Ancient Corinth and Canal half day private tour from Athens
Description
Venture south of Athens to discover highlights of the Peloponnese. Cross the Corinth Canal to leave mainland Greece and explore the Ancient Corinth, antiquity’s most powerful commercial crossroads. The wealthiest city in all the ancient world, a leader amongst the powerful Greek city-states, built at the foothills of the rocky hill of Acrocorinth, discernible from afar, a striking lookout against potential enemies coming by land or sea.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will get picked up from your hotel, apartment, Airbnb, Athens airport, or Piraeus port.
The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, arguably making the peninsula an island. The canal was dug through the isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) in length and only 21.4 metres (70 ft) wide at its base, making it impassable for many modern ships. From high up, you can enjoy the best view of Corinth's isthmus and admire the steep limestone walls while you observe the vessels below you navigate their way through the canal.
Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern city of Corinth is located approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of the ancient ruins. For Christians, Corinth is well known from the two letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as part of Paul the Apostle's missionary travels. In addition, the second book of Pausanias' Description of Greece is devoted to Corinth. Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.
The Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth was constructed between 1931-1932, with intentions to display the numerous recent archaeological excavations. The museum is located within the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, Greece, and lies under the jurisdiction of the 37th Ephoreia of the Greek Archaeological Service. Key aspects of the Archaeological site of Ancient Corinth include: • Hadgimoustafa spring • Lechaion Road • Basilica • Fountain of Peirene • Stoa • Agora • Odien • Other temples • Theatre
The Temple of Apollo at Corinth was constructed in 550 BC.
Acrocorinth, "Upper Corinth", the acropolis of ancient Corinth, is a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth, Greece. With its secure water supply, Acrocorinth's fortress was repeatedly used as a last line of defense in southern Greece because it commanded the Isthmus of Corinth, repelling foes from entry by land into the Peloponnese peninsula.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This private tour is exclusively for your group, ensuring a personalized and flexible experience. Pickup time can be adjusted upon request. Your driver can pick you up and drop you off either at the same location or at different locations of your choice within Athens. * Hotel pickups: Your driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby. * Apartment pickups: Your driver will be waiting outside the building entrance. * Cruise port pickups: Your driver will meet you at the disembarkation gate, holding a sign with your name for easy identification.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Our drivers are not official tour guides, but they are knowledgeable and can provide fascinating commentary in fluent English. Although they will not enter the archaeological sites with you, they can answer all of your questions about the places you visit with this tour.
- Third party activities and especially extreme sports are not allowed during the tour. This can be a cause for immediate cancellation of the tour.
Reviews(121)
Excellent half day tour. Our driver, George, was amazing very informative and accommodating. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your half-day tour and that George made the experience so enjoyable with his knowledge and accommodating approach. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with George. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Athens again soon!
George was amazing he was very informative and friendly and ga e us plenty of information during the tour. Tour length was ideal and we saw some amazing sites. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that George made your tour such an enjoyable experience with his friendly approach and informative commentary. It’s great to know that the tour length was just right and that you enjoyed discovering some of Athens’ amazing sights. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with George. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to welcome you back to Greece again soon!
Corinth canal and. Ancient corinth areas were professionally presented with a significant amount historical information provided. Spyros was respectful, courteous, knowledgeable, friendly, on time, and efficient.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the Corinth Canal and Ancient Corinth, and that you found the historical information both informative and engaging. It's especially wonderful to know that Spyros made such a positive impression with his professionalism, punctuality, knowledge, and friendly attitude. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to Spyros. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back to Greece for another memorable tour in the future!
Dimitris was very polite and a pleasure to be with. Corinth was a nice excursion to do before heading to cruise ship terminal.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We’re delighted to hear that Dimitris was polite and a pleasure to spend the day with. It’s wonderful to know you enjoyed your Ancient Corinth and Canal Half-Day Private Tour from Athens and found it to be the perfect excursion before heading to your cruise ship. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back to Greece for another memorable journey!
Definitely do this if you’re in Athens. Our tour guide/driverNotis was extremely knowledgeable about the area and history. The canal is amazing! And the ancient Corinth and Acrocorinth excursions were fascinating. The Greek Lunch at Castro Restaurant was delicious.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so pleased you enjoyed your day exploring the Corinth Canal, Ancient Corinth, and Acrocorinth. It's great to hear that Notis's knowledge and passion for the area's history made the experience even more memorable, and that you enjoyed your lunch at Castro Restaurant. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another tour in Greece!
Looked this tour for pickup at Cruise Port with final drop off at our Hotel in Athens. Mike was our driver and arrived on time at 8AM outside the terminal. Car was clean and he provided great information on our way to Cirinth. First stop at the canal with great info. Then on to Ancient Corinth. Following great free time at the site and museum it was up the mountain to the Acrocorinth with a stop for a snack. As we were ahead of schedule he added in an extra stop at the seaside town with time for a boardwalk stroll and puttingnour toes in the water. After an easy dropoff in Athens with info in the Avropolis and recommendations on restaurants and other things to do. Mike was great from start to finish. Do not hesitate tonise this service and ask for Mike.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
This is the first time I’ve really had an experience where it was a private tour just with the group you scheduled it with. Originally rescheduled for four (4) people but unfortunately less than 24 hours before my aunt fell and severely hurt herself at a cruise port. The injury required stitches and limited movement of her body. So unfortunately, she could not make this excursion so it was just me and my husband. George was very kind opened the door every time we got out. The vehicle was air conditioned. George was very kind, opened the door every time we got out the vehicle. It was air-conditioned Mercedes minivan, and it was in wonderful condition. He provided us cold water when we needed it. And he was really knowledgeable on all of the history and could answer all of the questions we had. I really enjoyed having the small group private option available. Even with our cruise ship tendering in from a different port, we were still able to easily find where George was waiting for us. I highly recommend. Seeing the canal is I short stop, but great photo op.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
Our guide was Panos and he filled our day with fun facts as well as historical information about the region and its people. He shared some interesting insights about the Apostle Paul’s journey that was amazing. We had such a wonderful time.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
It was a wonderful day outside the city of Athens. Corinth is beautiful and the ancient city was fabulous to visit. The trip to the canal and fortress were also an added bonus.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with us. Your kind words are greatly appreciated and serve as a wonderful motivation for our entire team to continue delivering exceptional service. It was our pleasure to be part of your visit to Greece, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on a future trip. We wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon!
The driver was very knowledgeable of Athens and Corinth. He was very accommodating with our needs. Great tour.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. Your kind words truly mean a lot to our team and motivate us to continue providing the best possible service to our guests. It was our pleasure to be part of your trip to Greece, and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Thank you once again for choosing us.
