Train Kalavrita - Diakofto

Durbanville, South...
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Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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Hi there

We are in the early stages of planning our first trip to Greece so please help!

I have read about the beatiful train trip between Diakofto and Kalavrita. We'll be driving from the Mani to Stemnitsa or Dimitsana (2 nights), from there Diakofto (2 - 3 nights).

If we leave the car in Diakofto, take the train to Kalavrita, is it possible to get off at Zachlorou, walk to the Monastery and then get back on the train again to continue our journey to Kalavrita? From Kalavrita on the train again back to Diakofto?Will this be do-able in 1 day? How long does the train trip take?

Many thanks in advance.

Annali

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South Pole
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1. Re: Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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We were around here last May (travelling reverse direction to yourselves) & can highly recommend the trip on the railway. As you will have a car can I make the following suggestion to do as we did. We parked at Diakofto, took the early morning train to Zachlorou (just over an hour ride) then walked back to Diakofto (took about 4 hours with many photo stops). It is downhill all the way, although a bit hard on the feet so proper boots are advised. It is a glorious train ride, but an even better walk as you can take time to admire the scenery & the sheer engineering skill used to build the line. We saw no-one else apart from 2 passing trains. Certainly this is the most scenic part of the route. We were originally going to walk to the Monastery, but instead we drove there after our walk. The monastery itself is amazing, but I did not regret NOT walking up from Zachlorou. Or you could park at Kalavryta, take the train to Zachlorou, walk to Diakofto & ride the train all the way back to Kalavryta.

I would also suggest you perhaps stay in Kalavryta rather than Diakofto - an interesting town, lots of rooms, tavernas etc & a must-see Museum & Holocaust Memorial site. We actually spent one night in Diakofto (it was our first night after arrival at Athens) & 2 in Kalavryta. Diakofto is worth a look around but we preferred walking around Kalavryta in the evenings.

What time of year are you visiting? Lovely to hear that this is your first trip to Greece & you are staying off the most regular tourist trails!! The Mani is glorious!!

Edited: 10 years ago
Durbanville, South...
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2. Re: Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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Thank you so much for all the useful info, Tsipouro! This really helps me a lot with planning our trip. We are planning our trip for next year May/June, but I always start early so as to get a lot of info and tips from people who have already been there. The best thing I've done so far, is to join TA!

We love walking, do it for at least 2hrs every day, done part of the Camino in 2008, and loved it. So we will definitely do the walk from Zachlorou to Diakofto. Thanks again for that info.

I have started reading all your posts on Greece and there is a wealth of tips and info which we can use.

We plan to fly from London (where our son lives) to Athens, get our car there, drive to Nafplio where we will stay for a few days, from where we will take day trips to Hydra and Spetses, then to Monemvasia and Gythio, through the Mani and then Diakofto and Kalavryta.

Then towards Ioanninna and see the clifftop Monasteries and Zagoria, then on towards Thessaloniki.

We are not pressed for time, so we are planning our trip for about 3 weeks all in all.

If we have enough time, we would like to cross the boarder into Macedonia (FYROM) for a few days, but we do not know yet if we need a visa for that. Somebody said we can go in with our Schengen if we stay for not more than 9 days. We do not have a Macedonian Consulate in South Africa.

I will still have a lot of questions, so please bear with me.

Thanks for now, more questions will follow as the planning progresses!

Annali

London, United...
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3. Re: Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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Hi Annali,

You probably are unaware of this, but in Greece there is a major debate as to whether neighbouring country FYROM is entitled to use the term "Macedonia" to describe itself, reason being that Macedonia is a wider geographical and historical region most of which is part of Greek territory (the rest split between FYROM and Bulgaria). Tensions are running high in the region of Greek Macedonia, which is in fact the largest Greek region, especially in the capital Thessaloniki.

In order to avoid misunderstandings and respect local sensibilities, it is advisable that you refrain from using the terms Macedonian and Macedonia to refer to non-Greek territories, products or people. Please use FYROM or Skopje (Skopia in Greek) instead and whatever you do, do not ask for directions to the Macedonian Consulate once in Greece!

South Pole
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4. Re: Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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Sounds like you have a great trip lined up! Just a point - you may not be able to take a car over the border into FYROM. Check this out with the hire company. YOU can probably go (with the right paperwork AFAIK) but not the car. We stayed at Prespa Lakes in 2009 & considered a trip into FYROM but it meant leaving the car behind or parking up near the border, catching a bus or walking to the border post & then taking a bus within FYROM to wherever we had in mind (I forget the name of the town). IN the end we did not have time.

I am sending you a PM.

Excellent advice there from Tinsey re the situation.

Edited: 10 years ago
Durbanville, South...
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5. Re: Train Kalavrita - Diakofto
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Thank you Tinsey! Will definitely keep this in mind. Do not like to offend anybody, just want to enjoy our trip in peace and harmony.

Annali

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