• Corinth Canal - The Corinth Canal links the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It traverses the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, effectively separating the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, thus arguably turning the peninsula into an island. The canal, dug at sea level, lacks locks and stretches 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long and 21.4 meters (70 ft) wide at its base, making it unsuitable for most modern vessels. Today, it holds little economic significance and serves primarily as a tourist attraction. The canal was first proposed in ancient times, with an unsuccessful attempt to construct it in the 1st century AD. Construction began in 1881 but faced geological and financial challenges that led to the original builders’ bankruptcy. Completed in 1893, the canal’s narrowness, navigational issues, and frequent closures for landslide repairs from its steep walls prevented it from attracting the anticipated traffic.

• Ancient Corinth (Archaia Korinthos) - According to legend, the first kings of Corinth were descendants of Sisyphus, who was punished by the Gods for his arrogance by being forced to endlessly roll a massive boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down each time he neared the top. Due to the traffic and trade across the Isthmus, the narrow land strip connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece and Attica, this ancient city, founded in the 10th century BC, could rival Athens and Thebes in wealth and fame. Until the mid-6th century BC, Corinth’s primary export was black-figured vases, many of which reached various colonies in Magna Graecia. The grand temple on its Acropolis (the Acrocorinth) was dedicated to Aphrodite, making Corinth a significant cult center for the Goddess of Love throughout its history. Some sources claim that over a thousand temple maidens served at the Sanctuary of Aphrodite. Corinth was also renowned for hosting Games similar to those in Olympia, known as the Isthmian Games.

Around 730 BC, the city began founding colonies, such as on the island of Kerkyra (Corfu) and the city of Syracuse in Sicily. In 664 BC, Corinth and Kerkyra engaged in what is now recognized as the first Greek naval battle in history. In the 7th century BC, under the rule of tyrants Kypselos and Periander, Corinth sent out more colonists to establish cities like Poteidaia on the Chalkidiki peninsula, Ambrakia, Apollonia, and Anaktorion, and, along with its colony Kerkyra, the cities of Leuka and Epidamnos.

The city played a crucial role in the Persian Wars, joining Athens in the Battle of Salamis with the second-largest fleet contingent. It also participated in the Battle of Plataea (479 BC) with a significant contingent. However, tensions with Athens arose when, in 462 BC, the Athenian Kimon crossed Corinthian territory without permission. This led to open conflict, where Corinth, allied with Epidaurus, defeated the Athenians at Halieis but later lost a vital naval battle in the Saronic Gulf. About ten years later, in 451 BC, a ceasefire and subsequent peace treaty were reached with Athens.

Nevertheless, the dispute persisted and eventually contributed to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. When Corinth became involved in the internal political turmoil of the Kerkyrian colony of Epidamnos, its fleet initially suffered a severe defeat. However, in 433 BC, Corinth won the naval battle near the Sybota islands off the coast of Epirus, prompting Kerkyra to seek assistance from Athens. Consequently, Corinth sided with Sparta. After the Peloponnesian War, facing Sparta’s growing dominance, Corinth’s government decided to align more closely with Athens, leading to the Corinthian War in 394 BC, where Corinth and Athens, along with Thebes and Argos, fought against Sparta. Two years later, Corinth experienced a revolution and became a democracy for the first time in its long history. The new government established a political union with the city-state of Argos. In 390 BC, internal political turmoil nearly plunged the city into civil war as many citizens clashed outside the walls. However, in 386 BC, Sparta restored its dominance over the other Greek city-states. The political union between Corinth and Argos was dissolved, and an aristocratic oligarchy, favorable to Sparta’s politics, was installed.

In 337 BC, Corinth fell under Macedonian rule. After the assassination of King Philip II of Macedonia in 336 BC, the Federal Assembly in Corinth appointed his son, Alexander the Great, as the commanding general of the military campaign against Persia, which Philip had already planned. During this period, the city was governed by Macedonian noblemen. Corinth became the most populous city in Greece, renowned for its thriving economic and cultural life. In 243 BCE, the city was attacked and captured by Aratos, a strategist of the Achaean League. Under his leadership, Corinth joined the league, but when its citizens, dissatisfied with his governance, sought help from Spartan King Kleomenes III, Aratos handed over control of Corinth to Macedonian King Antigonos III in 224 BCE. The Romans’ victory in the Battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BCE liberated the Corinthians from Macedonian control, as the Romans forced the Macedonian garrison to withdraw. However, after the Macedonians’ expulsion, Corinth rejoined the Achaean League and adopted a strongly anti-Roman stance.

