Katakolon Western Peleponnese | Greece

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• Katakolon to Olympia by Taxi
• Katakolon to Olympia by Train
• Katakolon Beach
• Agios Andreas Beach
• Day trips from Katakolon
• Detailed map of Katakolon

Katakolon then and now

Katakolon has always been a port town, with its original heyday being the end of the 19^th to the mid 20^th century when it was the main point of departure for the region’s famous raisons. The Pirgos – Katakolo rail link was completed in 1881, a full 10 years before the Greek state railway line between Athens and Lamia was constructed. Katakolo’s port was funded entirely by the local Pirgos authorities to facilitate the transport of finished raisons to the ships at Katakolon where they were shipped to all the major ports of Europe. The Katakolon of those days can still be seen in the old warehouse buildings along its back streets, some of which have been nicely restored.

That being said, the first time I went to Katakolo in 1997 my first impressions were not particularly warm. The town had a bit of a rundown feeling to it, some of its older buildings along the back roads were in complete disrepair and the general feeling was one of a place that was on its last legs, port or no port, Olympia or no Olympia.

Since 2003 however, Katakolo has undergone a surprising and very pleasing makeover. The port was renovated in that year with funds donated by the town’s most famous of sons, John Latsis. With the renovated port came more cruise ships with more tourist dollars and in a surprisingly short time Katakolon has become a much nicer place to hang out in with most of its old buildings lovingly restored, the cafes and tavernas along the waterfront full of smiling people and its relaxed bars pulling in the locals from Pirgos on the weekends. Our last visit in the summer of 2009 was to a town that had rediscovered its summer vigour and was a bustling hive of activity during the day and a relaxing oasis of calm in the evenings (well, except for the weekend evenings).

Katakolon to Olympia

Many of you reading this might well be coming on a cruise ship, and maybe you will want to know if there are any options for getting from Katakolon to Olympia which does not involve the official cruise ship tour (something I have been asked by more than one lost looking soul wandering down the beach). Well, the short answer is yes, there are, although walking is not one of them. If you are adventurous you could rent a car from one of the car rental agencies and drive yourself. The roads from Katakolon to Olympia are in good condition and hold no major surprises although it is possible to get slightly lost when passing through Pirgos since the signs are a bit vague in places. That being said, if you follow the signs and/or all the taxis and tour buses that will be going the same way you will be hard pressed not to end up in Olympia eventually. If you are considering the DIY driving route take into account the complete chaos that is called parking in Olympia. They have recently closed the main road to thru traffic meaning that you will need to park at the far end of town (while battling through the waiting busses and taxis parked all along the main road) and then walk the entire length of Olympia to get to the site. It is not that far, say 15-20 minutes normal walking, but the summer heat and the bus and taxi fumes can make that seem like a pretty long 15 minutes.

Katakolon to Olympia by Taxi

The Katakolon to Olympia route has become the biggest business in town for any taxi driver based within 50kms of Katakolo. It amazes me every time I pass by the port once the last cruise ship has left for the day to see at least 50 new Mercedes taxis all parked up waiting for the next day when the cruise ship gods will offer up their next spoils to the lucky natives. Now, perhaps I shouldn’t be so cynical, and I have no doubt that most of the taxi drivers are good honest people who will offer you a great trip to and from Olympia. They will stop at a couple of picturesque spots along the way, they will tell you tales about the area and about Greece generally that you would never hear otherwise and generally you will have a good time. The only problem according to my local friends is the completely exorbitant rates that some will try pass onto the unsuspecting customer. Call me conservative, but 150+ euros for a 3-4 hour trip where 2 of these hours involves our friendly taxi driver sitting around with his mates smoking and laughing while you see the sights of Ancient Olympia seems a bit steep. Now if you have lots of spare cash, hey, why not share the wealth a little, take a taxi, enjoy the trip and think no more about it. If you are looking for a more wallet friendly option read on!

