• Attica - Journey through Attica to reach the renowned Corinth Canal. This land, with a 6,000-year history, is the birthplace of ideas and arts that have shaped Western civilization. Visiting Attica today offers a unique experience, allowing visitors to explore its rich history, including famous monuments and masterpieces from antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as 19th and 20th-century architectural heritage. Athens, the capital of Greece, is located here, bustling with life and home to the iconic archaeological site, the Acropolis.

Attica boasts some of the world’s most significant museums and archaeological sites, highlighting its pivotal role in world history. Visitors can enjoy festivals featuring ancient Greek drama, performances, sports, and culinary events. Next, head towards the Peloponnese!

• Piraeus - Pick-up is available from your accommodation in Athens or your cruise ship pier at Piraeus port. Enjoy a drive along the coastal road of the Saronic Gulf, taking in the sights of the Piraeus and Athens riviera.

The Port of Piraeus is Athens’ main seaport, situated on the Saronic Gulf along the western Aegean Sea coast. As Greece’s largest port and Europe’s biggest passenger port, it attracts cruise ships from around the globe, bringing tourists eager to explore this historic city. Its proximity to Athens, just 12 kilometers or 7 miles away, makes it easy to visit the Greek capital. The tour will proceed directly to the Acropolis to admire the Temple of Democracy!

• Peloponnese - The Peloponnese is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece, connected to the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth. The region is renowned for its unique grape varieties, which are a treasure of native Greek viticulture. The Peloponnese Wine Roads offer a journey into a modern, sometimes rare, and authentic wine world rich in history. The native grape varieties reflect the diversity and significance of Greek and Peloponnesian wines, including the exotic Moschofilero-Mantinia and the captivating Agiorgitiko-Nemea. Mavrodafni is known for its popular Greek dessert wine, and Muscat produces sweet and exquisite wines, among other rare varieties.
• Corinth Canal - The Corinth Canal is one of modern Greece’s most significant projects, playing a crucial role in Mediterranean trade. It was completed 25 centuries after its initial conception, serving as an inspiration for centuries. This man-made canal connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea, cutting through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and effectively separating the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, making the peninsula an island.

In 602 B.C., the tyrant of Corinth, Periander, sought to connect the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf to avoid the dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese and shorten the route. Although his plans remained unfulfilled, they were a testament to his vision.

• Ancient Corinth (Archaia Korinthos) - Ancient Corinth was first inhabited during the Neolithic period (6500-3250 B.C.). Located at the northern base of the Acrocorinth hill, its strategic position at the crossroads of land routes from the Balkan peninsula and mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, as well as waterways connecting the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, offered immense potential for communication, growth, and prosperity.

Known since the Mycenaean period, Corinth’s agricultural output fueled trade expansion, particularly towards the Western Mediterranean. In the 8th century BC, Corinthian colonies like Corfu in the Ionian Sea and Syracuse in Sicily played significant roles in ancient Mediterranean history.

• Temple of Apollo - The Temple of Apollo at Corinth is one of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. Built around 560 B.C.E. from local oolithic limestone atop a rocky hill north of Acrocorinth, the Archaic temple symbolized Corinth’s growth and prosperity. It was peripteral, surrounded by 42 monolithic limestone columns (6×15), each over 7 meters high. The central structure was divided into three parts: an antechamber with two columns in antis (pronaos), a central oblong room subdivided into two parts (cella), and a rear room with two columns in antis (opistodomos). During the Roman period, when Corinth was refounded, the Temple of Apollo was renovated to house the Emperor’s cult. In the Byzantine era, a basilica was built on the northeast part of Temple Hill, while in the Ottoman period, the eastern part of the Temple was demolished.
• Temple of Apollo - The Rostra (Bema) of the Roman Forum. Saint Paul, known as the Apostle of the Nations, traveled throughout the eastern Mediterranean to spread Christianity. He visited several Greek cities, including Samothrace, Philippi, Thessalonica, Veroia in Macedonia, Athens, and notably, Corinth. As a Roman imperial colony and capital of Achaea (Peloponnese and Central Greece), Corinth thrived during the Roman era. Saint Paul arrived in the mid-1st century A.D., staying with Jewish tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla. He preached the Gospel to the city’s Jews, facing opposition from some members of the large Jewish community. Consequently, he focused on converting the Gentiles, achieving great success.
• Peirene Fountain - The Glauke Fountain was carved on the western slope of the Temple of Apollo Hill during Roman times. Initially used in the Archaic period, local legends tell of Glauke, daughter of King Kreon, who was to marry Jason, the Argonaut hero. Medea, Jason’s former partner, sent Glauke a poisoned peplos that ignited upon wearing. In desperation, Glauke leapt into the fountain, which was named after her.
• Corinth - Within the Ancient Agora of Corinth, the Temple of Octavia stands as a well-preserved example of Roman architecture. Initially Doric with six columns on its façade and stone foundations, it was likely built on a three-stepped crepidoma. The shrine was enclosed by a wall to the west and stoas to the north and south.

