Private Tour of Isthmus Canal, Ancient Corinth & Mycenae From Athens
Description
Be amazed by the modern engineering masterpiece of the Corinth Canal (Isthmus Canal). Explore the large citadel of Acrocorinth. Through its imposing entrance gates, you will enter the castle and you will discover its hidden gems. You will also experience the spectacular panoramic views which will amaze you. Witness the ancient town of Corinth, one of the richest towns in Ancient Greece, where St. Paul lived and preached for two years. We will visit the ruins of the ancient city in which you can see the remains of the Agora and one of the most outstanding monuments of pre –Roman period, the temple of Apollo. Relive the expedition to Troy at Mycenae, the kingdom of Agamemnon and a World Heritage UNESCO Site.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pickup from your chosen Hotel, Airbnb or apartment in Athens
Visit the Isthmus Canal, one of the most important projects and 19th century engineering masterpieces, playing a catalytic role for the Mediterranean trade. Visit Ancient Diolkos, a paved trackway in Ancient Greece which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth.
Visit Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth. It is one of the most impressive and dominant acropoleis of the Peloponnese. Gates: A system of 3 circuit walls reinforced by towers. Keep Temple of Aphrodite: On the highest of the two picks of the mountain are traces of the temple of Aphrodite on the site. Frankish Tower: At the SW edge of the precipitous rock fortified during Frankish times forming the inner keep of the fortress. Remains of churches, mosques, houses, fountains and cisterns are preserved here.
Peirene Spring: Located within the encircling walls, a gift of Asopus to Sisyphus.
Views of Geraneia Mountain: Enjoying breathtaking views of the Corinthian gulf and the SW coast of the Peloponnese.
Hadgimoustafa spring: a fountain built during the Ottoman empire. Ancient Corinth Archaeological Museum: Housing a large collection of artifacts from the local site and from smaller sites in the neighboring area. Temple of Apollo: One of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and the Greek mainland with monolithic columns, rare in the ancient world, built around 560 BCE. Agora: A rectangular construction 160 m long and 70 m wide, consisting of central shops, small temples and altar and the renowned podium or Bema from where Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthians in 52 AD. Roman buildings. Bema or Pedestal Theatre and Odeon/Asklepieion Lechaion road: Facing the Corinthian gulf leading to the port of Lechaion. St. Paul's church: Admiring a magnificent mosaic mural depicting Saul's vision from Christ as he was travelling to Damascus to persecute the Christians. Treat yourself to an authentic "village style" lunch on a magnificent terrace overlooking ancient Corinth's archaeological site and the temple of Apollo.
Stroll amongst the village shops where you can treat yourself and buy handmade souvenirs for your family and friends.
Drive to Mycenae.
Rich in gold! King Agamemnon's mythical kingdom sung in Homer's epics. It is the most important and richest center of the late Bronze Age. Grave Circles A and B: Royal cemeteries situated to the south of the Lion Gate and outside the Bronze Age citadel. The Cyclopean Walls: The main characteristic of the Mycenean walls is that they are made of huge limestone boulders. Only the mythical Cyclopes had the strength to move the enormous boulders that made up the walls of Mycenae and Tiryns. The Royal Palace: Consisting of domestic apartments, the Throne Room Suite, the Grand Staircase, a collection of rooms for officers or palace officials and the Forecourt.
The Lions Gate: The main entrance of the Bronze age citadel of Mycenae erected during the 13th century BC.
The Treasury of Atreus: A large tholos or beehive tomb constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC. Tomb of Clytemnestra: A Mycenean tholos type tomb built in 1250 BC named after Clytemnestra the wife of king Agamemnon and leader of the Greeks in Trojan war.
The Mycenean Archaeological Museum: The most important Mycenean artifacts are exhibited here. You will be dazzled by the gold grave goods, burial masks, jewellery, weapons, worship idols and frescoes.
Return to your chosen Hotel, Airbnb or apartment in Athens
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your personal tour driver will pick you up and return you to your hotel in Athens, meeting you at the lobby. In the case of an AirBnb apartment, he/she will contact you upon arrival so you can meet at the entrance of the building. For Airport and Port pick-up, your driver will meet you at the arrivals area holding a signboard with the guest's name.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Reviews(16)
Beautiful day in Micene and Corinto, with my driver Peter and my guide Vivi, very kind and professional . Highly recommended for those who want to visit these places in an immersive and relaxing way. Filippo
Hello Filippo! Thank you so much for your lovely 5* review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your day exploring Mycenae and Corinth with Peter and Vivi. We’re very happy that their professionalism and kindness helped make your experience both relaxing and immersive. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Greece again soon! Warm regards, The Ancient Greece Tours Team
This was our 2nd private tour with AGT. We again designed an itinerary to suit out needs with the team. This time we saw Ancient Olympia, Mycenae, Ancient Corinth and the canal, Epidauras, Naphlio and some wonderful scenic areas on the way. We learnt a lot, enjoyed some fabulous food recommended by our simply amazing Guide/Driver and relaxed while he drove. The knowledge and passion of not only our Very talented Driver, but also the private guides engaged at the archaeological sites, made the history come alive for us. We will be engaging AGT again. Thankyou so much for sharing your knowledge and love of your wonderful country with us ❤️.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled that your second tour with us was just as memorable, and that our guides and drivers helped bring the history of Greece to life. It means a lot to hear you enjoyed the sights, the food, and the journey itself. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another adventure! ❤️ Warm regards, Ancient Greece Tours & Transfers
The day tour in Corinth with Tas was a fantastic experience. Tas was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about Ancient Greek history. He made sure we captured great group photos along the way and arranged an amazing lunch with a view to end the day. Would highly recommend if you have the time. His car was clean and he drove safely. Even treated us with water and delicious cookies. Valerie, Jeannine and Liz.
