Corinth Canal
Corinth Canal
4.5
Bodies of Water • Points of Interest & Landmarks
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12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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  • Alex J
    Melbourne, Australia2,208 contributions
    What a sight !!!!!
    We were a large group (a 50th class reunion, 25 couples) and we were doing a bus tour around Greece. After a couple of days in Athens, we drove to Nafplion on the Peloponnese. We crossed over the Corinth Canal, to enter the Peloponnese. We stopped here for about an hour. I wish we had more time! What a magnificent sight! A triumph of modern engineering! The steep sides are one of the most photogenic structures I have ever seen! We stood on the bridge, took many many photos and video clips. If you go, you must try and get a video of a big ship passing through the canal. We were unlucky, no really large ship passed, but quite a few small ones. Most of our group had never heard about this thing. I had heard about it, and seen pictures, but it did not prepare me for the actual sight! And it was quite a sight! Something that was conceived over 2500 years ago, but realised only in the 19th century, by the independent Greek state. The canal is cut through rock, and is just 6km long, but what is amazing is the near vertical sides, rising 300 feet from the water. We saw the canal en route to the Peloponnese, but it is also worth a day trip from Athens, entirely on its own. Just hire a taxi and come. You do not need a guide just to see the canal! If you do come this far from Athens, you might spend an hour or two in the historic city of Corinth, which is nearby. And yes, St. Paul wrote his letters to the inhabitants of this city (letters to the Corinthians) two thousand years ago. If you go to see the canal, do not miss the monument to the Hungarian engineers who played a part in its construction. This monument is on the mainland, just near the terminus of the bridge.
    Visited April 2019
    Written March 21, 2020
  • Spiderdog
    Cheshire, United Kingdom6,965 contributions
    Corinth Canal Crossing
    Everyone must have heard of the Corinth Canal so it's something not to be missed when touring the area. We visited mid September and there had been torrential rain earlier in the day. Must have cleaned everywhere up as it certainly wasn't the dirty sight that has been described in previous reviews. It is very impressive and I would really have liked to have seen a ship sailing through it. The guidebook we were using commented that many modern cargo ships are now too large to access the canal so I presume that the details at the site regarding numbers of crossing per annum are probably out of date now. We walked across the bridge to take pictures from both sides of the road and then stopped for drinks at one of the restaurants nearby. We also returned here for a quick stop later on our holiday as our son had joined us and wanted to see it. You should visit if in the area.
    Visited September 2020
    Written October 4, 2020
  • Gene R J
    Silver Spring, Maryland8,929 contributions
    Easily accessed viewpoint of a historical site.
    We stopped here at the 19th C bridge for the classic view(we had photographed in 1989 while traveling with our daughter) of the 300’ deep and 4 mile long canal, joining many visitors running to snap a quick photo. I found a dirt lane 500 m farther that accessed a disused railroad bridge and walked along the canal to view a huge landslide (Nazi’s bombed on their retreat) that may have closed this canal in the past. I read there is an effort to open this canal to single lane boats and even swimmers this year?
    Visited April 2022
    Written April 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Veronika T
Athens, Greece144 contributions
Sep 2020
It is so disappointing to see this spectacular place to be in such a terrible shape. I don't even know where to start. With the bridges that are ready to collapse? With the surrounding with no WC or place to sit? With all that trash flying around? With those crazy drivers passing the Old bridge? It makes me so sad when the locals do not appreciate beauty of this place. Zulu bungy as well as the small souvenir store were closed. Only the Info center was open. There was a nice lady, that gave us a map but that was about it. Nothing else to offer. Not even a restroom. Parking is pretty wild, full of big stray dogs. The whole area was totally neglected. We went to see the other bridge as well. Sinking Bridge of Posidonia wasn't any better. So disappointing. The amount of trash in the area is insane!!! I am wondering who lives in there. This canal is so spectacular and unique, with great history, pain and effort that so many suffered for. It is sad and great shame it's been so neglected.
Written September 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catherine D
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
I was really shocked to see such an important historical site without any planning protection; the approach; the sites around (awful precincts, cheap stalls, etc) it are in a shambolic state! How terrible. If UNESCO are (quite rightly) challenging the status of monumental historical sites such as Stonhenge ( because authorities do not protect them or their hinterland), then the custodians of this canal need to afford it the dignity it deserves. Hadrian must be turning in his grave. Not worth three hour round trip.
Written July 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia17,413 contributions
Jul 2021
For any traveler to Peloponnese (or from it) I'd say stopping at the Corinth canal is a must.
It is the only bigger canal in the world you can visit so easily and free, without prearrangements, organized tours and entrance fees. You can park literally by the canal and what's best walk over it - just make sure you drive towards the OLD bridge, NOT the NEW bridge where's the highway.
The history of the canal dates back to ancient Greece with first ideas of making it as early as 7c BC. Romans first tried to actually make it, but failed, as well the Venetians later. French started to dig it seriously in 1881 but soon ran out of funds. Finally, the canal was finished as a joint Greek-Hungarian project in 1893.
The canal is 6,5 km long significantly shortening the voyage around Peloponnese between Ionic and Aegean sea , around 24 m wide and 90 m high.
That 90 m height, almost vertical, attracts visitors as the scene is so dramatic and perfect for pics with cut vertical limestone.
Unfortunately, due to only 24 m width its importance is declining as it cannot accommodate modern freighters and cruisers.
However, it's a perfect monument to 19c human engineering worth an hour stop.
Moreover, there're several bar/restaurants around to relax or have a lunch.
Written September 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

