Achaea

Achaea, from Patras to the mountains of Kalavryta

Achaea occupies the north of the Peloponnese, between the Gulf of Patras to the west, the Gulf of Corinth to the north and the highlands of the interior. This contrasting region combines a long maritime facade, agricultural plains and massifs such as Panachaiko, Erymanthos and Chelmos. It is also one of the main gateways to the Peloponnese thanks to Patras and the Rio-Antirrio bridge.

Patras^★, Greece's third-largest urban area, is its main urban centre. Its heritage recalls the city's importance in Roman times with the Roman Odeon, the remains of the stadium and the aqueduct, to which are added the castle overlooking the city and the great Basilica of Saint Andrew^★. The Archaeological Museum of Patras, notably rich in Roman mosaics, completes this discovery.

The eastern and mountainous part of Achaea offers a very different landscape. From Diakofto, the small rack railway climbs the spectacular Vouraikos Gorge to Kalavryta^★, through tunnels, bridges and rock faces. The town is also an important place of remembrance: the Museum of the Holocaust of Kalavryta and the Site of Sacrifice recall the massacre perpetrated by German troops in December 1943.

The surroundings of Kalavryta concentrate several other important visits. The spectacular Mega Spilaio^★★ monastery leans against a high rock face above the valley, while Agia Lavra is closely associated with the memory of the Greek War of Independence of 1821. Further south, the Cave of the Lakes of Kastria stands out for its galleries, concretions and underground pools arranged on several levels.

Achaea also has a more discreet archaeological heritage. Near Patras, Voundeni preserves an important settlement and a vast Mycenaean necropolis. In the east of the region, ancient Aigeira overlooks the Gulf of Corinth around its Hellenistic theatre, while to the west the Teichos Dymaion is a remarkable example of a fortified Mycenaean acropolis, occupied for several millennia.

The coastline completes this diversity with the resorts and beaches of the Gulf of Corinth around Aigio, Diakofto and Akrata, as well as the more open landscapes of the west towards Araxos and Kalogria. Achaea is thus particularly suited to a route combining city and archaeology in Patras, mountains and history around Kalavryta, gorges, monasteries and coastline, with sites far more scattered than in the Argolid.