important archaeological sites, as well as to beautiful and unspoiled sandy beaches and to the city of Kyparissia. In addition, it brings one close to the historical sites around Cape Gallo: the Palace of Nestor on the Bay of Navarino at Pylos and the monumental Venetian forts of Methoni and Koroni.

The city of Patras, Greece's second major port after Piraeus, has a population of around 170,000, though the greater metropolitan area has around half a million inhabitants. This is the port for all the Italian ferry traffic from Venice, Ancona, Bara and Brindisi and serves all of the Ionian islands as well.

Patras is also the leading port for agricultural exports, especially olie oil, raisins and wine. It is also a major rail center, serving Corinth, Athens and Piraeus as well as the western Peloponnese, to Pyrgos, Kyparissia, and (with less trains), Kalamata.

The train station is on Amalias street between the international docks. Patras offers plenty of restaurants, cafes, and hotels, cinemas near the harbor with decent prices, and the two major wineries near the center are worth visiting: The Achaia Clauss Wintery, and the Patraiki Co-operative. Travellers arriving in Patras from the west might consider spending the night in Patras, especially if bound for Athens with an arrival time there after midnight, when all public transportation services have stopped functioning (leaving only the more expensive alternative: the taxis). Patras is 'world famous' for its pre-Lenten Apokrias festival, the celebration known in other countries as Carnival, which follows the Orthodox calendar for Paska (Easter).

Patras to Pyrgos You can travel to Pyrgos on the IC(inter-city),which will get you there in about 1 ½ hours, the express in about 2 hours , and the local in 2 1/3 hours, for the 100km/62mile trip. The 'express' has the most runs per day. All of them, except for one of the three IC trains, go on to Kyparissia,163km/101miles from Patras. The local goes along all the branch lines, through Kavalsila to the old port of Kylini (for Zakynthos and Kefallonia) and from Pyrgos to its port at Katakolon and to Olymbia.

As the trains leave Patras, they pass the huge wine vats, bringing home the fact that a full quarter of Greek wine (at least of the wine that is bottled) , is produced in Pelop's island..the Peloponisos. Over half of that quarter is produced in the Patras area.

The city experienced tremendous growth after the War of Independence and, combined with good rail access to the markets of the capital, soon achieved preeminence in the table-grape and raisin industry. Gustav Clauss, (who founded the winery mentioned above) was a Bavarian who moved on from involvement with grape and raisin production to wine making; his company was the first Greek producer of bottled wine, with its Domestica label (white, red, and rose wines) a world standard for more than a century now.

The plain that stretches from the Ionian sea to the mountains is covered with vineyards, making it hard to believe that during the 1940s the region was known as a malarial swamp. Riding the early morning trains during harvesting season (late August to early October) one gets to enjoy the grape pickers and their camaraderie, and during the rest of the warm months, the train is full of passengers going to and from the Patras markets, carrying herbs, fruit, and whatever. The morning local or express from Patras to Pyrgos gives foreigners a far different experience of Greece than do the eastern trains to the archaeological sites, an experience of rural life that extends onto the trains that get people in these areas to and from their work.

The Ionian Islands via Kylini

Kylini was once the main port of the Frankish Morea (the old name for the Peloponnese, which means, 'mulberry tree'). It was also the seat of government records and of the mint. It was destroyed in 1436 by the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine Dragatsis. The 13th century castle of Clermond is here , built by the builder of Mystras (Geoffroy de Villehardouin) to survey the straits between the mainland and Zakynthos, and is considered the finest Frankish fort in Greece. There are beautiful views from the ramparts of Clermond to Zakynthos, Kefallonia, and Ithaca (Ithaki) and regular ferries can take you to those islands from this port.

Pyrgos is a junction station for Katakolon and Olympia. The population of this market town is around 25,000, and one of its most attractive features is its beautiful railway station, designed by the Bavarian architect, Edward Ziller, who is noted for the Athens University buildings on Panepistimiou, for the neoclassical railway station in Olympia, and for inspiring the Pyrgos market building, later reconstructed as a museum. The railway station has a nice terrace café with vines where you can sit and watch the action on the train platform.

The port of Katakolon to the west from Pyrgos is a 24 minute trip, with five or more trains a day; the same number for the sanctuary of Olympia to the east, which takes about 36 minutes. You can takes buses from Pyrgos to the mountain villages of Arcadia and to the city of Tripolis. In Katakolon is a famous family winery established in 1860, and which has gained international praise in more recent years-the Ktima Mercouri winery. Visits are by reservation only: Telephone-26210 41 601. A half hour walk from the Katakolon beach are the remains of ancient Pheia, near Aghios Andreas church. In ancient times, the independent city-state of Elia, was able to profit from the fame Olympia with the aid of this seaport.

