Fancy a day out?
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Ideas for a day out
The main centres for foreign tourism in western Mani remain the trio of villages of Kardamyli, Stoupa and Agios Nikolaos. Recent decades have seen development further south in Oitylo, Areopoli and Gerolimenas, largely from domestic tourism. So if you are staying in one of the “trio”, you are perfectly placed to explore the area. Hiring a car is perhaps the obvious way of doing this. You could just cruise around the mountain villages above and maybe go for lunch at Limeni. A longer adventure would be an exploration of the Deep Mani, it’s renowned tower houses and fantastic east coast beaches.
But let’s not forget you are on the Peloponnese and so some big hitting historical sites are within striking distance- namely Ancient Olympia, Ancient Messini and Mystras– along with the fortress town of Monemvasia. Obviously, driving times to visit the fore-mentioned are significantly longer so there is the alternative of relaxing on an organised coach tour. The main provider of these is Doufexis Travel, based in Stoupa. Click on the link for information on their cyclical, fortnightly programme, prices and availability. You can book directly through the site. They can also offer private, more tailor made excursions.
However you intend travelling, the following would be our recommendations:
Exploring the villages above the coast
Spending time on the fantastic beaches and in the cafes and tavernas of the 3 villages can give an insight into facets of local life– the Old Boys having their morning coffee and catch up, the mobile fruit and vegetable sellers peddling their wares or the fully robed local priest sweltering on a hot summer’s day. All with the backdrop of the imposing Taygetos mountains. But to get a different taste of local life, you really need to head upwards and inland and get a different perspective- looking back down to the coast . You never know who or what you might bump into! Two other modes of transport haven’t been mentioned yet- bicycles and feet. The former obviously relies on a level of fitness to reach the upper mountain villages but on foot the nearer villages are perfectly accessible. From Kardamyli, our walking section would suggest 3 routes- up to Agia Sophia, Petrovouni or Proastio, all on kalderimia (mule paths). The latter would be our suggestion as it’s the largest and still has one taverna and a mini market for supplies. The signed path begins almost opposite the road down to Kalamitsi beach. It’s a steep, rocky path and this year’s winner of the Taygetos Vertical Challenge race did it in an amazing 3 minutes, 45 seconds. It may take you a little longer. Once you reach the village, the game is “How many churches and small chapels can you count?”. The Proastio equivalent above Stoupa is Neochori and it is not an unfamiliar site throughout the season to see holidaymakers walking up the main road to get there. It’s a pretty, well populated village with narrow alleyways, 2 kafenions (both serving food), a mini market and a full taverna. Finally, the equivalent for Agios Nikolaos is either walking along the coast to Agios Dimitrios or inland to the 2 Riglia villages.
Proastio
Beginning of path
Proastio
Local launderette
Proastio
Main church & square
Proastio
Local taverna
Neochori
Narrow lanes
Neochori
Taverna with a view!
Neochori
Main church
Neochori
Kafenion garden
But clearly hiring a car offers a much greater opportunity to explore and you could spend just a morning pootling about or a full day to really get a feel for life away from the coast. There are options for creating circular routes, easy to plan with a quick look at Google maps:
- Stoupa – Neochori – Pyrgos – Kastania – Saidona – Exohori – Proastio – Kardamyli
- Stoupa – Neochori – Pyrgos – Kariovouni – Milea – Platsa – Agios Nikolaos – Stoupa
Of course, either route could be done the other way round or indeed combined with each other. There are opportunities for lunch in virtually every village (or indeed an evening meal if you are making a full day of it). As stated earlier, Doufexis Travel offer coach excursions and in their fortnightly programme they offer 2 that cover these areas. The “Step Back in Time” tour heads up to Proastio and Exohori before stopping for lunch in Kastania and the second, “Mani Secrets” remains a secret! Enquire for specific details on both.
Lunch at Limeni
Less than an hours drive from the “Trio”, having lunch and a swim in the most turquoise of waters is highly recommended. This little port has seen a huge upgrade in the last two decades- just compare it today to how Patrick Leigh Fermor described it! There are now a number of tavernas to choose from, most specialising in fresh fish, all overlooked by the imposing (and now restored) Mavromichalis Tower. If you saw Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s “The Trip” (2020), they ate in one of them before having a swimming race across the bay the next day. Talking of swimming, there is no beach- just rocks and a concrete platform to get in and out and please leave the resident turtle alone- it bites!
The Deep Mani
The "Land of Evil Counsel"
Major Sites
Out of the “Big Hitters” mentined earlier – Olympia, Mystras, Monemvasia and Meseene – they all require a fairly lengthy drive (Olympia being the longest). Of course another factor in choosing which site to visit may depend on which period of history interests you the most.
But for this Summer Edition, we have chosen to cover Messene, probably the least well-known out of the four.
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