PeloPonnese
ACHAïA
PeloPonnese
EATING
& Dr
INKING
PeloPonnese
KALAVr
YTA
attractions, and handy maps at hand. The ex-
cellent breakfast includes local sheep’s milk
yoghurt, honey, preserves and cheeses.Hotel Kynaitha HOTEL €€
(%26920 22609; http://www.kynaitha.com; Ethnikis
Andistasis 11; d/tr/ste incl breakfast €65/77/145;
pW) Modern and comfortable with spa-
cious and attractively furnished rooms.
Think exposed stone walls, gleaming white
bathrooms and posh toiletries.5 Eating & Drinking
There’s an abundance of tavernas and cafes,
mostly along 25 Martiou.To Spitikou TAVErNA €
(%26920 24260; Vasileos Constantinou; mains
€7-12; hlunch & dinner; Wv) This cosy place
with a ski-lodge feel serves up great-quality
traditional taverna meals. Expect the likes of
veal with tomato sauce, chicken baked with
vegetables, spinach and feta soufflé and quite
possibly the best tzatziki in the Peloponnese.Gri Gri Café SWEETS €
(25 Martiou; snacks €1.70-4; h8am-8pm) This
good family-run spot is recommended for its
sweet or savoury homemade snacks, such as
cheese pie, baklava and tasty crèma (sweet,
set custard).8 Information
The train station is on the northern edge of
town, opposite the Holocaust Museum. To the
right of the museum is Syngrou/25 Martiou, a
pedestrian precinct. To the left of the museum is
Konstantinou.
The central square, Plateia Kalavrytou, is two
blocks up from the train station.
The ticket office at the train station doubles as
a tourist office.
National Bank of Greece (25 Martiou) Just
before Plateia Kalavrytou.
Post office (h7.30am-2pm Mon-fri) Behind
Plateia Kalavrytou.RIDING THE MOUNTAIN RAILSOne of the unmissable journeys to make in the Peloponnese is aboard the tiny train run-
ning along the vintage rack-and-pinion Diakofto–Kalavryta Railway (%26910 43206;
http://www.odontotos.com; one way/return €9.50/19) between Diakofto and Kalavryta. It takes
travellers on a remarkably scenic ride through the dramatic Vouraïkos Gorge, its reddish
cliffs seemingly closing in on the train. The line switches back and forth under a leafy
canopy of plane trees, clinging to a narrow ledge overhanging the rushing rapids below,
and passing through seven curving tunnels along the way.
To reach Kalavryta, the train climbs over 700m in 22.5km, using a rack-and-pinion
(cog) system for traction on the steep sections, effectively clamping itself to the notched
girder you can see running between the rails. Built by an Italian company between 1889
and 1895, the railway was a remarkable feat of engineering for its time, with only a hand-
ful of equivalents around the world (most notably in the Swiss Alps). The trains running
the route are shiny and modern, but the original steam engines that first plied the route
can still be seen outside Diakofto and Kalavryta stations.
The journey takes just over an hour, and stops en route at the picturesque hamlet of
Zahlorou and two other tiny stations on demand, in case you want to be dropped off at
one and walk to another. The railway makes an even more scenic hike, as you have more
time to appreciate your surroundings.
Hiking the 22km down from Kalavryta to Diakofto takes around five hours; train
drivers are used to hikers along the tracks and give them plenty of warning. Take a torch
(flashlight) for the tunnels.
At the time of writing there were three departures on weekdays and five on weekends
in each direction; confirm times at the respective train stations.
Kalavryta is linked by regular buses to Athens and Patra. To get to Diakofto, catch the
only ‘working’ train line, Corinth–Patra, with OSE replacement buses running in place of
trains along the Diakofto–Kiato section at time of writing. On leaving Diakofto, you can
catch the same replacement bus service west to Patra or, to head east, take the replace-
ment bus service to Kiato, from where you catch the proastiako train, either to Corinth
or as far as Athens airport.