Pyrgos-Olympia, though through trains for Katakolon-Olympia operate in the summer (only one in winter); most travellers will change trains at Pyrgos for Olympia. The train ride to Olympia is a beautiful one through the lush green countryside of Elia (province/prefecture), with the train passing over the Alpheos River and its tributaries. This is the river which, according to legend, vanished beneath the sea to emerge elsewhere (some versions say that it re-emerged in Sicily).

The Alpheos OSE West Coast station is a stop along the way where passengers coming from the south can change trains for Olympia; small settlements en route to Olympia include Pelopion and Platanos (plane tree). The neoclassical Olympia station (also designed by Edward Ziller, was fairly recently restored, and is very attractive. Across the tracks is a renovated steam locomotive, the barn in which it is housed has been turned into an outdoor/indoor video café/disco bar with a good view of the beautiful station.

Olympia. Rail fans should visit the old steam locomotive shed and find the manual turntable which used to turn these old trains around. It is outside on the ground, and may be covered with weeds.

Pyrgos to Kalonero (Kyparissia) This 72km line that heads south across flat delta land is poor in archaeological sites but rich in beautiful sandy beaches, which are visible from the train throughout the journey. There are seven trains daily-one morning local (all stops); four expresses, and two IC type. Only minutes past the little Alpheos junction station the train crosses the wide river over a long, low iron bridge.

This is very rural country, with little stone stations at Epitalion and Krestena, surrounded by cultivated and irrigated field, with rugged mountains to the east (left) and the Ionian Sea to the west (right) in the distance. The train line leaves the sea only briefly here and there, and passes through stretches with pine trees and sand dunes where one might camp out, one such stop being at Kaiafa, the little station in between a small lake and the sea, with a tree-covered dune inbetween. Other beach stops include Zacharo (a few kilometers after Kaiafa) and Kakovatos, the first having more tourist amenities, and there is access to small villages from there on the local. Kalonero (which means 'good water') is the junction, at 56km from Pyrgos, for Kyparissia and Kalamata, and is only a few hundred meters from the the sea, with a small settlement around the railway buildings. Passengers headed for Kalamata can get off for a half hour while their trains go to Kyparissia and back and then continue on towards the big city.

Kyparissia has a population of around 5,500 and is a pretty places, whose name means 'cypress trees'. It is a junction for bus connections to places along the south coast. There is a good, though pricey, campground near the beach, and within easy walking distance, where sea turtles sometimes come ashore (of which one must keep a very respectful distance, so as not to endanger their survival). There are also decent lodgings in this very appealing, though little-visited town. Buses from here go to such sights as Nestor's Palace, Pylos on Navarino Bay, and the fortresses of Methoni and Koroni, and a recommended train trip is that along the Soulima Plain through the villages of Kopanakion, Dorion, and Vasiliko to the Zevgolatio junction (for Kalamata and Tripolis). Two locomotive hauled local trains negotiate this route taken by few tourists.

Patras-Corinth

Some of the most stunning sea and mountain scenery in Greece can be enjoyed on this 131km/81.22 mile route, which is serviced by eight daily trains (four IC and four express) and is the main railpass user's route to Athens. Those travelling there for the first time on the evening train (which departs Patras a little before 8 pm) must be forewarned that they will get into Athens after midnight, when all public transportation shuts down, leaving the unwary subject to the sometimes rapacious machinations of taxi drivers and hotel touts. The majority of travellers use this route (which is the main Peloponnese line) just to get to Athens from Europe, often missing out on seeing the most beautiful Peloponnesian mountain areas on the way. The famous 22km/13.64 mile Diakofto-Kalavryta ride through the Voraikos River gorge on the 75cm cog railway, is highly recommended for both rail fans and adventurers and lovers of dramatic scenery. (See Kalavryta).