When the Achaean League declared war on Sparta in 146 BCE, a military confrontation with the Roman armies became inevitable. The victorious Romans, led by General Lucius Mummius, besieged Corinth, destroyed it, and either killed or enslaved all surviving inhabitants. The area was partially given to Sikyon, while the majority was declared “ager publicus” and allocated to Roman colonists.

Although archaeological evidence suggests a minor revival after Corinth’s destruction in 146 BCE, it took over a century for the city to be re-established in 44 BCE by Gaius Julius Caesar as a Roman colony named “Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis.” According to the Roman historian Appianus, the settlers were freedmen from Rome. Under Roman rule, Corinth became the administrative center of the province of Achaea in southern Greece, and for several decades, the city was a Latin-speaking enclave in a Greek environment.

By the 2nd century CE, Corinth became the seat of a diocese, and by the 4th century, it was the seat of a metropolitan bishopric, maintaining this status until Athens’ rise in the early 9th century. In 267 CE, the city was destroyed by the Goths and Herulians’ invasion but was quickly rebuilt. For over a century, Corinth experienced a late flourishing before being plundered and sacked by Alaric I in 395 CE during the Visigoths’ invasion of Greece. Many citizens were sold into slavery. Nevertheless, Corinth managed to recover once more. In 521 CE, the city suffered significant damage from a severe earthquake but was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I. A few decades later, the Slavic invasions in Greece, beginning around 580 CE, rendered life in the ancient city nearly impossible. Only after several decades did it experience a modest economic resurgence.

In 1147, the Gulf of Corinth became the operational base for Norman Roger II against the region of Arta. Roger soon occupied Corinth and relocated all native silk weavers to Palermo. However, the city was soon reincorporated by Byzantium. In 1202, a high Byzantine official, Leon Sguros, seized control of the city, but his rule ended two years later when participants of the Fourth Crusade captured the city by force. In 1210, Corinth became part of the newly established Principality of Achaia and thus part of the Latin Empire. In the following years, the city had several rulers, leading to bloody battles over influence in southern Greece. From 1421 to 1458, it was under Byzantine control. In 1458, the Ottomans took power in Corinth, which had already become a largely insignificant city by that time. In 1611, the Knights of the Order of Malta raided Corinth, further damaging the city. From 1687 to 1715, the Venetians ruled the area, which had only 1,500 inhabitants. The period of Ottoman rule ended in 1829/1830, and Corinth became Greek once more. At the start of the Greek War of Independence, there was a brief consideration of making Corinth the capital of the free Hellenic state. On February 21, 1858, the ancient city of Corinth was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt six kilometers to the northeast. Today, the village of Archaia Korinthos is located adjacent to and largely on top of the ancient settlement area. Since the advent of tourism in Greece in the 19th century, the ruins of Ancient Corinth, with its temples, fountains, theater, agora, shops, and paved streets, have attracted numerous visitors.

Temple of Apollo in Corinth
Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Apollo, constructed in the mid-6th century BCE, is perhaps the most renowned testament to the ancient city’s grandeur. A distinctive feature of the temple is the use of monolithic columns instead of the more commonly used column drums. Seven columns remain standing today. Although only a small portion of the city’s ruins has been excavated and much has been destroyed during numerous invasions and wars, some remnants of the buildings, along with their 2D and 3D archaeological reconstructions, still provide visitors with an idea of what Corinth might have looked like when it was one of the most significant Roman cities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Temple of Apollo in Corinth
Temple of Apollo

Notable is the grand agora, likely dating back to the 4th century BCE, which would have remained largely unchanged in the following centuries. To the east of the agora, the remains of the Basilica Iulia can be seen, a courthouse built by Emperor Claudius in 44 CE. In the center of the agora is the so-called “bema” or “rostrum” - a platform where important legal and political decisions were announced to the citizens of Corinth. It is claimed by Christians as the place where the proselytizer Paul was questioned by Gallio, proconsul of the Roman province of Achaea. However, archaeological and historical research has proven this claim to be unsubstantial. Even the very presence of Paul in Corinth and his activities there have become more than doubtful. In the Middle Ages, this place was overbuilt by a church.
Lechaion Road, Corinth
Lechaion Street

In the north of the agora, an elaborately decorated arched gateway from the 1st century CE marked the beginning of the magnificent Lechaion Street, which was preserved in its original state until the 10th century. Even today, the paved street, bordered by galleries featuring shops with products from across the Roman Empire and beyond, remains an impressive sight. The Lechaion Street was a kind of “shopping mile” where almost all public life took place. There is also a well-preserved latrine to admire. During the 11th and 12th centuries, the area around Lechaion Street was where the Byzantine aristocracy of the city built their opulent homes. In the 17th century, the palace of the Ottoman Bey, the city’s governor, was constructed north of it, though little remains today.

