Greece - Korina Miller [120]
Opposite the train station, a small supermarket has good picnic supplies for walkers. Ten minutes walk away, the beach strip has a couple of good seaside tavernas worth checking out.
Getting There & Away
BUS
Trains are the most convenient way to get to Diakofto. Patra–Athens buses bypass the village on New National Rd.
TRAIN
Diakofto is on the main Corinth–Patra line; there are frequent trains in both directions (€7).
The refurbished Diakofto–Kalavryta Railway ( 26910 43228) has departures daily along the rack-and-pinion line to Kalavryta to a changing schedule via Zahlorou. See opposite.
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ZAHLOROU ΖΑΧΛΩΡΟΥ
pop 50
The picturesque and unspoilt settlement of Zahlorou, the halfway stop on the Diakofto–Kalavryta train line, straddles both sides of the river and the railway line. Some people take the train to this point and walk back to Diakofto – the walk takes up to four hours.
Sights
MONI MEGALOU SPILEOU
ΜΟΝΗ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΣΠΗΛΑΙΟΥ
A steep path leads up from Zahlorou to the Moni Megalou Spileou (Monastery of the Great Cavern; admission free). The original monastery was destroyed in 1934 when gunpowder stored during the War of Independence exploded. The new monastery houses illuminated gospels and relics, and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, which, like numerous icons in Greece, is said to have been painted by St Luke. It was supposedly discovered in the nearby cavern by St Theodore and St Simeon in 362. The 3km-long walk takes about an hour.
Sleeping & Eating
Taverna Oneiro ( 26920 23772; www.villa-oneiro.gr; apt/villa from €80/100) For something more upmarket, and on the hill behind the platform, try this taverna, which has eight plush new ‘villas’ aside its taverna and older apartments nearby. Check for opening months, however.
Of the two budget sleeping options right on the platform, Zachlorou ( 26920 22789; www.zachlorou.gr; r from €30) is the preferred option over the sootier Hotel Romantzo ( 26920 22758; r €40). However, both have 3rd-class prices, so don’t expect luxury accommodation.
Getting There & Away
All Diakofto–Kalavryta trains stop at Zahlorou. You can drive to Zahlorou on a narrow road leading off the Diakofto–Kalavryta road. The turn-off is 7.5km north of Kalavryta.
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KALAVRYTA ΚΑΛAΒΡΥΤΑ
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Perched 756m above sea level, Kalavryta (kah-lah-vrih-tah) is a delightful resort town with fresh mountain air, gushing springs and a tree-shaded square. The town is especially popular among Athenians, who arrive in numbers on weekends and during the winter ski season. As such, prices can be a bit higher here compared with other villages and locals tend to be a little tourist wary (some might say weary).
Two relatively recent historical events have assured the town of Kalavryta a place in the hearts of all Greeks. First, despite plenty of evidence that fighting had already begun elsewhere, the official version of the War of Independence states that the revolt against the Turks began here on 25 March 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patra raised the Greek flag at Moni Agias Lavras, 6km from Kalavryta. Second, on 13 December 1943, in one of the worst atrocities of WWII, the Nazis set fire to the town and massacred nearly all its male inhabitants over the age of 15 (498 people), as punishment for resistance activity. The hands of the old cathedral clock stand eternally at 2.34, the time the massacre began. The event is solemnly and movingly recorded in the old schoolhouse, now a museum (below) dedicated to the memory of those killed both in this event and in the region (about 700 people in total).
Orientation & Information
The train station is on the northern edge of town, opposite the 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 bus station is on Kapota.
There is no tourist office. The websites www.kalavrita.gr