Kalamata, lying to the west of Mt Taygetos, is chief town of the nomos of Messenia and a port for the shipment of the agricultural produce of the region. It occupies the site of Mycenaean Pharai, a town in the kingdom ruled by Menelaos.

$899.00

Order Now

In 720 B.C., together with the rest of Messenia, it fell into Spartan hands. From 1204, ... More > under its present name, it became the residence, along with Andravída, of the Villehardouins. After periods of Byzantine, Turkish and Venetian rule it was sacked by Ibrahim Pasha in 1825. It still bears the marks of the damage caused by a severe earthquake in 1986.

Kalamata is famous as the town of olive trees, and as the gateway to Mani. The airport, railway terminus, major sea port, and bus station make it a transportation hub and gateway to all the surrounding area, and a good portion of the southern Peleponese.
It is possible to get transportation anywhere in the area, and often ad hoc tours to places off the main tourist routes. There is nowhere in the southern Peleponese that has more transportation options. It has hotels ranging from hovels in more questionable parts of town, to four-star hotels by the seaside. It is a great jumping off place for the rest of the southern Peleponnesos, and for the Messinian bay in particular.