How To Reach The Peloponnese

The Peloponnese region in Greece is a large collection of cities and villages with cultural and historic significance. Patras is its largest city, while Kalamata is second. It is located towards the south-west corner of the mainland, separated by the Corinth Canal and surrounded by the Gulf of Corinth, Saronic Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. A population of over 1 million people live here and enjoy the quaint beauty of this region. Here’s the best way to reach The Peloponnese.

There are only 2 small airports in The Peloponnese, one in Patra and the other in Kalamata. The flights out of these airports run mainly in summer and are charter flights to cities abroad. Since Greece’s Capital city Athens is quite close by, it is best to fly to Athens and then take a bus/train/car into The Peloponnese. Athens to Nafplion is only about 2 hours drive (140 km).

From India, there are many flights that fly to Athens on a daily basis especially from the metro cities.

Athens is connected to Patras by train, however, the route is not direct. You can take the Suburban Railway to Kiato from Athens and then change to the inter-city train to Patras. You could also just go up to Korinthos or Kiato. This only takes a little over an hour. Once at Korinthos you can take a bus or hire a car to go to Kalamata, Nafplion or any of the other cities.

The best way to travel around the Peloponnese is by road. The bus service is great and also a cheap mode of transport. You can get buses to most of the cities in the Peloponnese from the Kifissos KTEL Station in Athens on a frequent and daily basis. A regular coach trip from Athens to Kalamata would take around 3 hours and cost you only 25 euros. It takes around the same time to reach Patras as well.

You could also just hire a car and drive down from Athens.

Patras is the main Port of the Peloponnese but there are other small ports as well. Patras has ferries that connect with Italy and also other Greek Islands like Corfu, Ithaca and Kefalonia.

To travel to the Peloponnese from Athens, you can take the ferry from Piraeus Port (which is close to Athens) to the Ermioni or Porto Cheli ports. From these small ports, you can take a taxi or bus to Nafplion, which is just over 1 hour away.

The Peloponnese is a very large region and it definitely cannot be explored on foot! The best way to look around is to hire your own private vehicle. This gives you the flexibility and convenience that is required to enjoy a holiday. Since there are many places to visit, you can combine many destinations in one day if you have your own car. However, buses are also a good way to travel, if you are looking for a budget trip and if you are not short on time.