Greece · Gulf of Corinth
Yacht Charter Patras
The gate between the Ionian and the Gulf of Corinth, under a bridge built to let the ground move.
Patras is the third city of Greece and stands where the Gulf of Corinth narrows to two and a half kilometres before opening into the Ionian. The Rio-Antirrio bridge crosses that narrows, and the engineering behind it is the reason to look up: the seabed here is soft, deep and slowly pulling apart, and the bridge is built to survive all three at once.
The bridge
Its four pylons do not sit on foundations driven into rock, because there is none within reach. They rest on gravel beds laid on the seabed over steel pipes, deliberately not fixed, so that in an earthquake the bridge slides rather than snaps.
The deck is suspended so that it can move too, and the whole span was designed for the two shores to drift apart by up to five metres over its life. It opened in 2004, five days before the Athens Olympics, and the torch was carried across it.
The city
Saint Andrew's is the largest church in Greece and holds the saint's skull, returned from Rome in 1964 after five centuries away, and the X-shaped cross he was crucified on. The Roman odeon of the second century is in the upper town and is still used.
The carnival is the biggest in Greece and has run since the 1820s, six weeks of it, ending in a night parade and a burning of the carnival king in the harbour. Outside that, the arcaded streets of the upper town are the reason to walk.
Practical notes
- Third city of Greece, where the Gulf of Corinth narrows to two and a half kilometres
- The Rio-Antirrio bridge rests on unfixed gravel beds so that it slides in an earthquake rather than snapping
- Saint Andrew's is the largest church in Greece and holds the saint's skull, returned from Rome in 1964
- The carnival is the largest in Greece and has run since the 1820s
Reached from: Corfu, Kefalonia and the Ionian
Where to dine
A table by the water
Mythos
Upper townIn the arcaded streets above the port, doing Achaean cooking with the wine of the hills behind.
Kalogrias
WaterfrontOn the front looking across to Antirrio, with the bridge lit at the end of the view.
Nikolaos
Psila AloniaOn the square in the upper town, plain and open long after the port has gone quiet.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Rio-Antirrio bridge
Four pylons resting on unfixed gravel beds, built to slide in an earthquake and to let the shores drift apart.
Saint Andrew's
The largest church in Greece, holding the saint's skull and the X-shaped cross.
The Roman odeon
A second-century theatre in the upper town, still used for performances.
The upper town
Arcaded streets and stairways above the port, and the part of Patras worth walking.
The fleet
Yachts available for Patras
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Patras
- What is special about the bridge?
- There is no rock within reach for foundations, so the four pylons rest on gravel beds laid over steel pipes and are deliberately not fixed — in an earthquake the bridge slides. It was also built for the two shores to drift five metres apart.
- What is in Saint Andrew's?
- The saint's skull, returned from Rome in 1964 after five centuries, and the X-shaped cross he was crucified on. It is the largest church in Greece.
- What does a yacht charter in Patras cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter in Patras
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.