Katakolon to Olympia by Taxi (update 2010)

Mr Giannis Arvanitakis got in contact with me to tell me a bit about the taxi tours he runs from Katakolon to Olympia and I thought I would pass on the details. Giannis offers half day tours which last 5 hours at a cost of €140 (per tour, not per person!). The half day tour includes Ancient Olympia and a quick trip to the Mercouri Winery on the return voyage. Full day tours are also available for €240 which also include a visit to Chlemoutsi castle. Giannis can also arrange tours by minivan for larger groups of people (max 17) with or without a licensed archaeological guide. For more details see the Katakolon Taxi page in Giannis’ site.

If you do contact Gianni mention you heard about him from Travels in Greece and if you take a tour with him we would always be interested in hearing your opinions, so let us know! If you do take a tour, let me make my (by now standard) rant against driving on the beach! Unfortunately for many years locals and foreigners alike have been allowed to drive on the initial section of Katakolon’s beach. Now call me traditional, but beaches are for lying on, walking on, sitting on, whatever… what they are not for is driving on and we see thousands of buses, taxis, cars and motorcycles everyday drive past the poor bathers that are unlucky enough to pick that part of the beach to sit on. Nothing like a faceful of diesel fumes to get you in the mood for a swim! I have even seen some site’s advertise the fact you can drive on the beach as part of your tour as an additional ‘bonus’. Please, if you want to see the beach fine, but ask your driver to park on the road and WALK to the beach, it is about 15 meters!! Rant over, have fun!

Train from Katakolon to Olympia

Remember that train line from Katakolon to Pirgos? Well it is back up and running! Having been defunct for the better part of 20 years, I can honestly say that I never really expected to see it back in operation again, but in operation it is and not only will it take you to Pirgos, it will take you all the way to Olympia. If that is not good enough news, it will do this for you in ultra modern, air conditioned carriages for the princely sum of 3 euros return per person. This has got to be one of the best deals in Greece! I am told you can buy a discounted ticket to the Ancient Olympia site along with your train ticket, so to me this deal seems pretty much a no brainer.

The train station is a 10-15 minute walk down the Katakolon sea front from the main pier, just look for where the tracks end, the platforms next to that point is where you catch the train. You buy your tickets on board, so don’t go looking for a ticket office, and it drops you into the center of Olympia where another 10-15 minutes or so walk will get you to the main archeological site. The train runs 4-5 times a day, although only 3 of these are going to be of use to those of you needing to get to and from a cruise ship. The last run from Olympia to Katakolon leaves around 3:45pm and the journey takes about 45-60 minutes depending on if the train is an express or not.

Update April 2010. Oh dear, OSE seem to have redone their site and taken out the most useful thing…. the timetable tool! We are getting lots of mails asking if the train schedule is still valid and we have done some searching around and we have found the ‘new improved’ (read beta) timetable tool hidden here. You will need to copy paste ΚΑΤΑΚΩΛΟΝ and ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ into the relevant boxes, pick your date from the calendar tool and then click the ‘Αναζητηση.Δρομολογιων’ button at the top of the page. Prices are also given which for 2010 are looking like 1.80 euros one way, 3.60 return, still a bargain!

Katakolon Beach

Well, you say, all this Olympia stuff is fine, but I have been there, done that, or maybe you just are not up to another slog around an ancient site and just want to relax for a while, what are the best options then? Well, first of all, I would say don’t miss ancient Olympia if you are only in Katakolon for the one day and will never be coming back. Yes it gets hellishly crowded in the summertime and yes Olympia the town is a bit of a tourist trap (well, more than a bit), but at the end of the day ancient Olympia is an amazing site and the museum is top notch, so it is definitely worth your time to go and have a look. Not convinced? Ok, there are a couple of other options that Katakolon and its surrounds can offer you, starting with the beach.

Katakolo’s beach starts from the end of the town and stretches in one continuous arch around the huge Kyparissian Gulf for what must be at least 30klms. It is easy enough to walk to it from the port, or if you are inclined to go a little further then scooters can be rented from the same shops that rent cars at the end of the pier itself. Katakolo’s beach is nice enough, it has a couple of decent fish tavernas and beach bars at intervals along it and the waters are warm and shallow and perfect for small kids. The beach at Katakolon has 2 main problems: firstly, there are often jellyfish in the waters there and while they are not deadly, they can give you a itchy rash, and secondly, the powers that be have decided that the beach will make a great cut through route for a lot of the town’s car traffic, and therefore allow cars, buses and even trucks onto the beach(!). About the jellyfish there is not much one can do except be alert, they don’t move fast and are easy to see and avoid, for the cars on the beach, feel free to mention to any local who wants to listen that you consider it a bit of a turn off to have vehicle fumes swirling around your head when you are going for a swim, who knows, maybe the anti-car brigade will eventually get enough members to put an end to this odd practice.

