Patras, the city of Patreas, Saint Andrew and Carnival.
The third largest in population city in Greece, “Gateway to the West” due to its international port, one of the largest ports in our country, transporting commodities and people but furthermore creating an extrovert identity since the post Greek Revolution 1821 era, bringing together new ideas, culture and habits from Europe, one to mention Carnival festivities in the estates of the wealthy “commercants” of Patras . There is the wow factor when the visitor walks in the streets of Patras, strolling downtown and uptown the 193 stairs of Agiou Nikolaou street, a meeting point and the best place to fully view mountain Panachaikos and Patraikos Gulf, while arriving via the modern motorway only 2 hours away from Athens and Ioannina. The new emblem of the city is the Rion Antirrion Bridge “Harilaos Trikoupis” the gateway of Greece to the future, a totally unique project bringing together Peloponnese with the central and northern prefectures of Greece.
So many things to discover in Patras so many life time experiences to collect
At the sea front of the city, visible even from the hills around Patras stands one of the largest cathedrals in the Balkans, nowdays the third, the Cathedral of Saint Andrew also called Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew or simply Hagios Andreas. It is a Greek Orthodox majestic Basilica, along with the nearby old church of St. Andrews. it constitutes a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all over the world but also a sacred monument of faith for believers of other religions. It is dedicated to the First-called Apostle of Christ Saint Andrew.
As mentioned before the Rio-Antirrio Bridge “Charilaos Trikoupis” is the most challenging of projects in Greece, operating in summer 2004, at the inauguration of the Olympic Games. A night to remember for the spectators the opening ceremony, offering a unique sight, connecting the two fortification sites Rio (castle) with Antirrio (castle) and northern Peloponnese with western Central Greece.
If one thing is universally known (according to a questionnaire about the most famous Carnivals worldwide) is Patras Carnival. A year to year and generation to generation institution, that involves the whole city of Patras, with a multitude of cultural events, concerts, contests named The Hidden Treasure, in which the groups are competing solving riddles and puzzles, taking part in games and finally parading in full armor costumes and floats the last weekend in two parades of more than 50.000 participants, Saturday Night Parade and the Big Parade of Sunday. There is also the Kids Carnival happening one week before for children and families where the kids get in to the spirit of Patras Carnival. Its estimated that the 2023 Patras Carnival visited more than 150.000 people from all over Greece and abroad, even seen tourists from Asia.
If love could be a glass of wine it would be a glass of Mavrodafni ACHAIA CLAUSS welcomes you to its Winery, the first Greek Winery, founded by the Bavarian Gustav Clauss and has been continuously active since 1861 until the present day. An international reference point, a destination for wine, history, nature, tour lovers. A stop for all travellers! With tours and tastings, educational tours for schools and universities but also tailor-made packages for experts in the field, ACHAIA CLAUSS attempts to unite the past with the present and the future. Cobbled streets among stone towers, historic buildings, cellars filled with barrels – each with its own history, little churches, statues, traditional tools awards from around the world and books. A scenery that have escaped from another era with breathtaking views and a moving atmosphere.
Patras also has a Castle from the Byzantine years and the Ottoman period, from the top of which one can see the Ionian Islands, while there is also a small old fortress in the area of Rio
Some places must visit when in Patras to pinpoint are Patras Lighthouse, after having demolished the old lighthouse in 1972, the municipality decided to rebuilt it in 1999. The medieval castle of Patras is located on a hill on the Panachaikon mountain in the city premises, also the Roman antiquities in the uptown area of Patras, the Roman Odeon of Patras, the Roman Hippodrome the Roman Baths, further back in history the Mycenaean Cemetery of Voudeni.
Patras is a vibrant, modern city, with a high rate of young population due to the University of Patras. In terms of sports infrastructure, the area is thriving, having a long history in football “Panachaiki” soccer team, two baskeball teams Apollon Patras and Promitheas Patras competing in the A1 Class, water polo team N.O.P. volleyball team E.A.P, Esperos Patras in classical sports, in small and large stadiums, with the main ones being the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium (inaugurated for the Olympic Games), the “Promitheas Park”, the swimming pools “A. Pepanos” and “Ep. Petralias”, the complex of “Tofalos”, the “Apollon Hall” etc.
As far as accommodation, Patras is overgoing a boom in boutique hotels, renovating also older hotels in the wonderful coastal zone, with conference halls, a vast selection of traditional tavernas, trendy all day cafes and restaurants to please all gastronomic quests, while the pedestrianized historical center offers a unique experience to recreation day an night. Patras also is the place if you are an arts book and theater lover, most theater plays are the works of Patras artists and writers.
Patras has a major contribution in the Greek history, should mention families with a long political tradition, Presidents of the Republic (Kostis Stephanopoulos) and Prime Ministers (Papandreou family, Dimitrios Gounaris, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos).