Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the night at
Hotel Dionysos
(
6970804050, 27570 23455; s €30-35, d & tr €45-50;
)
. All
four tavernas here can be recommended for their seafood and traditional offerings.
There are buses up and down the coast to/from Argos (€8, 2¼ hours, two daily) and
Tripoli (€9.20, 2½ hours, two weekdays, one on weekends). In summer, buses head
between Plaka and Leonidio (€1.60, 10 minutes). The KTEL bus station is at the
Café
Bar 2Porto
(
27570 22255; Thioporto)
.
South of Leonidio
The road south from Leonidio over the Parnonas Mountains to the village of Geraki in
Lakonia, 48km away, is one of the most scenic in the Peloponnese. For the first 12km,
the road snakes west up the
Badron Gorge
, climbing slowly away from the river until at
times the water is no more than a speck of silver far below. The road then leaves the Bad-
ron and climbs rapidly towards Kosmas on dramatic hairpin bends that make the Monaco
Formula One circuit seem like an airstrip.
Just before the top of the climb, there's a sealed road to the left leading to
Moni Pana-
gias Elonis
, a remarkable little monastery perched precariously on the mountainside.
Visitors are welcome, provided they are suitably dressed.
It's another 14km from the monastery to the peaceful, beautiful mountain village of
Kosmas
. There are several sleeping options here, including
Selinounta Studios
(
6979001030;
www.selinounta.gr
; Central Sq, Kosmas; s/d/tr/q €50/55/60)
, where you can
watch the village world go by from one of five studios (with cooking facilities) housed in
a beautiful stone building. Ask at the shop next door (a little English is spoken). Even if
you don't stay overnight, it's worth trying the town speciality (goat) at a taverna beneath
the huge plane trees in the square.
After Kosmas the road descends - more gently this time - to the village of
Geraki
. A
brief pause is warranted to visit the quaint churches and to see the locals at play in the
busy square. From here you can head 40km west to Sparta, or continue south through
Skala, Molai and Sikia, also in Lakonia, to Monemvasia.
Aside from one weekly bus (€3, Wednesday), there is no public transport between
Leonidio and Kosmas.
LAKONIA ΛΑΚΩΝΙΑ
The region of Lakonia occupies almost identical boundaries to the powerful mountain-
skirted kingdom ruled by King Menelaus in Mycenaean times. It is home to legends, in-
