Ancient Corinth and Canal Crossing
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Port
Nafplion, Greece
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Activity Level
Moderate Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$140
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4¾ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Ancient Corinth was a wealthy city blessed with surrounding fertile plains, a superb location, and virtually impregnable defense system. Corinth survived numerous human invasions but nature, in the form of earthquakes, eventually devastated this once-thriving city.
Leave the pier for a drive to the famous Corinth Canal, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. The canal cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian Peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively creating an island. Here, you will board a local boat and begin a full traverse of this spectacular feat of engineering. Built between 1881 and 1893, the canal is four miles long, 70 feet wide and has sloping sides 170 feet in height.
Once you've completed your canal crossing, board the waiting coach for the short drive to Ancient Corinth. The ruins that lie in this area are a surprising mix of ancient Greek and Roman cities dating as far back as the 6th century BC. Here you will visit the excavations of both, including a Christian Basilica, the starting lines of a Greek racetrack, a sacred spring with its bronze lion's head spouts and the elaborate Roman Fountain of Peirene.
No visit to Corinth is complete without a visit to the Temple of Apollo. Today, seven of its original 38 Doric columns are still standing. They are about 24 feet tall and six feet in diameter.
Walk through the remains of the marketplace, a colonnaded square once surrounded by many small shops, and walk along the Lechaion Road -- formerly the main thoroughfare to the port of Lechaion.
After your visit to Ancient Corinth, re-board your coach for the return drive to Náfplion and your ship.
Please note: Wear comfortable walking shoes. Use of an audio headset (included) will enhance your tour experience.