Thank you, Valerie, Jeannine, and Liz, for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that your Corinth tour with Tas was a fantastic experience filled with history, breathtaking views, and memorable moments. It’s great to know you enjoyed the hospitality, delicious treats, and thoughtful touches along the way. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another adventure in Greece! Warm regards from Athens and the team at AGT.
Yannis is full of information that he delivers with expert storytelling from the perspective of history and seminary training in a place where he grew up. This tour is a must!
We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Yannis! At Ancient Greece Tours, we pride ourselves on providing immersive experiences steeped in history and delivered with expert storytelling. Yannis's deep knowledge and unique perspective truly enhance the journey through the ancient world. Thank you for recognizing the value of our tour, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more enriching adventures in the future!
Giannis was one of the best guides we have had the pleasure to tour with. He knows his history and the level of detail was amazing. He was also as personable and warm, as he was professional and prompt. He made our tour much more educational, interesting and enjoyable. His AMG Mercedes was awesome. We hopped on his Wi-Fi and he sent videos we could which in the car on the way to a site that depicted what it looked like originally via 3-D rendering. So cool. He took great shots of us that we could not have done via selfie. His English is superb, down to idioms and cliches, and he has a great sense of humor to boot. He took us to many off the bean path areas, and even treated us to a coffee like we never had before. Such great experiences and now fond memories and oodles of photos! As follow-ups he sent more videos we had asked about. And his training and demonstrated driving skill in Athens traffic was amazing. We are Giannis-superfans. Book him and you will be too!
We are thrilled to hear that your time with Giannis was nothing short of exceptional! It's wonderful to know that his expertise and personal touches greatly enhanced your tour experience. Giannis is indeed a treasure, and we're proud to have him as part of our team. His knowledge, professionalism, and dedication to providing a unique and memorable tour are what we strive for with every guest. Your kind words about the additional amenities and personal care he provided, from the on-the-go Wi-Fi and 3D video presentations to his photography skills and coffee recommendations, are greatly appreciated. We’re glad these aspects contributed to creating lasting memories for you. Thank you for becoming a Giannis-superfan and for recommending our services. We can't wait to pass along your compliments to him!
Our tour was fantastic! We could not have asked for a better guide than Peter Kleioufis. He was knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, was timely, and provided superb service. We especially appreciated him taking photos of us throughout the day so that we could remember all the places we saw. The day was perfect and we highly recommend asking for him if you want a stellar experience. Thanks, Peter!
Your Experience Our Passion Our Pleasure Thank you AGT
Very impressive stop at the canal at the isthmus with interesting history that led up to the canal actually being constructed. Ancient Corinth with its Acropolis and ruins were also good stops. We ran out of time to do the Mycenae part of the trip. If the trip is done in reverse with a long drive to Mycenae, then work back to the canal would be better use of time. Had a wonderful stop at a local taverna for lunch over looking the ruins of the temple was a nice treat.
Learned a ton about Greek history, including the central role of Corinth - more important than Athens though Athens gets all the attention simply because of the monuments that the Romans decided to not destroy. And then tying it with Mycenae in the later half of the day, from which we could also see Argos. So definitely a great way to fill in the time period from ~5000 BC to the newer history of Athens at its height in ~450 BC. We started out visiting the end of the Corinth canal where our guide Yannis gave us a lot of history about the development of the canal and what existed before then for thousands of years and how that geography made Corinth the crossroads of the world ~2500 years ago. Then drove closer to the middle and looked down from the bridge, beautiful sight. Drove over to Corinth acropolis which is a great site. Would need a half day there to see everything but the 1.5 hrs we spent there was a good taste. Very hilly and not an easy hike. Recommend seeing the small church and trying to get up to the Frankish tower if you have the time. We ate lunch in a restaurant next to the ruins of ancient Corinth. Good food and reasonable prices. Then the ruins of ancient Corinth at the bottom of the hill including the temple of Apollo. This has a well done museum and 1 hr would be sufficient to go through it. The ruins were extensive and you'd probably need a couple hours to go through all, we did it in about an hour and that was fine. We then drove to Mycenae. Ruins are older and we spent an hour wandering around and visiting the tombs. It was a bit of a let down after Corinth. The museum was pretty poor unless you like looking at pottery shards for an hour. Maybe I was just tired but if I did it again I'd read the exhibits in the lobby then do a quick walk through the rest, probably done in 20 minutes. The highlight for me was the stories behind it all rather than walking among part walls of buildings long gone. But again maybe I was just tired by then. Yannis is a great guide and answered all of our questions and offered interesting stories and took genuine care of us. He could not go into the sites but would give us tips for what to look for before we went in. He brought us a box of cookies and treats in the morning for snacks throughout the day and had a big supply of cold water bottles to keep us hydrated. If I was to do it again I would definitely visit the same sites in Corinth but probably skip Mycenae and go instead to Epivadros and Nafplio if such a tour existed. I wouldn't cut any shorter the time in Corinth though. That was definitely the best part of the trip. And Thank You Yannis! Hope to see you again some day.
Your Experience Our Passion Our Pleasure Thank you! AGT
We had an amazing day. Nikos was an excellent driver (arriving a few minutes early), very knowledgeable and friendly, and knew exactly where to take us for the best photos, food, and souvenirs. He provided cold waters for us at our stops, was a great driver- made us feel safe during our day long tour with much driving. We never felt rushed as we visited our sites. Would highly recommend!
Our guide, Peter was wonderful! He was so knowledgeable and kind! It was an absolutely delightful trip that I would recommend to anyone!!! We will remember this adventure for the rest of our lives!