A long bus ride through miles and miles of olive groves and what looked like vineyards, we travelled from Athens via KTEL Messinias – the Express bus – possibly the most scenic way to travel to Kalamata; the town of olives. We spent two days in Kalamata, doing absolutely nothing but soaking up the laid-back culture, enjoying the amazing local food and getting lost in the streets of a quiet town. That’s what holidays are for right?!

Two Days in Kalamata
Kalamata is a quiet, small town, bordered by mountains and a black sandy beach. A town where locals have a little siesta from 2 pm-5 pm, where shops would close, and the streets would go dull – there was barely anyone on the streets when we arrived! It’s almost like we walked into a movie set – the only thing missing was the hunk in a rusty old pickup truck offering us a ride as we dragged our suitcases along the crackly streets; the loudest sound in the neighbourhood.
We found a local restaurant to fill our bellies as we were famished from the long 3 and a half hour ride from Athens. With a feline friend for some company, we sat back, relaxed and stuffed our faces with good ol’ Tzatiki and fries to start with, whilst enjoying the slightly chilly breeze and sunshine.
Our Airbnb in Kalamata
Our Airbnb was a 10-minute walk to the beach and a 20-minute walk from the main town (approximately). There’s a lot of ups and downs as the town is built on a hill, so be prepared for a lot of walking – and in our case, dragging our suitcases up and down too! Our cute Airbnb was spacious and had the best view of mountains! With a private balcony, kitchenette, lounge and bedroom; we felt right at home!
Wondering what to do in Kalamata?
We did too. We walked around town for hours on end, with no aim but to simply enjoy being in this small town. Having nothing to do or nowhere to go gave us this weird sense of freedom where there was no schedule to stick to and no place to be. We popped into Christmas markets and stores, pet shops and more. Admired the interiors of the Cathedral Church of Archangels and the exteriors of Church of Holy Apostles (hope I got the names right – we didn’t know where we walked into at the time).
The Church of Agioi Apostoloi The Church of Agioi Apostoloi
While Kalamata was the ideal place if you wanted to visit olive groves, we weren’t too bothered at organizing a trip to one. We did eat and buy a few olive products though!
Orange groves Morning Views
We dined at a cosy & hip restaurant in the town’s square – perfect for people watching and observing this interesting culture. The town square fills up by 4pm, where locals sit and sip coffee, which eventually gets substituted by drinks in the early evening. Tapas and snacks usually accompanied the drinks.
Kalamata’s Beautiful Beach
My first black sand beach! We spent the entire morning on the beach, despite it being cold and sunny. Icy cold, gentle and clear waters were absolutely refreshing to swim in and so therapeutic, especially with the distant mountains in the backdrop. Quite a few locals braved the icy waters and swam with me too. In December, Kalamata was not as cold as Athens was even though it was by the sea. We read our books, collected pebbles and walked until we found a place for brunch.
A roadside/beachfront restaurant already filled up with locals drinking ouzaki was the perfect spot to indulge in some authentic Greek food. A big block of Feta cheese, warm bread and some seafood later, we were absolutely stuffed and rightly so!
Greek Doughnuts – Loukoumades
If you’re looking for the best loukoumades – Greek doughnuts – in Kalamata, head to Mama’s Sweethouse. We got there a little after 4 pm – after a not-so-smooth-walk thanks to the light showers. The quiet town became even more deserted with the rain, except for us of course. After ordering our coffee, we found out that the loukoumades wouldn’t be ready until 6ish. But the charming, eye-catching barista/loukoumades-creator convinced us to stay and enjoy a coffee until then. So we did. A coffee, some complimentary biscuits and romanticising at the idea of spending the rest of our lives doing just this in the quiet town of Kalamata, later, we were served piping hot but orgasmically delicious greek doughnuts.
Nights in Kalamata
Kalamata in December was less cold than Athens, but it did rain for a bit while we were out and about. We headed back to the town’s square after walking aimlessly for hours, for dinner and drinks. As with any country, safety was still a concern for us girls, so we headed back to our apartment early that night to relax; more. The night ensued with giggles, acquainting with some locals, drinking wine (just me) and face masks, until we finally retired to our beds. The next day, we had an early morning ride back to Athens – so beauty sleep was a must.
Stay tuned to find out our last two eventful days in Athens that was marked with another visit to the Presidential Guards, some tears and finding the best little Gyro spot in town!
Yours truly,
Imperfect Traveller