By the late 1st century A.D., the early temple was replaced by a new marble one in the Corinthian order, with 6 x 12 columns on a high pedestal. It featured a long cella and a pronaos with two columns in antis, preceded by a staircase. The eastern architrave bore a Latin inscription with bronze letters. The temple was likely dedicated to the Triad of the Capitol or the imperial family, and according to Pausanias, it was a place of worship for Octavia, sister of Octavian Augustus.

• Peirene Fountain - According to myth, the monument is named after the nymph Peirini, with another myth linking it to Pegasus. Its use dates back to the Neolithic period, with the first spatial configuration from the geometric and archaic periods. By the 2nd century B.C., it included six chambers with access to three pumping basins. Its façade, constructed in the early Roman period, featured Doric semi-columns framing arched openings in front of the old chambers. Later, a rectangular yard to the north was surrounded by high walls. At the center, an open-air fountain was created at a lower level, supplied with water through large ducts beneath the courtyard floor. The three-niche courtyard building was constructed in the late 4th century A.D. During the Byzantine era, a small church was built at the southwest corner, which was gradually filled with earth and used as a burial ground.
• Ancient Corinth - The Roman Odeion (Odeum) of Ancient Corinth was built in the 1st century AD as part of the newly founded Roman Imperial colony. It could accommodate 3,000 spectators for musical and rhetorical contests. In the 2nd century AD, it was renovated, likely with a donation from the benefactor and philosopher Herodes Atticus, and in the 3rd century AD, it was converted into an arena. The monument was destroyed and abandoned in the 4th century AD.
• Piraeus - It’s time to return to Athens or Piraeus port. Drop-off will be at the same location as pick-up.
  Thank you for choosing us for your tour in Greece!

• Professional English speaking driver with historical and cultural expertise of Greece
• Guidance up to the entrance of archaeological sites and museums
• Optional licensed tour guide available for site and museum tours at extra cost
• Pickup and drop-off at Piraeus Port
• Air-conditioned transport tailored to group size
• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Athens

• Entrance fees to the archaeological sites and museum
• Gratuities
• Food and drinks
• English-speaking licensed tour guide (We can arrange for a tour guide for you with an extra cost)

Key Points

• A personalized tour of Corinth lasting 4 hours with an expert driver who speaks English
• Explore locations where St Paul delivered sermons in Southern Greece
• Visit the Ancient Corinth’s Agora
• Tour the Agora museum
• Ogle at the temple of Apollo
• Be captivated by the temple of Afrodite
• Explore The Bema
• Marvel at the renowned Corinth Canal

• The tour can be tailored as per the traveler’s preferences within the suggested places to visit!
• Dress code is formal
• At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
• Athens International Airport transfers can be arranged on request at an extra cost!
• Important note: You will have a professional English-speaking driver with good knowledge of the history and culture of Greece, to guide you till you enter archaeological sites and museums according to the program. Tour drivers are not licensed to companion you inside the archaeological sites and museums. If you’d like to have one, we can arrange it for you at an additional cost. Licensed by the state tour guides are freelance and it is subject to availability on bookings day!

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