Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
There are six trains a day to Athens (€17). At the time of research, a replacement bus
heads as far as Kiato, from where you take the
proastiako
. Note: on arrival in Athens you
can use your
proastiako
ticket for 1½ hours on the metro, but to do this you must valid-
ate the ticket or you will be fined.
Getting Around
Hertz
(
2610 220 990;
www.hertz.gr
;
Akti Dimaion 40)
Recommended, reliable car-hire out-
let.
DIAKOFTO-KALAVRYTA RAILWAY
One of the unmissable journeys to make in the Peloponnese is aboard the tiny,
unique
train
( 6986307176, 26910 43206; one way/return €9.50/19)
running along the rail-
way from Diakofto to Kalavryta. It takes travellers on an unforgettable ride through
the dramatic
Vouraïkos Gorge
. The train climbs over 700m in 22.5km, using a
rack-and-pinion (cog) system for traction on the steep sections, effectively clamp-
ing itself to the notched girder you can see running between the rails. Built by an
Italian company between 1885 and 1895, the railway was a remarkable feat of en-
gineering for its time, with only a handful of equivalents around the world (most
notably in the Swiss Alps). Between 2007 and 2009 the trains were off the tracks
as the entire rails and cog sections were replaced, and four new modern trains
were constructed to replace the former carriages.
As you head through the gorge, the line switches back and forth under a leafy
canopy of plane trees and clings to a narrow ledge overhanging the river, passing
through seven curving tunnels along the way.
The journey takes just over an hour, stopping en route at Zahlorou. There are de-
partures daily to a changing schedule. A good website to check its status (run by a
passionate trainspotter) is
www.odontotos.com
.
The original steam engines that first plied the route were replaced in the early
1960s by diesel cars, but the old engines can still be seen outside Diakofto and Ka-
lavryta stations.
Note: Regular KTEL buses do not stop in Diakofto. To get there, catch the only
'working' train line: Corinth-Patra. (Though OSE buses currently run in place of
trains for the Diakofto-Kiato section). On leaving Diakofto, you can catch the same
replacement bus service west to Patra or, to head east, take the replacement bus
service to Kiato, from where you catch theproastiakotrain, either one stop to Cor-
inth or as far as Athens airport.
