Located just an hour’s drive west of Athens, Corinth used to be one of the wealthiest and largest states in Greece. The earliest recorded mention of the city of Corinth comes from the year 800 BC when Corinth started to develop as the commercial and cultural hub of the region. Corinth has two major ports; one on the Corinthian Gulf and the other on the Saronic Gulf and serves as a gateway to the Peloponnese Peninsula.
The city also plays host to some of the most fascinating tourist attractions including the temple of Apollo, the hill of Acrocorinth, ancient Corinth, and the Corinth archeological museum. If you are planning a tour to Corinth for your vacation, here is a list of places that you need to put on your itinerary.
THINGЅ TО DO АND PLACES TО VISIT IN CORINTH
Corinth Canal:
The Corinth Canal is a man-made canal that was created to link the Ionian and Aegean Seas back in the day. The construction started in 1882 and finished in 1893 taking a period of 11 years from beginning to end. The idea was conceived by the tyrant Periander and was actualized after modern Greece gained independence.
The canal is eight meters deep and around 6.3 km long but what’s fascinating about this canal is that it was made from scratch and involved an 80 m deep excavation that carved a rocky mountain of isthmus without the help of modern-day machinery to make way for the water.
Even after construction was completed it failed to attract the amount of traffic that was expected owing to the narrow nature of the canal which made it tough to navigate through. Another problem was the strong tidal currents caused by the extremely high walls that channel wind along the canal’s length.
Because the canal is difficult to navigate for large vessels, now a day it is mostly used by smaller recreational or tourist boats. You can enjoy the view of the lack from the bridge but the best thing to do is to go out on the lack on one of the recreational boats and take in the enchanting beauty of this man-made wonder.
Ancient Corinth:
The Ancient city of Corinth is one of the most important archeological sites in Greek history. Archeological evidence shows that this city dates back to 3000 BC or even earlier and has had many rulers over its long and fascinating history. The city was under the rule of the Bacchiad family before Cypselus and his sons took over as tyrants for almost a century. In 146 BC the Roman army invaded and captured and destroyed the city which was rebuilt in 44 BC and became a Roman colony.
Nowadays tourists come here to visit the archeological museum of ancient Corinth which was constructed in 1931-1932 and displays the numerous recent archaeological excavations. It shows exhibits dating back to the early history of Corinth, some of which are more than a thousand years old. If you want to make the most of your trip to this fascinating ancient city you should book a day tour rather than driving up there on your own which will give you the chance of exploring the city in much more detail
Acrocorinth:
Located around 4 km away from the ancient city of Corinth, Acrocorinth is an ancient fortified hilltop that rises 575 m high. This wall has seen many empires and kingdoms come and go. Its construction started in the Byzantine period and continued through the Frankish, Turkish, and Venetian periods.
The highest point of the hill houses the temple of Aphrodite, which also served as a mosque during the Ottoman period in the 16th century. The Acrocorinth fortress played a great role in the defense of southern Greece on different occasions because of its command of the Isthmus of Corinth and repelled the enemy from entering by land into the Peloponnese peninsula.
The Acrocorinth continuously stayed under occupation from archaic times to the start of the 19th century. During the Hellenistic period, Acrocorinth in combination with Demetrias and Chalcis formed three fortresses garrisoned by the Macedonians that secured their control of the Greek city-states.
You can reach this 20 km long wall by road or you can opt to hike to the hilltop if you feeling adventurous.
Loutraki:
Located around 81 kilometers west of Athens and 8 kilometers northeast of Corinth, Loutraki is a popular seaside resort known for its natural springs and spas. A small town called Thermae existed on this site before an influx of settlers came in from surrounding areas in the mid-1800s as the world started to realize the therapeutic benefits of bathing in the natural thermal spas which created modern Loutraki.
The name Loutraki comes has greek origins and means bath or bath-house. It was derived from the word ‘loutro‘ which also happened to be the old name of the place. Loutraki is a great place to spend a day especially at the end of your Corinth tour. It is a great place to relax and unwind by soaking in the natural thermal springs. The town also has many top-of-the-range luxury hotels that make full use of the beach views and provide you with everything that you could possibly expect from a modern-day luxury hotel.