Even though we had a lot of driving this particular day, we decided to take the scenic Old Kalamata-Sparta road in Greece to our next destination. We were driving from Monemvasia to the Ancient Messene Archeological site, which is a bit of a drive no matter which route you take. The Old Kalamata-Sparta Road was a bit out of the way and add in the fact the road runs through the beautiful Taygetos Mountains of Greece we knew it would take longer, regardless, we choose the scenic way and are so glad we did!
Location
The Old Kalamata-Sparta road itself is about 35 km and takes 45 min to 1 hour depending on stops. It follows along route 82. We were headed to Messene Archeological site and were staying near Areopoli in the Mani that evening. We were in no hurry as we really had no other plans as we had visited sites along the way such as Sparta and Mystras earlier The drive on the Old Kalamata-Sparta road was lovely and very scenic.
The Old Kalamata-Sparta Road
We had no problem finding the Old Kalamata to Sparta road. Google Maps took us there with out a hitch and after driving through Sparta, we spotted road signs pointing the way. It was a bright and beautiful day, but again, as per the norm for this trip, it was quite hot. So riding through the mountains with the aircon on was a great way to explore this road! Note that I was the passenger navigating, taking photos through the windows and Steve was driving!
A Beautiful Drive
The drive along rout 82 is nothing less than spectacular. The road curves up to the top of the beautiful Taygetos mountains and drops down into ravines where you can see caves in the ravine walls. You also pass under two imposing cliffs through unique tunnels carved into the rocks. The day was beautiful with the sun shining and the skies blue. We saw very few other vehicles along the way. It was just as beautiful as our drive to Vresthena just a couple days earlier.
Stops Along the Way
Along the way we saw a memorial and stopped to see what it was. It was honoring a fallen firefighter. I love the way Greece places so many memorials to their heroes along their highways and in their towns. There are various places set up along the road for spices and honey. We stopped at one roadside table and bought some Greek oregano, and mint. We also stopped at another spot, up in the mountains, and bought some honey from the gentleman in the photo (he gave permission for the photo). Once we were home, we found it to be some of the best honey on our trip! All in all, a very enjoyable time.
Although it is hard to find and buy true Greek Honey in the States, I continue to buy honey Klio Tea’s as they have several choices. In addition, the honey is always delicious and delivered on a timely basis. I buy Mountain Tea and Olive Oil from them as well!
Conclusion
I would definitely recommend a drive on the Kalamata to Sparta Road if you are in this area of Greece. It is a beautiful drive and a great way to see this area of the Peloponnese.
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Click on the links below to follow my 2024 Greek Travels and also my Past Greek Travels:
To the Top of Monemvaisa-August 2024
Exploring Ancient Sparta-August 2024
Anthemion Suites and Villas, Greece-August 2024
A Bit of Charm in Nafplio, Greece-August 2024
Acronauplia Fortress-August 2024
Argos Theatre and Agora-August 2024
Exploring the Larissa Castle of Argos,Greece-August 2024
Snorkeling the Sunken City of Epidaurus. August 2024
Ancient Epidaurus: Birthplace of Modern Medicne August 2024
Mycenaean Bridge and Acropolis of Kazarma-August 2024
Ancient Nemea Greece-August 2024
Ancient Mycenae Greece-August 2024
2 Weeks in Greece-Delphi, Meteora, Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Sept 2022
14 Days in Greece-Crete,Naxos, Santorini Sept 2021
10 Day Greece Itinerary-Crete, Santorini, Athens, September 2019
8 Day Greece Itinerary-Athens, Milos, Santorini, September/October 2018
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It is a beautiful drive. And what better place to buy honey! Maggie
I agree! I must be a bit like Winnie the Pooh because I’m always looking for some honey!!
That looks like a gorgeous drive Lori, but you better know the height of your vehicle before you start. Happy Saturday. Allan
That is true! We cleared it fine!
A drive in the mountains. Nice. It doesn’t look hot. 😎😎
It was pretty comfortable in the car with the AC on!
What a scenic drive! And to get some incredible honey makes it all the sweeter (pun intended)!
I love the Greek honey ! And yes, it did make the drive even sweeter!
Sounds like it was worth the drive to enjoy the beautiful scenery and all the stops along the way.
It definitely was!
What a lovely drive, with perfect weather
It was so nice! After having hike earlier in the morning, it was really great to relax a little bit before our next exploration!
Really loving the scenery! Also really not the road to road trip in Greece if you got a tall truck😂
You are probably right about that!!
Beautiful drive. You are blessed.
We truly are.
Sounds amazing, I’d love to do something like this. I’ve heard there’s not slot there in terms of Ancient Greek ruins on account of the fact that the Spartans didn’t build conventional settlements with walls like other Greek poleis. Is this true?
We did not see much for ruins on this drive but Sparta has the nice ruins as does Mystras which is near Sparta. About 20-30 minutes Northwest of Kalamata are the ruins of Ancient Messene which were my favorite ruins. Both of the ones I mentioned were walled but not Sparta. The Spartans purposely did not build walls around their cities because they believe in the strength of their army for defensive purposes, and also looked for areas to settle that were naturally defensive.
We absolutely loved the Peloponnese and this area and are going to return in 2026. There’s also a beautiful road east of ancient Olympia, which takes you through all the mountains up there and is a lovely drive.
Thanks for the info. I’ve visited Olympia before when I was younger. I did it as a day trip from one of the Ionian Islands. It was fantastic.
I agree! What a place it must have been in ancient times!