Kalamata

Tired of the usual Greek islands? It’s time to discover Kalamata, a jewel of mainland Greece that can boast beautiful beaches worthy of more famous tourist resorts.

This town in the shadow of the great mountain range of Taygetos Oros overlooks a wide gulf along which wide sandy shores and tiny rocky coves alternate. It is not yet famous, but we are sure it will become so because it has all the ingredients to be a successful tourist resort.

Here you come in search of an authentic Greece, with deserted beaches, villages where you can find just a few taverns and a couple of souvenir stores, and a typical product that has brought Greece on the tables all over the world (does “Kalamata olives” mean anything to you?).

Do not wait to leave: we are sure that you will fall in love!

What to see in Kalamata

Set in a scenic natural setting between a wide gulf and the mountains behind, Kalamata is a lovely town with a quaint old town, a castle in the middle of the sea, a pleasant promenade, a city park where they are on display models of old and new trains and two museums not to be missed.

In the heart of Kalamata is the interesting Archaeological Museum of Messinia, which in a labyrinthine path displays artifacts from all over the region: sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, votive and funerary objects and other artifacts from the Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenic and Byzantine periods.

This interactive museum is located in the place where once took place the city market: the market building was destroyed by the earthquake of 1986 and in its place was built a new building to be used as a museum.

The other museum to visit in the center of Kalamata is the Military Museum, interesting for those who want to know more about Greek history from the Turkish occupation to the 21st century.

Survived to the earthquake, the fortress that dominates the city from above, built in the thirteenth century, is the perfect place to take panoramic photos or look for some peace.

Where to stay in Kalamata

Although the tourist development is recent, a good number of hotel structures have already sprung up in the area, including some luxury hotels with dreamlike infinity pools, and the romantic atmospheres of the area have become the location for one of the most famous cinematographic love stories of the last years.

Recommended hotels in Kalamata

We offer a selection of hotels at Kalamata to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Kalamata, sorted by number of reviews.

Apartments and vacation homes in Kalamata

If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Kalamata. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Kalamata are in high demand.

Beaches of Kalamata and surroundings

Kalamata is an ideal destination for those who dream of a beach vacation because the area is full of beautiful beaches still untouched by mass tourism.

Uncrowded and wild-looking, the beaches of Kalamata and more generally of Messinia are a secret that, we suspect, will not last long: we are sure that the word will spread about their beauty and therefore will soon become a popular destination (Kalamata has already become a stop for several cruises…)

Take advantage of it before you lose the authentic atmosphere of these places: book now your vacation in Kalamata!

Here are in our opinion the three most beautiful beaches of Messinia:

• Kolopanas, near Petrochori
• Glossa, frequented by naturists
• Voikokilia: the most beautiful beach of Messinia, about 40 km from Kalamata, between the sea and the lagoon of Gialova. It has a curious almost circular shape for which is also called the “beach of the navel of cow”.

How to reach Kalamata

Kalamata has an international airport connected with some European cities; another possibility is to fly to Athens and then take a direct train, or take a ferry to Patras and then the train to Kalamata.

Curiosities

The olives of Kalamata

The city of Kalamata has given its name to one of the most famous Greek products in the world: the famous Kalamata olives, considered one of the best types of olives in the world.

With their characteristic black-purple color (there is no green Kalamata olive), they have an elongated shape and a juicy pulp: they are excellent on their own as an aperitif, a must in every Greek salad or delicious sautéed in a pan with a little chopped parsley.

Besides, of course, an excellent olive oil, other typical products of the Kalamata area are figs, fresh and dried.

Kalamata Before Midnight

A curiosity for lovers of movie-themed vacations: in the region of Messinia was filmed the movie “Before Midnight“, third (and last?) chapter of the romantic saga interpreted by Julie Delphi and Ethan Hawke in which the main characters, Céline and Jesse, overcome a love crisis during a vacation in Greece.

The airport that is seen at the beginning of the film is indeed the one in Kalamata, while the hotel where an important scene of the film takes place is the West Inn Resort Costa Navarino.

It seems that the actors were regular customers of the Barbouni Beach Bar, an elegant fish restaurant overlooking the beach: if you want, try to pass by there to spot some celebrities or some turtles coming to the beach to lay their eggs. Should it go wrong, the breathtaking view will not make you regret having come all the way here.