If you have been to Peloponnese before, then you know how extremely beautiful this peninsula is. If you havn’t yet had the opportunity to visit Peloponnese we really hope you get to soon. Here you have everything you wish for: beautiful nature, bigger cities and smaller villages, high mountains, deep valleys and amazing beaches as well as a wide range of archaeological and historical sites.
Untraveled took a weekend in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese, more specifically in the picturesque coastal town of Finikounda belonging to the Messinia district. Finikounda has only 700 “all-year-round residents” but during the summer months the city is filled with visitors, mostly Greeks, but also tourists from all over the world come here to enjoy this cozy city. Finikounda is a great starting point if you want to explore other parts of Messinia (which we of course did!) and you can read more about that here below.
We started the trip down to Finikounda on Friday night because of work (yeah, we actually have regular jobs as well) and from Athens it took us about 3-4 hours to arrive. So we arrived pretty late at night. But there was no problem driving in the evening as there is a new highway going almost all the way. However, the stretch is still very pleasant. Once you pass Corinth and you enter the Peloponnese, you notice that nature changes quickly: the roads are immediately bordered by high mountains and deep valleys where the olive trees spread out. And we also drove right in to the sunset so that gave the trip a little gold edge!
When we arrived in Finikounda, the clock was almost 23 as said. We were tired and hungry after a day’s work and a long drive so we walked down the city’s boardwalk for a simple but oh so good souvlaki. A perfect meal after a long day and a perfect way to charge our batteries before Saturday’s plans: A trip to the city of Methoni and the beautiful beach of “Voidokilia”.
Voidokilia (which in english means the bull’s belly) is a crescent shaped beach in a Natura area. Right next to this beautiful beach there is also an important habitat for birds – the “Gialova Lagoon”. At a first glance, it’s hard to take in the beauty of this place. It feels almost surreal that nature can create something like this on its own. One is greeted by the turquoise blue water, the white beach and at the entrance to the bay two mighty rocks rise in front of you and make up a breathtaking entrance for those who choose to come here by boat. In addition, it is completely free to spend your day on Voidokilia and that means that there are no sun loungers or umbrellas for hire. So have something to lie on and something to keep you safe from the bright sun if it shines too strongly. Just like the beach, the seabed has the finest sand and the waters are also quite shallow.
Our first hours on the beach were spent just sunbathing and relaxing taking refreshing dips in the sea. But then restlessness took over so we decided to climb a 50 meter high sand dune. In advance, it felt like a good idea. And afterwards it was a good idea! But meanwhile it felt like a stupid idea. The sand burned on the soles of our feet, the sun was burning hot and it was tough exercize for the whole body. But as we said, it was worth the effort! From here we had an amazing view of the whole area and, if possible, Voidokilia became even more beautiful.
After a couple of hours on Voidokilia, we decided to take us to the small town of Methoni which is about 25 km from the beach towards Finikounda. Methoni is best known for its vast and well-preserved medieval castle surrounded by a large and deep moat (although not filled with water today). The castle is open to visitors for a small fee. We don’t dare to say exactly how much it costs as we did not enter. We walked around the area which was good enough. The castle is beautifully located next to the sea and in the summer with the sun shining and coloring the sea light blue it is striking. A short walk away from the castle you find the beach and a very cozy square with mainly taverns and cafes. Here you directly notice that the price of a full-sized lunch is much cheaper than on the greek islands for instance. We only paid 21 euros for very good food for two people, one greek salad plus drinks. The beach in Methoni is probably not the best of the area but it’s definitely good enough to kill a few hours. It’s a long beach with packed sand, which makes it a little hard to lay on if you have nothing but a towel. It has a long sandy bottom with very clear and fine waters.
After a dip in the sea and some sunshine we went back to our accommodation in Finikounda which is just 10km from Methoni for some rest before we our night out in Finikounda!
Finikounda exudes that nice greek feeling you often get when you end up in a sparkling little town on one of the islands. A long main street runs right through the city, where both sides are lined up with taverns overlooking the sea, smaller stores selling clothes, locally produced products and souvenirs as well as cafes. Along the seafront and the harbor there are many cozy tavernas and cafés. Sometimes they are so close to the edge that if you stretch your leg you can dip your toes in the water. We decided to buy souvlaki (again) and take them down to the pier to eat. We sat down and dangled with our legs from the pier and, from nowhere, a bunch of street performers appeared just next to us. They played rock ballads on their guitar and sang and a joker danced around and played with fireballs on a string. Slowly many more came out here to the pier to listen and watch! With food in our stomach and our bodies filled with energy after the show we strolled the walkway upside down before we sat and drank a coctail at a bar right at the edge of the beach. A good finish to a good day!
On the last day of our weekend, we decided for a calmer schedule before we started driving back to Athens. We unfolded our towels on Finikounda’s very nice beach and laid there soaking in the sun for a few hours. On our way home we had decided in advance to stop by the small town of Koroni and we wanted to have plenty of time to explore the city.
Koroni with its approximately 1,400 inhabitants, is a very nice harbor town and the city’s most famous landmark and attraction – like in Methoni – is an ancient castle built in the 13th century by the Venetians. Along the edge of the harbor there are many cafes to choose from and we sat down in a nice place right next to the sea edge and drank some cold freddo-coffees. Next to us there were two little boys fishing. We observed them with great interest as they pulled up bigger fishes every now and then! When the coffee was finished we took a walk in the city and explored the smaller streets of the town that climb steeply on the mountain on which the city is built upon.
Now we were there on a Sunday which meant that the pace was slower and many shops were closed. However, we could easily see that Koroni is a very beautiful city that has a lot to offer: an impressive castle, nice harbor promenade, lovely little streets and a nice beach! This was unfourtunately the last stop of the weekend. Now we got in the car and drove home to the capital.
A weekend trip in Greece does not have to be expensive and the truth is that when we came home and looked over our budget we found that we didn’t spend more than 300 euro on the whole trip and that included two nights stay in the hotel and gas and tulls for our trip there and back! This means that it can even be cheaper for someone if you choose to go to such a place by bus for example.
Greece’s mainland has so many amazing places to offer which have everything the greek islands have and at an even better price. Peloponnese is one such option, and with the charter flights that now fly down to Kalamata airport from Sweden and other countries these places become even easier to visit.
Explore the opportunity and choose to visit the Greek mainland if you have not already done so and we promise you, you will fall in love with it.
