Corinth
Famous for the Corinth Canal, Corinth is an ancient city in the Peloponnese peninsula. The modern Corinth, which is not worth visiting, has over 30,000 citizens.
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal is a six-kilometre waterway connecting the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea. Every year over 10,000 boats and cruise ships sail down the canal as not to navigate 400 km around Greece to get from one ocean to the other.
The present-day canal was built between 1881 and 1893 and is one of the most significant constructions made by man; however, it was planned many centuries earlier, when the Roman emperor Nero began excavating the land during the first century AD.
Unfortunately, the 23-meters-wide canal is now too narrow for most modern cruise ships.
Top attractions in Corinth
Corinth is also well-known for its ancient city, now an impressive archaeological site. The ancient town was once one of the most important centres of Greece, and some of its most magnificent landmarks are still standing like the Apollo Temple, erected in 550 BC.
If you have enough time, we also recommend visiting the Acrocorinth, the ancient city’s acropolis. It became a fortification during the Byzantine Empire, and was improved during the various invasions, first during the Byzantine Empire, then by the Franks, the Venetians and the Ottomans.
Exploring the Acrocorinth takes approximately two hours.
Getting to Corinth
Modern Corinth is one of the country’s main cities and is very well connected with most towns in Greece, including Athens. You can book a day trip online, or if you would prefer to get there on your own here are your options:
Booking a day trip
Booking a day trip is the most comfortable way to discover Corinth and its nearby cities. You can choose from a one day trip or a tour lasting several days.
By car
Since Corinth is slightly far from Athens, the best idea is to rent a car and visit other cities like Olympia, Epidaurus and Mycenae. Check and compare car rental prices here.
It is very easy to drive to Corinth: take the highway A75 towards the north. There is a detour almost immediately to Corinth. Then drive 70 km along the highway until you get to the canal. Take the exit to Loutraki to get the best views of the canal.
By bus
The coach that connects Athens and Corinth departs from Terminal A (100 Kifissou Street) every day from 5:30 am until 10:30 pm, approximately every 30 minutes. The journey takes around 90 minutes.
By train
If you wish to travel directly to Corinth from Athens Airport, you can take a direct train from the airport to the modern city. If you want to take the train from central Athens, change trains at SKA station.
