Ancient Corinth Half Day Tour from Athens
Description
Leave Athens and drive South West until we reach the Corinth Canal which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea (short stop). Drive on and visit the ancient town of Corinth where St. Paul lived and preached for two years. The remains of the City, which include the Agora (market place) and Apollo's Temple (6th century B.C.) clearly show how rich and important Corinth was in Ancient Times. Return to Athens in time for lunch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Take this Ancient Corinth Half Day tour and visit one of the major cities of antiquity. Leave Athens and drive South West until we reach the Corinth Canal which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea (short stop). The route we follow was called the Sacred Way because it was the route taken by a procession celebrating the Eleusinian Mysteries, were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. On Fridays, along the way, we stop at the Monastery of Daphni, a 11th-century Byzantine monastery listed as a World Heritage site together with Monasteries Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios. The interior of the church is decorated with superb mosaics, a unique, fine example of the Classical idealism of Middle Byzantine art. The crowded scenes of the mosaics narrate scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin.
Shorty after the visit at Corinth Canal we reach the ancient town of Corinth, where St. Paul lived and preached for two years (Acts 18:1-18). The remains of the City, which include the Agora (market place) and Apollo’s Temple (6th century B.C.) clearly show how rich and important Corinth was in Ancient Times. Visit the ruins of the ancient city where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla, see the remains of the first century shops, the Agora where Paul’s trial by Gallio took place, the Fountain of Peirene, and one of the most outstanding monuments of pre –Roman period, the temple of Apollo. Return to Athens in time for lunch.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel pick-up is offered for this tour. Please advise hotel or apartment info.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(6)
Very Good tour of Ancient Corinth and surrounding sites. The tour bus transfer was a little goofy, we thought: Getting picked up at one location with a different bus company, then getting transferred to our assigned tour group. We just went on faith that they would provide what we paid for. They did. Sophia was an EXCELLENT guide: Fun, Informative, very knowledgeable! She took care of us all the way through. We enjoyed the trip and the tours.
Absolutely fantastic tour of Corinth. Georgina was excellent and extremely knowledgeable about Corinth and its history. As we left Athens, she pointed out various historic sites and provided historical commentary throughout the drive. We stopped first at the Corinth Canal for a washroom/coffee break and had time to walk out the path to see the canal and take pictures. The itinerary online states: "On Fridays, along the way, we stop at the Monastery of Daphni" and that the stop would be 30 minutes. Our tour was on a Friday but when we asked Georgina, she seemed to not know anything about stopping there. Once we arrived in Corinth, she gave us a great and informative tour of the little museum before taking us out to the archaeological site. Her tour of the site was excellent - full of information with special attention to the Apostle Paul's ministry in Corinth. Georgina gave us the opportunity to ask questions and take lots of photos. We would have liked a bit more time on the site, but we completely understood that she had to keep the tour to four hours and get everyone back to Athens on time - we were just enjoying the site and her expertise so much that we would have really liked it to last longer. Georgina was outstanding and our driver, Nikos (who was excellent) said he always learns something new when he drives for her tours.
It was a very wonderful experience! I’d say the half-day was a great amount of time - long enough to see the several stops and short enough to still be able to do other things that day. Once there, it was essentially all walking so I feel like a full 8 hour trip could have been a little tiring for some. The tour guide, George, was very friendly and gave great information throughout the trip. At the sites it was incredible to know where we were standing. Very worthwhile trip!
Dora was an amazing tour guide and I learned so much from her! The Acropolis and Parthenon were even more beautiful up close…
Katia did a great job of explaining the history behind Corinth. A beautiful part of the tour of ancient Corinth was hearing her ready 1 Corinthians 13 - very moving! She is an excellent guide.
Small group, plenty to see, good guide presentation, comfortable transportation, good integration of Biblical record
