Patras or Patra
Patras (Greek: Πάτρα) is the third-largest city of Greece and the capital of the prefecture of Achaea, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers to the west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.
The Patras metropolitan area is a conurbation of a quarter of a million inhabitants. The core settlement has a history of four millennia, and in Roman times it became a cosmopolitan centre of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian tradition, it was the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom. Dubbed Greece's Gate to the West, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy, and indeed with the rest of Western Europe. The city has two Public Universities and one Technological Institute, bringing a large student population, and making it a major scientific centre with a field of excellence in technical education. The striking Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras' eastern suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, essentially connecting the peninsula of the Peloponnese with mainland Greece. The city hosts one the country's most colourful carnivals, taking place every spring; notable features of the Patras Carnival include its mammoth-sized satirical floats and its extravagant balls and parades, enjoyed in a pleasant Mediterranean climate, with relatively cool yet humid summers and very mild winters. The city is known for supporting an indigenous cultural scene mainly active in the performing arts and modern urban literature ; it was European Capital of Culture 2006.
Patras is located 215 kilometers west of Athens by road, 94 kilometers northeast of Pyrgos, 7 kilometers south of Rio, 134 kilometers west of Corinth, 77 kilometers northwest of Kalavryta, and 144 kilometers northwest of Tripoli.
A central feature of the urban geography of Patras is its division in upper and lower town connected with stairs. This is the result of an interplay between natural geography and human settlement patterns; the lower town, which includes the 19th century urban core and the harbour, is adjacent to the sea and stretches between the estuaries of the rivers Glafkos and Haradros, built on a what was originally a bed of river soils and dried-up swamps while the old upper town covers the area of the pre-modern settlement, around the Fortress, on what is the last elevation of Mount Panachaikon (1,926 m) [2] before the Gulf of Patras.
The city is endowed with many neoclassical buildings and mansions from late 19th-early 20th century, which now enhance the city centre. Years of neglect and the absence of protection enforcement, as well as recent earthquakes, had contributed to the destruction of many, but today most surviving neoclassical buildings are under protection status. A project for the restoration of the city's architectural heritage is part of the 2006 Cultural Capital bid.
The current cultural activity of the city includes the Patras International Festival (various artistic activities, mainly in the field of music), the Patras Carnival and the Poetry Symposium. [23][24] The city hosts several conservatoires and schools of music, including one devoted exclusively to Byzantine music, and several orchestras and choirs. There is one full-time theatre group in the city, as well as several amateur groups.[25] A number of schools teach dancing, and there are plans to set up a dance theatre within the context of the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre. Patras has a visual arts workshop, a school of icon painting and a carnival float workshop, and hosts a Municipal Gallery as well as private art galleries ; there is also a Municipal Library, an archaeological museum, a folk art museum, an historical and ethnological museum and a museum of the press. The architectural heritage of the city is dominated by neo-classicism, but also includes structures from other periods.
Patras was chosen by the European Commission to be the European Capital of Culture for the year 2006. The concept of the event revolved around the main theme of "Bridges" and "Links", taking benefit from the City's rich history and its position as a "Gate to the West", to underline the essence of the productive interaction of culture and civilisation in Europe. The EU Commission found Patras' plans very ambitious and also commented that a successful hosting of the title by a medium sized city would make it possible to redefine the meaning of the term Cultural Capital. During 2006 various cultural events took place.
The text and photos on this page are provided by Wikipedia.org and licensed under Creative Commons
IGOUMENITSA, PREVEZA AND PATRAS PHOTOS
J.A.C. European Transport at a glance:
- Bi-monthly overland transport service
- Single items - Part loads - Full loads
- Secure Storage in UK
- Door-to-door collection and delivery
- All inclusive competitive pricing
Mainland Guide and Resource Centre
Mainland Greece Guide/Resource Centre - Greece Guide
Quick Request Form - House Removals/Transports to Kefalonia Island
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IGOUMENITSA FACT SHEET
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GEOGRAPHY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coordinates:
39°29′N 20°16′E
Area:
80.8 km² (31 sq mi)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CODES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postal Code:
461 00
Area Code:
26650
License Code:
HN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information - 11888
Emergency - 199
Police - 100
24hr Pharmacy - 107
Hospital - 106
Roadside assistance for car problems - 10400
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IGOUMENITSA LINKS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa (Greek: Ηγουμενίτσα) is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the prefecture Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani.
Igoumenitsa is a picturesque small town with lots of green (the dominating forest can be easily seen in the picture), beaches with crystal clear blue waters, and green mountains surrounding the town. The new 670 km Egnatia Highway, which serves Northern Greece, terminates at Igoumenitsa.
The climate except for temperatures are almost as the same as Bergen, Norway (2,250 mm, 2 of the 3 rainy days). The average rainfall in Igoumenitsa is around 1,100 mm while in Athens it is only 380 mm; in Crete, the famous tourist resort and southern port of Europe, it is 640 mm, and in Ioannina 1,300 mm.
Igoumenitsa has schools, lyceums or middle schools, gymnasia or secondary schools, churches, a post office, banks, restaurants, a port, supermarkets and squares.
Preveza
Preveza (Greek: Πρέβεζα) is a town in north-western Greece. It is the capital of Preveza Prefecture, which is part of Epirus periphery. A new under sea tunnel, which runs between Preveza and Aktio of Acarnania (see Actium), connects the town to Thesprotia and Lefkada and western Aetolia in Aetolia-Acarnania. Preveza lies near the western part of the Ambracian Gulf. The ruins of the ancient city Nicopolis lie 5 km north of the city.
Preveza has schools, lyceums or middle schools, gymnasia or secondary schools, churches, a post office, banks, restaurants, a port, supermarkets and squares (plateies).
PREVEZA FACT SHEET
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GEOGRAPHY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coordinates:
38°57′N 20°44′E
Area:
66.8 km² (26 sq mi)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CODES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postal Code:
481 00
Area Code:
26820
License Code:
PZ
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information - 11888
Emergency - 199
Police - 100
24hr Pharmacy - 107
Hospital - 106
Roadside assistance for car problems - 10400
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREVEZA LINKS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PATRAS FACT SHEET
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GEOGRAPHY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coordinates:
38°15′N 21°44′E
Area:
125.4 km² (48 sq mi)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CODES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postal Code:
26x xx
Area Code:
2610
License Code:
AX
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information - 11888
Emergency - 199
Police - 100
24hr Pharmacy - 107
Hospital - 106
Roadside assistance for car problems - 10400
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREVEZA LINKS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IGOUMENITSA MAP
View European Transport Routes in a larger map
PREVEZA VIDEOS
PREVEZA MAP
View European Transport Routes in a larger map
PATRAS VIDEOS
PATRAS MAP
View European Transport Routes in a larger map
MORE GREECE GUIDES
J.A.C. EUROPEAN TRANSPORT LTD.
C/o Shipston Self Storage
Blackwell Business Park
Blackwell
CV36 4PE
UK Telephone: 07952763115 / Greek Office: 0030 26630 51813 / Greek Mobile: 00306977709283 / E-mail
EUROPEAN TRANSPORT - UK TEL: 07952763115 / GR OFFICE: 0030 26630 51813/ GR MOBILE: 0030 6977709283 EMAIL
Email or telephone for pricing and itineraries:
UK Tel : 07952763115 / GR Office: 00302663051813 / GR Mobile: 00306977709283