To the south, the agora is bordered by the 154-meter-long Stoa, built by Philip II of Macedonia after 338 BCE as a guest house for the deputies of the Corinthian Confederation. Behind it were numerous shops. During Roman rule, the southern part of the Stoa served as the administrative seat of the Isthmian Games.

Fountain of Peirene, Corinth
Fountain of Peirene

Adjacent to the arched gateway leading onto Lechaion Street is the well house of the spring of Peirene, renowned for its clear water. It was lavishly decorated, and its arcades were once adorned with several statues. Poets came to drink from its water in search of inspiration, as the spring was associated with the swift-winged Pegasus.
Roman Odeion, Corinth
Roman Odeion

Also noteworthy are two impressive buildings located to the northwest of the parking and entrance of the archaeological site and museum. The Odeion (or concert hall), dating from the 1st century CE, was significantly enlarged during the 2nd century by Herodes Atticus, known for the Odeion in Athens. The large Greek-period theater (from the 4th century BCE, but with many later alterations) was replaced in the Roman period by an arena-equipped building, where even naval battles, known as Naumachiae, could be performed.

• Archaeological Site Mycenae - Mycenae is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is situated about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Athens, 11 kilometers (7 miles) north of Argos, and 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Corinth. The site is 19 kilometers (12 miles) inland from the Saronic Gulf and built upon a hill rising 900 feet above sea level. In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was a major center of Greek civilization, a military stronghold that dominated much of southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades, and parts of southwest Anatolia. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and covered an area of 32 hectares. The first correct identification of Mycenae in modern literature was during a survey conducted by Francesco Grimani, commissioned by the Provveditore Generale of the Kingdom of the Morea in 1700, who used Pausanias’s description of the Lion Gate to identify the ruins of Mycenae.

• Nafplio - Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was an important seaport held under a succession of royal houses in the Middle Ages as part of the lordship of Argos and Nafplia, initially held by the de la Roche following the Fourth Crusade before coming under the Republic of Venice and, lastly, the Ottoman Empire. The town was the capital of the First Hellenic Republic and of the Kingdom of Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the regional unit of Argolis.

• Tolon - Tolon is a seaside town, located 7 kilometers (4 miles) east of Nafplion. Visitors can enjoy lunch at a traditional family-owned restaurant while taking in the view of the Saronic Gulf.

• The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus - Epidaurus (3rd Century B.C) is a spiritual place worth visiting for its sites such as the Sanctuary of Aesculapius and the ancient Theater with its unique acoustics. The Sanctuary of Aesculapius was a healing and cultural center of ancient times, and the Theater of Epidaurus is one of the few that retains its original circular Orchestra, offering a rare aesthetic sight still used today.

• Bottled water
• On-board WiFi
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Professional Drivers (Not licensed to accompany you into the sites)
• Private transportation

• Lunch
• English-speaking licensed tour guide (Optional / 400 Euros payable in cash).Subject to availability.
• Airport pickup/drop-off on request (additional fee varies by vehicle type)
• Gratuities
• Entrance fees

Explore Greece’s treasured historical sites with a comprehensive full-day tour of the Argolis region, departing from Athens.

Why Choose Hellenic Private Tours?

• Customizable tours and services to suit your preferences.
• Professional, certified drivers who are fluent in English.
• Modern, well-maintained Mercedes vehicles (sedans, minivans, and minibuses) that are licensed and certified for tourist use by state authorities.
• Outstanding client reviews from across the globe.
• A dedicated customer service team ready to provide prompt assistance.
• Access to a wide network of licensed, experienced tour guides available upon request.
• Your English- speaking driver will explain about the ancient monuments that you are about to visit, the ancient history of Greece and interesting facts about historical and modern-day Greece but is not allowed by law to accompany you in the sites. If you wish to have a licensed tour guide to accompany you into the sites, we will help you arrange a licensed tour guide to be with you at an extra cost
• Your tour is totally private. No unknown passengers will participate in your group.
• Infant car seats are available upon request

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.