Reneta Beach

If you only have a short amount of time in Katakolon and you want a beach that is as close as possible to the port, then Reneta (also known as Plakes) Beach is just for you. Simply walk to the end of the pier, and head off to the left hand side of the parking lot. Just on the other side of the port wall is Renata beach, a small pebbly beach with a subdued beach bar and a few palm like umbrellas. The beach is nothing special, and if you are on a big ship it does not take many people to get full, but the waters are nice, and importantly seem to never have jellyfish unlike the beach at Katakolo. The hows and whats of jellyfish migration and why they show up in one spot and not another has been the subject of many a discussion, if anybody has a definitive answer please send us a mail! In the meantime, while Renata beach is a good enough option for a short visit, if you have anything more than a couple of hours, I would suggest the beach at Agios Andreas as your best bet by far.

Agios Andreas Beach

Literally a 5 minute drive from Katakolon is Agios Andreas, a microscopic village with a couple a small cafe/bar and two restaurants above a wonderful little beach. If you are driving yourself head straight out of Katakolon (there is only one road), take the first left you see of any consequence opposite the last of the shops of Katakolon and head up the hill. You will hit what looks like a T junction after a minute or two, turn left and a hundred meters down on your right is the Kastro (Το Κάστρο), a relaxed café from 10am to sunset and the hip place to be from sunset and beyond for the sophisticated Pirgos crowd.

The Kastro has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, it has nice green grass that the kids can play on and of course it has its own little beach where a coffee or a drink will also get you a lounger and an umbrella. Don’t like loungers and umbrellas? Well then feel free to head a little bit further down the beach and plop yourself under the rock overhangs or small bushes that line the sand. An outdoor shower is available and the prices for coffees, drinks and snacks are reasonable. All in all this is the place I would recommend to anyone wanting to pass a day of relaxing, swimming and doing not a lot of anything at all. The restaurant at Liris, about 50 meters past the Kastro also has a small beach under it, and is rightly known for its lovely mixed dishes served with beer or ouzo. Liris could be considered a slightly more sophisticated version of the Kastro, but both allow bathing suits and bare feet, so pick whichever suits best.

If you don’t want to rent a bike to get there then grab a taxi (but don’t pay the 50 euros I have heard mentioned in some conversations!). The truth is that any fit person could walk from Katakolo to Agios Andreas in about 30 minutes or so. There is also a bus from Katakolon to Agios Andreas which leaves from the bus stop opposite the kiosk at the end of the pier and drops you off pretty much at the entrance to the Kastro.

The summer 2009 Katakolon – Agios Andreas bus timetable looks like this:
Katakolon to Agios Andreas at 13:00, 14:30, 15:45, 17:15 and 19:00;
Agios Andreas to Katakolon at 13:15, 14:45, 16:00, 17:30 and 19:15.

Day trips from Katakolon

All this is very nice you say, but I don’t want to go to Olympia, I don’t want to sit on the beach and I don’t want to sit around Katakolon all day drinking coffee. Are there other places to go in the surrounding areas that have something more to see and do? Well, if you are in the area for more than a day, or if you simply want to get a car or taxi and head somewhere off the main cruise itinerary then yes there are a few places I could recommend. How about Chlemoutsi Castle and the Thermal Baths at Kyllini? Or if you prefer something a bit more natural how about the beautiful Foloi Oak Forest which could be included in a trip to Olympia if time permits. If you enjoy nature there is also the Strofilia Forest and the adjacent Kalogria wetlands that are also about an hour from Katakolon. And of course, there is always the nearby Merkouri Winery where Chris will be happy to show you around and let you sample some of their lovely reds and whites! So there you have it, what to do in Katakolon for a day, or a week!

Detailed map of Katakolon

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