Journey to Kalamata via Isthmus, (Corinth) and Tripolis
The area around Venezelos, the international airport of Athens, has been developing
quickly since the Athens Olympics in 2004. The Athens
Airport magazine gives details of all airport facilities in English and Greek.
It is now possible to take the metro to the city centre and connect with rail stations to
the Peloponnese.
Airport buses provide convenient cheap travel to the bus station for the Peloponnese (E96) and also to Syntagma Square in the centre of Athens(E95). Buses leave the airport at frequent intervals. You could also take a taxi or hire a car.
KTEL,
runs bus services in Greece and there are regular buses from it's depot at Kiffisia, on the
outskirts of Athens. It has suspended its website temporarily so our links direct you
to other information sites. Please check exact details at the bus stations before you
travel.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and seats are allocated at the time of purchase so your seat number will be printed on your ticket. Buses are modern, comfortable and may have toilets on board. Services leave for Kalamata about once an hour, the journey via Tripolis, takes approximately four and a half hours and includes a break for snacks and drinks.
An Express, non-stop, service is also available and takes about three and a half hours. Look out for the Corinth canal which you will cross on your journey and which effectively makes the Peloponnesian Peninsula an island.
Journey from Kalamata to Methoni via Messini and Pylos
A new bus station, with much improved facilities, has been built at Kalamata. It is still some
distance from the Centre of kalamata, but there are one or two stops in the city,
unless you take the express!
If you are taking a bus that goes right through to Methoni, the break at kalamata will be short. I sometimes prefer to take the express from Athens to kalamata and then have a longer break, including a meal or short walk, taking a local bus to complete the journey. You can buy refreshments and souvenirs at the Bus station.
Kalamata is the capital of the
Messinia region and has a large hospital and the main
government buildings. Local buses to Pylos are fairly regular and some go on to Methoni or other local villages.
From Pylos you can take a taxi on to Methoni for around €10.00.
The bus journey from Athens right through to Methoni takes about 6 hours. It is a long journey but very beautiful, with an opportunity to admire the flowers and observe the considerable effort being made to complete the motorway network across the Peloponnese. by the end of 2010 the journey will be much shorter. Buses are inexpensive and comfortable. (Approx €27 for the entire journey)
Rail Journey
It is worth taking a ride on the light railway which runs from Olympia to Pyrgos. For other journeys, rail travel is not good!
Since I first travelled the route from Athens via Patras to Kiparissia in 1997
improvements have been made to the track and stations between Athens and Corinth and
posssibly onto Patras, but there are few trains to Tripoli, Kalamata and Kiparissia and
no fast rail travel as there is in northern Europe.
Easy Travel
People seem to love carrying luggage on holiday!It's worth taking less and experiencing the joy and freedom from stress of travelling light. Most travel destinations aren't far from shops so why not buy a few items once you arrive and and support the local economy of the place you're visiting? In Methoni, new shops including smart boutiques and souvenir shops have recently opened so Pylos is not the only source of souvenirs and fashion items.