Greece Guide
The Peloponnese
Pátra
PÁTRA (Patras) is the largest city in the Peloponnese and, after Pireás, the major port of Greece; from here you can go to Italy as well as to certain Ionian islands. The city is also a hub of the Greek-mainland transport network, with connections throughout the Peloponnese and, via the ferry at Río, across the straits to Delphi or western Greece.
Unless you arrive late in the day from Italy, you shouldn't need to spend more than a few hours in the city. A conurbation of close to a quarter of a million souls, it's not the ideal holiday retreat: there are no beaches and no major sights. Traffic noise goes on well into the night and starts earlier than you'd want to get up. However, it is an opportunity to experience a vibrant and reasonably civilized city life, unrelated to tourism. There is a summer festival which sponsors events from late June to mid-September, including Classical plays, the occasional rock concert in the Roman odeion, and art and photographic exhibitions that bring a bit of life to the warehouses by the harbour (details from the tourist office or the Apóllon Theatre on Platía Yeoryíou). The three-week carnival ( 
www.carnivalpatras.gr ), one of Greece's largest, ends on the Sunday before Lent Monday (Katharí Dheftéra) with a grand parade through the city centre.
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