The river Vouraikos flows out of the mountains of Kalavrita, between the east side of Erimanthos and the west side of Helmos and runs through the west part of the Achaia prefecture, in a northern direction.

The river is around 40km long. Beyond Kalavrita, Vouraikos has carved a deep and steep gorge, where there’s a funicular railway linking Kalavryta to Diakofto.

According to mythology, Hercules loved Voura, the daughter of Nefeligeretis and Eliki, and opened this passage way in order to reach the sea and meet her. The river was named after her.

The funicular railway was realized by Harilaos Trikoupis. The project’s agreement was singed in 1889 and the construction terminated seven years later. French specialists designed the railway. It was a difficult project due to the inaccessible terrain. On March 10, 1896, the train made its first trip. The route begins in Diakofto, traverses the Vouraikos gorge, passes through the village of Zachlorou and ends in Kalavrita. The duration is around 1 hour.



Funicular train timetable

From Kalavrita to Diakofto

08.10, 10.30, 13.20 & 15.50

From Diakofto to Kalavrita

06.55, 09.20, 11.45 & 14.30

Kalavrita OSE station tel: 26920 22245