Travel to Patras, Peloponnese
Above: Fortress of Patras
Patras is Greece’s third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.
Coordinates: 38°15′N 21°44′E
Patras is known as Greece’s ‘Gate to the West’, it is a commercial hub and its busy port is a central point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. The city has two public universities and one Technological Institute, hosting a large student population and rendering Patras a major scientific centre with a field of excellence in technological education. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras’ easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirio, connecting Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece.
Every year, in February, the city hosts one of Europe’s largest and most colourful carnivals; notable features of the Patras Carnival include its mammoth-sized satirical floats and extravagant balls and parades, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors in a pleasant Mediterranean climate, with relatively cool yet humid summers and rather mild winters. Patras is also famous for supporting an indigenous cultural scene active mainly in the performing arts and modern urban literature; it was European Capital of Culture 2006.
Further reading about Patras and its main sights and cultural events…
Things to do
Achaia Clauss Winery
The Achaia Clauss wine industry and tasting center, which is located on the outskirts in Petroto village. It was founded in 1861 by the Bavarian Gustav Clauss and is most famous for its Mavrodaphne.
Patron-Clauss Ave, Patras 26110, Grækenland
Tel:+30 61 325051
Patras Archaeological Museum exhibits the history of Patras from the prehistoric era to the late Roman times. The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections which are demonstrated in the big three separate halls of the museum: The Chamber of Private Life, the Hall of Necropolis and the Hall of Public Life.
