Achaia is one of the most historic sites in the Peloponnese and Greece’s seaside gate to Western Europe. Boasting Patras, the biggest of the cities of the Peloponnese, Achaia is filled with exceptional mountain and seaside landscapes. It boasts the Panachaiko, Helmos and Erymanthos mountains and the most beautiful sandy beaches in the Korinthian Gulf.

Early in the 4th century B.C. the 12 cities of Achaea formed the Achaean League, a military alliance. In Hellenistic times, the league admitted non-Achaean allies and became the chief political power in Greece. It went over to Rome in 198 B.C. but was dissolved by the Romans in 146 B.C., after which it was annexed to the Roman province of Macedonia. In 27 B.C. it became the centre of the Roman senatorial province of Achaea, which included all of Greece south of Thessaly. After various invasions and dismemberments in the Middle Ages, Achaea was conquered by the Turks in 1460. It was in the monastery of Ayía Lavra near Kalávrita in this province that the standard of the Greek Revolution was raised in March of 1821. Achaea was liberated from the Turks in 1828.

Patra is the capital of Achaia and one of the Greek cities that never sleeps and without doubt a city with great history and many interesting places for one to discover during a visit. It is a bustling student city, a place where entertainment, history and culture mingle together to create a destination filled with wonderful discoveries. However to the majority of the people the city is best known for its Carnival, which is, admittedly, the biggest and most impressive carnival out of the dozens that are organized in various areas in Greece.

The Carnival opens every year usually at the end of January and reaches its height during the final weekend of the Carnival, before Clean Monday, when the great parade also takes place. These days are filled with non-stop partying, vibrant colors, music, dancing and feasting until the small hours, with the participation of everyone, young and old, from all over the county.

By car: 

To go from Athens to Patra by car, you follow the National Highway Athens-Corinth. After the Corinth Canal, you follow the signs to Patra. Although the road from Athens to Corinth is very good, the road from Corinth to Patra is narrow and has only one line per direction, which is why extra attention is required by drivers.

By bus:

There are daily buses from Athens to Achaia every hour. The bus trip from Athens to Patra is about 4 hours and buses depart from Kifissos KTEL Bus Station in Athens. From Patra you can travel almost all over Greece by bus. Some indicative destinations are Kalamata, Pyrgos and Argos in Peloponnese and Thessaloniki, Volos, Ioannina, Arta and Karditsa all over Greece.

For more information visit KTEL Achaias (http://www.ktelachaias.gr ) and buy your tickets online.

Telephone numbers of the most famous bus stops of Achaia:

KTEL of Patra: 0030 2610 623888

KTEL of Athens: 0030 210 5136185

By train:

There are daily trains from Athens to Patra. Passengers should take the Proastiakos Train from Athens to Kiato and there they change and take another train from Kiato to Patra.

For more information please visit the TRAINOSE website (http://www.trainose.gr/en/) and buy your tickets online or make a phone call at 0030 210 5297777.

By plane:

The closest airport to the Prefecture of Achaia is in Araxos (Araxos or Agamemnon Airport), which serves civilian flights from northern Europe during the summer. The airport is located 45km. from Patra. For more information contact the Araxos Airport at 0030 26930 54000.

Furthermore, the International airport of Athens is about 243km far away from Patras or about 3 hours driving.

By boat:

Patra has one of the largest ports in Greece and it works as a transportation hub between Greece and Italy. There is ferry connection between Patra and Italy all year round. Patra also serves ferries to the Ionian islands in Greece, specifically the islands of Corfu, Kefalonia and Ithaki.