Corinth Canal

Cycle coastal road from Athens to Corinth.When the Corinth Canal was cut in 1893 it turned the Peloponnese peninsula into an island.  The little strip of land 6.4 kilometer, 4 miles long was what attached the peninsula to the west Attica mainland.  Since antiquity Greeks dreamed of a water passage at the isthmus but had to settle for portage by towing ships 70 feet, 21 meters on a stone carriage way from one side to the other.  At the south end of the canal you can still see the remnants of the diolkos next to the modern canal.  By the way, for the extremists there’s bungee jumping off the Corinth Canal bridge.

Ancient Corinth is only a couple of miles from the Corinth Canal. Corinth was a wealthy city in ancient days because of its strategic location to control the only land access to the Peloponnese.  Evidence of the prosperity can be seen in the fine art filling the archaeology site’s museum.  Only 3-4 kilometers from Ancient Corinth is the Akrocorinth Fortress, a medieval citadel from whose summit you will find spectacular views of the two gulfs.   Be sure to fill up your water bottles at the Ottoman era fountain with Arabic writing.

The tour has few hills.  It is mostly flat.  You have a choice of mileage, from over 100 km, 62 miles if you do the entire route include crossing Salamina island, or 60 km, 37 miles if you cycle only from Nea Perama to ancient Corinth.   There are multiple mileage options in this tour.  The route hugs the old coastal national highway with stunning views of the sea on your left.