Greece - Korina Miller [187]
Taverna Tasso ( 22650 41291; Akti Oianthis 69; mains €4-12) Usually packed for mezedhes and lobster.
Taverna Maritsa ( 22650 42000; Akti Oianthis 71; mains €8-15) First-rate kitchen in upscale atmosphere.
Shopping
You can browse for jewellery, icons and handmade pottery at the good-looking Ostria ( 22650 41206), 100m past the port kiosk. Owners Katarina and Petros run a nearby studio workshop ( 22650 41063), open to summer visitors.
Getting There & Away
The bus station ( 22650 42087) is on Plateia Manousakia. There are buses to Delphi (€3.20, 45 minutes, five daily), Patra (€9, 1¾ hours, two to three daily) and Athens (€16.80, 3½ hours, four daily).
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NAFPAKTOS ΝΑΥΠΑΚΤΟΣ
pop 16,200
West of Galaxidi, the coastal highway winds in and out of a number of seaside towns and villages, including picturesque Monastiraki, 12km before the bustling market town of Nafpaktos. Opposite the village of Spilia, look for Trizonia, the only inhabited island in the Gulf of Corinth.
Nafpaktos spreads out from a handsome circular-walled harbour, dotted with plane trees, trendy cafes, a good swimming beach (Psani) and a well-preserved fortress and Venetian kastro (castle), the latter protected by a series of five terraced stone walls built by a succession of conquerors (Doric, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Turk). Nafpaktos was known as Lepanto in medieval times, and it was here on 7 October 1571 that the naval battle of Lepanto took place between the Ottoman Empire and the combined navies of the Vatican, Spain and Venice. The decisive victory over the Turks temporarily ended their naval domination of the Mediterranean. Look for a small bronze statue of battle hero Miguel de Cervantes, below the harbour seawall.
Information
Hobby Club ( 26340 22288; per hr €1; 9am-2am) Check email at this place opposite Psani Beach.
Nafpaktos Tourist Information ( 26340 38533; Tzavela St; 10am-1.30pm & 6-9pm) Opposite the old harbour, and next to several bank ATMs, recognisable by a cluster of trendy wi-fi cafe-bars.
Sleeping & Eating
Camping Dounis Beach ( 26340 31665; fax 26340 31131; camp sites per adult/tent €8/4.50) Towards the Rio–Andirio bridge, this simple beach site is clean and quiet, with a minimarket and taverna.
Hotel Regina ( 26340 21555; fax 26340 21556; Psani Beach; s/d/tr from €40/50/70; ) The Regina represents a great deal for families, with handsome two-room studios, all with kitchenettes and balconies, 100m west of the harbour square.
Hotel Akti ( 26340 28464; www.akti.gr; Grimbovo Beach; s €40-55, d €50-80, ste €110-140; ) The Akti’s exterior looks like a pastel colour chart with balconies. Inside this very welcoming lodging you’ll find area rugs, antiques galore and rooms that are high, wide and comfortable. Sharp top-floor suites sleep four to six.
Among several decent waterfront eateries, head first to Taverna O Stavros ( 26340 27473; Grimbovo Beach; mains €4-9), excellent spanakopita (spinach pie), oven-ready dishes such as youvetsi (baked meat in tomato sauce) or yemista (stuffed vegetables), along with baked or grilled fresh fish.
Getting There & Away
Nafpaktos has two bus stations. The KTEL Nafpaktos station ( 26340 27224; cnr Manassi & Botsari) is behind the large Church of Agios Dimitrios. The KTEL Fokida station ( 26340 27241; cnr Kefalourisou & Asklipiou) is 400m further east.
The striking Rio–Andirio suspension bridge, completed in 2004 by a French consortium, now connects mainland Andirio and Rio on the Peloponnese, a crossing formerly only made by ferry. Despite the steep toll (€11.70 each way), getting to places such as Patra couldn’t be easier.
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MESSOLONGI ΜΕΣΟΛOΓΓΙ
pop 12,580
From a distance, Messolongi’s flat landscape lacks the siren’s irresistible draw. The town skirts the motionless Klisova Lagoon, the largest natural wetland in Greece, a favourite winter stopover for thousands of migrating birds and an important breeding ground for the endangered Dalmatian pelican