Rack railway
Through tunnels.
Zografos k — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stathis floros — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zografos k — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vassilis Papanikolopoulos — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NIKOLAOS KATSAROS — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Vouraikos Gorge is a deep canyon cut by the Vouraikos river in Achaea, northern Peloponnese, Greece, between the town of Diakopto on the Gulf of Corinth and the mountain town of Kalavryta, about 42 km southeast of Patras in a straight line. The gorge is about 20 km long. The river rises in the Aroania mountains and runs 37.5 km to the Gulf of Corinth; in ancient times it was called the Erasinos and was described by the Greek traveller Pausanias. Legend says Hercules opened the gorge to get close to Boura, whom he loved. An old mountain rack railway runs through the gorge between Diakopto and Kalavryta. The river flows between towering orange and grey cliffs covered in dense green forest, with waterfalls and caves along the way. The narrow railway runs along the cliff edge, through tunnels cut in the rock and over bridges across the river. Visitors ride the rack railway up through the gorge to Kalavryta, and some walk back along the path beside the track in about four to five hours. Do not walk inside tunnels when a train is coming; the trip makes a full day from Patras.
Through tunnels.
Orange and grey.
Beside the track.
Between Diakopto and Kalavryta, Achaea, Greece
About four to five hours.
By train from Diakopto.