Kalamata, in the southwest Peloponnese, is one of the country’s most impressive cities, offering greenery, sea, a vibrant nightlife, as well as significant cultural events such as the Kalamata International Dance Festival.
For quite a number of years now, the city has also experienced a rise in bicycle usage, a development helped by a bicycle lane network that is being constantly expanded, as well as the city’s flatness and mild winters, enabling bicycle riding on a daily basis. The pandemic, too, has helped further boost the popularity of bicycles in Kalamata. According to local press, demand for bicycles and related accessories increased by 300 percent during the lockdown, a period during which many residents of Kalamata became acquainted and attached with this form of transportation and exercise.
Power utility PPC’s e-bike festival, taking place in Kalamata this weekend, comes at a very appropriate time, given the urgency for environmentally friendly and low-cost transportation solutions.
PPC’s initiative, staged as part of the country’s energy transition and sustainable growth strategy, will take place at Kalamata’s V. Georgiou square on April 2 and 3 between 11:00 and 20:00, both days.
Kalamata residents, and visitors, will have the opportunity to be updated on the constantly increasing use of electric bicycles, worldwide. It is the most sustainable form of urban transportation, also offering entertainment and exercise.
More than 50 electric bicycle models of various categories will be on show at the festival.
A specially designed area will enable festival visitors to test-ride these electric bicycles, free of charge. Visitors will also be able to test their electric bicycle skills in a contest offering commemorative prizes offered by PPC. In addition, the PPC e-bike Festival team will offer riding lessons, concerning conventional bicycles, to children aged between 6 and 12.
On the sidelines of the festival, visitors will be informed on the new energy era by PPC, the country’s biggest electricity producer. Participants will be able to seek information and solutions securing lower energy cost and greater consumption control, as well as for a reduced energy footprint of their households or businesses. The PPC team will offer answers to all queries concerning the company’s green energy products and services, such as the GreenPass, ensuring all individual energy consumption is fully covered by a corresponding amount of renewable energy production, MyHomeOnline, e self-metering, and myEnergyHeatpump, a new comprehensive solution for sustainable heating energy.
The PPC bicycle festival is a very good reason to be in Kalamata this weekend. Beyond this event, though, the Messinian region’s capital is worth visiting whenever you may have time. A list of some of the things to do in Kalamata follows, whether you are a cyclist or not.
Castle
The Kalamata castle, not reachable by bicycle, is, nevertheless, a must should you visit the Messinian region’s capital. It is built at the top of a hill where, according to ancient legend, Pharis developed the Acropolis of the ancient city Pharae, which existed at the location of modern-day Kalamata. A Christian church was built over the remains of the ancient Acropolis in the 6th century AD, while the current structure is, to great degree, the result of a project carried out by a Frankish prince in the 13th century.
It was occupied by the Greeks at the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821, while, in 1825, an invasion by Ibrahim’s army in the Peloponnese also left its marks here. Nowadays, a small theatre constructed at the castle space hosts cultural events.
Big beach
Kalamata beach stretches two-and-a-half kilometres. If you are interested in covering this distance on foot or by bicycle during the day, the spring season is the best season to do so, as the weather is still cool and the beach area is not yet filled with people.
The Kalamata port is not as illustrious as in the past, but the lovely marina, where dozens of private yachts are moored, is definitely worth paying attention to.
Aristomenous Street
Aristomenous Street, the city’s main street, has been partially pedestrianised. It features lovely neoclassical buildings, including a building that hosted the old Town Hall, as well as another hosting the Rex hotel, a business dating back to 1899.
Besides strolling along Aristomenous Street, it is worth turning off onto the small sides streets and arcades, hosting charming little bars and old buildings that will take you back in time.
OSE (Hellenic Railways Organisation) park
Just recently, the European Environment Agency published a report declaring Kalamata as Greece’s greenest city, among all the cities on Eurostat’s Urban Audit List. According to the report, 54.4 percent of the Messinian region’s capital is covered with trees. The OSE (Hellenic Railways Organisation) park, a city landmark offering 5 hectares of greenery close to the city centre, contributes to this high percentage figure. The park is ideal for walking, cycling, and learning about the history and operations of the Greek railway. Kalamata may no longer be connected to the rest of the OSE railway network, but visitors may view the old train station, as well as old train wagons and locomotives.
Messinian land’s renowned products
The Messinian region is renowned for producing many products, such as vegetables, honey, and, of course, olives and olive oil. The central Kalamata market is probably the best place to go to buy regional goods.
Visitors can be sure they are buying regional products, often organic, at this market, which is spacious, enabling comfortable shopping.
Mountain biking and trekking at Mount Taygettus
Mountain biking enthusiasts visiting the Messinian region can explore routes at Mount Taygetus, the tallest mountain of the Peloponnese. Biking routes offering unique beauty combine views of tall firs, pines trees, creeks as well as small streams with crystal-clear waters, sure to impress.
Along these routes, mountain cyclists can expect to encounter many small villages, some of these abandoned and others inhabited, lively and nowadays popular, including among visitors from all over the world. The routes also offer superb views of the city and Kalamata beach.
