Great things to do in Corinth Greece

If you are ever get the chance to go to Athens Greece, you will need to make some time to go to Corinth if you can. It is a city rich with history and archaeology, wonderful shops and restaurants and museums. You literally will feel like you are on an archaeological dig sometimes! You can see where many of the people from ancient times walked, talked lived and shopped. I was so impressed with this place and only wish there was more time to visit and take in all the cites. If you are in Athens, you can take one of several buses to Corinth which takes just about 90 minutes for the trip. I would highly recommend it.

Many are familiar with the Mycenaean kingdoms written about in Homer's Iliad and for so long it was thought that it was purely legendary or myth alone.  With archaeological discoveries like Corinth, by German archaeologist Heinrich Schleimann we can now see that there really are places like this, where there was a lot of history.  This is off of the Argive Peninsula.  These sites, not that far from Athens now compete as some of the most important sites in Greece.  Much in this particular area hasn't changed since the armies assembled and marched there, since people lived and shopped in markets and had public hearings with people even from the Bible (Paul the Apostle, St. Paul for example).  So its beautiful and rich in history.

The Corinth Canal is a must see on your way to Corinth.  If you are taking a bus there, its likely they will stop for there are places to get gas, shop and eat as well.  The Isthmus that connects mainland Greece to the Peloponnese Peninsula had frustrate sailors for thousands of years.  They were forced to make long and difficult (often dangerous) journeys around the peninsula. 

Many historic figures, from Alexander the Great to Roman Emperors such as Nero and Caligula tried their best to help with this problem.  Trade and transportation and so many things depended on opening this up.  Trying to dig out a canal proved too difficult as the made it near impossible.  Finally, in 1893 some French engineers figured out ways to blast through the rock with dynamite. 

So what we see now is the result of that, a fairly narrow looking passage through sheer rock drop offs, and boats are able to make the 4 mile journey through to the other side.  The water is an incredible color blue, and you can see a clear view up and down the canal by going on to of a bridge and looking straight down into it.  If you are unable to stop and visit the sites there, make sure to at least look out the window, for its a narrow canal and you might miss it. 

As you can imagine because of its location, Corinth was a rich and powerful trading center in Greece. It is between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece so it was well known from Mycenaean times and ever since. Perhaps you have heard of the Apostle Paul and his letters to the Corinthians where he addressed the people of Corinth. Due to the nature of this area, there was a lot of material wealth and wild living going on and later came a somewhat bad reputation. From Polygamy to orgiastic cults and more, you can see why Paul wanted to address them as there was some concern for them in those regards.

Today, the remains of all the ancient glories and stories including the temple of Apollo, the Roman Agora, and Odeon make it an especially interesting place to visit. The museums alone will impress you, as they are filled with ancient art, sculptures, statues, manuscript copies, and things people used every day, from plates and bowls to cups vases and much more.

You can visit the areas where there are still some remains of the ancient market place where people would walk and shop. There was an ancient bath house as well, that was water sourced from a natural spring that came down from the mountain behind where Acro Corinth was located. If I could ever go back, I would sure love to and take more time to see all that I wasn't able to see. You can see the remains of the Temple of Apollo in the top picture of this hub.

Acrocorinth is a huge towering rock along the backdrop of Corinth. We were able to eat a wonderful lunch outside, on the top back covered patio, that overlooked ancient Corinth, and had the view of Acrocorinth in the distance. We were going there soon after.

Acrocorinth is/was a natural fortification in ancient Greece. The history at this one site alone, is incredibly astounding and worth learning more about. You will find different architecture on the very top from the different people that conquered the area during history. Its has structures, dwellings, a gate area where they used to find ways to trap and kill enemies from before they could enter into the massive mini city that is acrocorinth. There is a natural water source, which when you visit you can see why it would be absolutely critical to have in order to survive up in the oft dry environment. This natural spring goes on down into the city below, in Corinth where if you listen very carefully you can hear the trickling of the water still coming from the bath house.

There was another spot at the bottom where there was a "spicket" of water coming out that was for public use, and the water coming down from acrocorinth is very good, straight from the earth as it were.

What I found most interesting were the stories of battles and seeing the differing architecture that is still observable to the eye. For instance, there was Turkish occupation and you can see old Turkish style and ruins  built on top of older ruins.  Its a wonderful place to visit, and the view alone is worth the walk and hike. Even if you don't go all the way to the top, your view of the surrounding land and water will amaze you. There is a little shop, if not more where you can get food and use a restroom, and there is parking near the entrance. A truly incredible place worth visiting, one of my very favorite for sure, next to the acropolis in Greece.  I have always been fascinated with archaeology but only now do I realize how critical it is to unearthing the truth about history and what really happened.  To literally see how much of the city is literally buried beneath the current city is astounding.  So much to learn and see and to uncover.