Patras to Rio

Beyond the OSE station in Patras, departing trains follow the docks to just before the huge International Port Mercuri Gate Six, where car ferries from all the major shipping companies can be glimpsed. Then the train passes through the OSE repair shops and storage tracks. This is where the old classic wooden narrow gauge sleeping cars are stored, which, much to the disappointment of many, are no longer used on overnight trains rides in the Peloponnese. One can also see old steam locomotives, retired only in the 1960s. In a few minutes, the OSE Rio Station is reached. The Rio-Andirio ferry, which crossed the waters between the Peloponnese and the mainland to the north at this point via a ferry trip of 45 minutes up until very recently, is now a thing of the past. In 1996 the construction of a multi-lane and multi-span suspension bridge was approved by the Greek parliament, to be jointly funded by the EU and Greece, and intended to provide all-weather passage for cars, trucks, pedestrians (with two pedestrian lanes, each 2meters/6.56feet wide) and possibly a rail line. A railway that had connected Antirio to Agrinion (passing through Messolonghi) in the prefecture of Etolo-Akarnania had been abandoned in the late 1960s. A two-lane service road planned for the new bridge, had the potential of being used as a railway line. Rio has two campgrounds, and is a good deal quieter than Patras for those wanting an overnight break in their journey at this point.

Rio-Aigion During this 40km stretch there are many steep cliffs up over the sea, below which are isolated sandy beaches, and the railways crosses rivers and streams that flow down from the northern slopes of Mt. Panahaiko. As the train pulls into the station at Aigion, the sea front is right there out the window. This town has a fair-sized population (maybe 25,000), but earthquake damage has taken a toll in this resort town and commercial port, which is one of the oldest settlements in the Peloponnese. There's a ferry crossing from here to Aghios Nikolaos three times a day, but with no buses on the other side. Those who drive across, however, will find this the closest crossing for Delphi. The last big earthquake was in 1995, but there are still many 19th century mansions and some fountains in the town. Overlooking the harbor, the Platia Psili Alonia (Square of the High Threshing Floors) is a nice place to sit at a café and enjoy the wonderful views over the Gulf of Corinth. The 1890 Market here was designed by Ziller and later converted into an archaeological museum with finds dating from the prehistoric founding of Aigion to the Roman era, which opened in 1994 was was damaged in the quake the following year. Local wine-tasting is possible at the Oenoforos Estate (Tel: 26910 29 415), located in the sparsely populated village of Ano Ziria. Both Rio and Aigion offer quiet, more traditional, and less touristic alternatives to Patras as places to stay overnight.

Aigion to Diakofto

After Aigion, the rail line crosses the Selinous river, passes the modern village of Eliki, near which a prosperous ancient city was destroyed by earthquake in 373BC, prompting geological surveys, conducted by Greek and American archaeologists, of the alluvial area between the Selinous River and the Voraikos river to the east. Two ancient levels of habitation were found-the highest level Roman, the one below it dating to the Classical period, when the ancient city exisited. After the train leaves the sea for a short stretch, it returns to it again at Diakofto, which faces the water, with the Achean Mountains rising behind it. A large village with nice beaches, hotels and restaurants, Diakofto owes its prosperity partly to the two railway lines that cross it, and that allow trade with the mountain villages behind it. The famous rack and pinion/ cog railway and the journey between here and Kalavryta (stopping at Zachorlou on the way, is described in the article on Kalavryta. From Zachorlou, one can climb Mount Helmos.

Diakofto to Corinth Beyond Diakofto, the rail line hugs the coast along the Gulf of Corinth, passing through the seaside villages of Akrata and Derveni. A more attractive ascent of Mount Helmos is possible from Akrata than from Zachlorou, with a local bus from the town (three times weekly) going to the trailhead. An alternative to the bus is the dirt road behind the train tracks. The hike is five hours to the Mavroneri waterfall, with the seasonally inhabited village of Solos en route. The waterfall, was the traditional source of the River Styx, which the souls of the dead had to cross to enter Hades. The next major stop is Xilokastro (wooden castle), a large village of about 5,000 inhabitants and a popular seaside resort for Corinthians. Several tavernas line the tracks. Mount Parnassus looms across the gulf. From this town, buses go to Trikala and for a trek up Mt. Zirin. After Xilokastro, the rail line passes a potential stop for modern and ancient Sikyon; next comes Kiato, which is a thriving port located amid orchards. This town has about 10,000 inhabitants; there are remains of an early Byzantine basilika near the station. Buses lead from here to Sikyon, and to Lake Stymphalia, and those wanting to visit Perahora across the Gulf, might be lucky enough to persuade some small boat owner in the harbor to make the trip. After Kiato, the rail lines leaves the coast and runs through seemingly endless orchards and the small village of Braxati to Corinth. The Acrocorinth Castle is visible off to the right as the train approaches Corinth, up on its limestone outcrop. The track goes from single to double, and soon you are in the city. From there, you can travel across the Isthmus to Athens, or south through the Argolid to Mycenaea, Nafplio, Tripoli, and Kalamata. Fifteen trains serve Athens daily from Corinth, with eleven of those making the stop at the Isthmus Station for a view of the Canal. Seven daily trains continue south to the Argolid.