"A Fleeting Glimpse" Patras by johngayton

Patras Travel Guide: 175 reviews and 626 photos

From Ferry to Train With a Brief Beer Between

Looking at other members pages it seems that my quick visit here to Patras has done the city a major disservice and that perhaps a few days should have been spent here. Never mind there is always next time :)

Arriving by ferry in the early afternoon my first impression was of heat, of bustle and chaos. Particularly noticable was the complete abscence of border control - no customs, no passport checks, despite the fact that I had arrived from Italy (which I think is a different country!), straight off the ferry and through the gates into the city. Then thinking about it: isn't this what the EU is supposed to be all about - freedom to travel within its borders?

With about an hour until my train into Athens there was only one thing to do, sit outside the cafe next to the station and have a beer!

Pros and Cons

Pros:The Gateway to the Mainland
Cons:Hot!
In a nutshell:Definitely worth a proper visit.

Last visit to Patras: May 2006
Intro Written Jul 17, 2006
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (2)

Train v Bus Transportation (1)

This is really a getting "from" tip as what I was doing was getting the train to Athens. Outside the dock there is a... more travel advice

Convenient For The Port & Rail Station Restaurants (1)

I didn't actually eat here, just grabbed a couple of beers whilst waiting for my train, but this was a friendly... more travel advice

Comments (1)

Reply
- Report abuse
mindcrime Mar 10, 2010 at 3:28 PM

at least you had a beer there, most of the tourists dont even realize there is a huge city there :) by the way, at corinthos you meet the suburban train, not the athens metro.