Is Greece’s third largest city, located in northern west Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens. The Patras metropolitan area in the Roman period it had become a cosmopolitan centre of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew’s martyrdom.
Dubbed Greece’s Gate to the West, its busy port is a point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe.
The city has two public universities and one Technological Institute. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece.
Every spring, the city hosts one of Europe’s largest and most colourful carnivals. Patra was European Capital of Culture 2006.
