The train moves on through a narrow canyon between the twin peaks of Mt. Tretos, whose ancient Pass of Dervenakia, saw the ambush of Dramali's Turkish army in the summer of 1822 by the Greek revolutionary leader Kolokotronis, with 4000 Turks killed, and the rest fleeing to Corinth to be evacuated by sea. This early victory during the Greek War of Independence served as strong encouragment to continue the struggle, which lasted another decade. Descending from the Pass the Argolid valley spreads out below and the line soon reaches Mycenae. After crossing the Panitsa and Xerias rivers and stopping at the village station of Koudsopodi where the highway again crosses the railway, the fortress on the hill of Larissa (276meters) comes into view before the train reaches Argos, which, apart from its other many historic and archaeological distinctions, is also a rail junction, with a line to Nafplio. Modern Argos is a town of around 25,000 inhabitants, which is mainly an agricultural center catering to farmers and fruit growers, with a wonderful weekly Wednesday market-one of the best in Greece. About 2km on the road to Pirgelas (which crosses the rail line just north of the station's northern perimeter wall) the wine cellars of Yiorgos Skouras are well worth a visit, with the tasting rooms open 8am to 2:30pm on Mon-Sat. There are plenty of hotels and rooms in Argos, though Nafplio is more attractive.
Trains for Naufplio leave the main line just south of the station, the train now heading towards the Argolic Gulf, and passing a small station for Tiryns, whose site can be visited from Nafplio just 4km onward. The modern rail station of Nafplio is on the harbor near the passenger ship quays, and consists of two old red passenger cars which have been renovated and are now used as ticket office and waiting room (air-conditioned). The older station, with antique railway cars and steam locomotives is now a café. There are three through trains daily to Athens as well as two daily shuttles connecting at Argos. Connections from here are geared mainly to Athens, with not such good ones to Patras, which requires changing trains in Corinth, sometimes involving a 1 ½ hour wait for the connection (though you might check to see if this has changed recently). There are hourly bus connections from Nafplio to the beach resorts of Tolo, and less frequent buses to the less crowded Kastraki, which has remains of the ancient wall of Assine. Further along the same road are the villages of Drepano and Iria, and 35km to the east is Epidavros (see Epidavros article).
The Argolid famous for its flat, fertile agricultural land, which is seen immediately upon leaving the Argos station and heading south towards Mili. The area was a marsh until the mid 20th century, with snakes featuring largely in the local legends. The rail line follows the west end of the ArgolicGulf, and reaches a large wooded area and the old brick buildings of the Mili train yard, which should be on the itinerary of all old train buffs, who will find there over a dozen steam locomotives, some of them past the point of no return, others restorable. Their continued existence is due to the fact that at the point of their retirement, the SPAP Railway Company couldn't afford to scrap them for junk metal, and later OSE authorities realized that they could be rebuilt and used as excursion trains. The locomotives stored at Mili were built between 1914 and 1952 (of the two classes known as 140 and 141). The ancient ruins of Lerna at Mili are located under the modern village, about 500 meters from the rail station, and can be seen from the train-a high mound amidst plane trees , which can be seen after crossing the road from Nafplio (on the right side).
The Peloponnese by Train page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Why the Train, Trains Map, Peloponnese I, Peloponnese II, Central Greece, Thessaly, S. Macedonia, Northern Greece, Thrace, Train Routes, Train History
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