PeloPonneseACHAïAPeloPonneseSLEEPING& EATINGPeloPonneseKYLLININo public buses run to Vasses. A return
taxi from Andritsena, including waiting
time, costs around €40.
Nikolopoulos Andritsena
Library LIBrArY, MuSEuM
(%26260 22242; h8.30am-2.30pm Tue-Sat) F
In 1838 Konstantinos Nikopoulos, a compos-
er, archaeologist and member of the Greek
Resistance looking to liberate Greece from the
Turks, donated 4000 rare books to his father’s
home town to establish a school. It was one
of Europe’s largest private book collections at
the time. Displayed along with manuscripts
from Greece’s 1821 Independence movement
is a cast of a frieze from the Temple of Epi-
curean Apollo at Vasses. Explanatory English
video. It’s behind Hotel Theoxenia.
4 Sleeping & Eating
For somewhere to eat, try any of the casual
tavernas and grill places spread along the
main street.
Archontico Hotel HOTEL €€
(%26260 22401; http://www.archontiko-andritsenas.gr;
d €60; pW) Complete with terraces and art-
fully scattered amphorae, this fine historic
building at the western end of the village
offers snug rooms with exposed stone walls
and mod cons.
8 Getting There & Away
Buses run to Athens (€24, two hours, one or
two daily) via Megalopoli, Tripoli and Corinth
Isthmus.
Kyllini Κυλλήνη
The port of Kyllini (kih-lee-nih), 78km
southwest of Patra, is the jumping-off point
for ferries to Kefallonia and Zakynthos.
Most people arrive on buses from Patra to
board the ferries.
Ionian Ferries (www.ionianferries.gr) runs
to Zakynthos (€7.50/28.50 per adult/car, 1¼
hours, four daily in summer) and to Poros
(€8.80/37.90 per person/car, 1½ hours, one
to two daily in summer) on Kefallonia.
Two daily buses run to Kyllini from Pyrgos
(€6, one hour), and three to four buses daily
run from the KTEL Zakynthos bus station
in Patra (€8, 1¼ hours). Some connect with
ferries to Zakynthos (bus and ferry €15.90).
Note, however, when doing the reverse trip
there are no buses from Kyllini to Patra. A
taxi to Patra costs around €60.
ACHAÏA ΑΧΑΐΑ
The northern region of Achaïa comprises
some high and skiable mountain country
(reached via a historic rack-and-pinion rail-
way), surprisingly little in the way of beach-
es, and a bustling port, Patra.
Achaïa owes its name to the Achaeans, an
Indo-European branch of migrants who set-
tled on mainland Greece and established the
mighty Mycenaean civilisation. When the
Dorians arrived, the Achaeans were pushed
into this northwestern corner of the Pelo-
ponnese, displacing the original Ionians.
Legend has it that the Achaeans found-
ed 12 cities, which later developed into the
powerful Achaean Federation that survived
until Roman times. Principal among these
cities were the ports of Patra and Egio (on
the coast of the Gulf of Corinth).Patra (Patras) Πάτρα
POP 168,000
Let’s face it: Patra is unlikely to be your fi-
nal destination or a place you’ll linger long.
Most travellers pass straight through, board-
ing or disembarking from boats that sail be-
tween here, Italy and some Ionian Islands.
The largest city in the Peloponnese, Patra
is named after King Patreas who ruled
Achaïa around 1100 BC. Little is evident of
this busy port’s 3000 years of history, during
which it was an important trade centre un-
der the Mycenaeans and the Romans. There’s
a darker side to Patra: the derelict buildings,
groups of unemployed men hanging out by
the docks and beggars contrast sharply with
the attractive squares and lively pedestrian
streets, and the bars and restaurants filled
with the young and the trendy.
Before you escape by boat or via the Rio–
Andirio suspension bridge, an engineeringWINERY STOPOVERMercouri Estate (%26210 41601;
http://www.mercouri.gr; tastings €10; h9am-
3pm Mon-Sat), 1km north of Korakohori
village and about 15km from Pyrgos,
is a worthwhile winery for a stop-off.
This handsome estate produces a dry
white foloi, and a prize-winning rich red,
its flagship Domaine Mercouri. It also
runs tours of the grounds (reservations
required).