alikarim
Dallas, TX1,253 contributions
May 2021
Good stopping point to check out a marvelous engineering feat that took many years to complete; good to read up about the history of this canal. We parked on one side of the bridge that goes over the canal and admired the deep trench from there; parking was free. This is not a destination place, but worth visiting on your way to/from the Peleponese peninsula.
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KarenM1_10
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan924 contributions
Aug 2022
We booked a tour from our ship to cruise through the Corinth Canal. We started at the bridge above the canal and were able to see various boats passing through. We then boarded the bus and headed to the dock where we boarded a boat to travel through the canal. Since the canal is so narrow, you get a good view of the rock walls, which you really cannot see from above. Boats typically exit the canal, however being on the last boat traversing the canal allowed us to turn around and immediately begin our return trip. We also experienced one boat that was stalled near the entrance, so we had a significant delay until the boat was moved out of the way. This delay impacted the time we had to also see the city center, which was a shame because the city is very nice with lots of shops and restaurants.
Written November 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Thomas Liam
Montreal, Canada302 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
When you hear "Corinth Canal" for the first time without any prior knowledge, you tend to think "what's the big deal?" After all, what could be so interesting about a waterway. We've all seen them before.

But what's impressive about this is hard to describe. I think when you realize something this massive and high was manmade, it takes you by surprise. When you realize the utter strangeness of a canal this narrow and that most ships are too big to even pass through it. When you see the turquoise waters, accented by the light brown stone walls, there's beauty in that. And finally, the cherry on top, that people bungy jump from the bridge to the waters below. Witnessing this, from one of the observation decks was both exhilarating and unexpected.

You don't need to spend a lot of time here (I mean, unless you plan on bungy jumping) but it is for sure worth a stop. Witness a fascinating piece of Greek history that separates the Peloponnese from the rest of mainland Greece.
Written July 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonofromcas
Castleford, UK1,372 contributions
Sep 2021 • Friends
As detailed, blink and you miss it as we did travelling to our holiday. However, later in the holiday we ventured back up and purposely stopped for a look. We stopped first at the Athens end with a small road bridge that allowed only traffic in one direction at a time and then drove to the main highway bridge. A brave/stupid person did a bungy jump whilst we were there.

Lots of people will have seen the advert showing a cruise ship on the canal and we went to find that arched bridge which is behind a water processing plant and the bridge itself carries a very large water pipe over the canal. At various points around the area of this bridge, there are many concrete gun emplacements, no doubt from WW2.

Knowing where it was, we didn’t miss the canal when we drove back towards Athens at the end of the holiday.
Written October 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JaneEG1
Dover, UK73 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
We looked at the website and found little information. Trips leave from Isthmia. You should wait for the boat past the cafe and towards the end of the quay. It is best to email the company because times vary. The boat arrived punctually. If you don’t book on line you need to pay with cash. We were one of two couples who got on the boat. In these Covid times seats were well marked out as to where you should sit. Unfortunately for us a coach trip arrived with a bus full of delinquent pensioners. They pushed and shoved their way to the front of the boat without little regard for anyone else and there tour organiser took no notice. That apart the tour was amazing. It cost us 20 Eu and was really worth it.
Written September 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wood77
Los Angeles, CA1,870 contributions
Feb 2020
We were very fortunate to have an opportunity to enjoy this site on 2/26/2020 before Covid-19 virus contagion exploded worldwide and tourism got shut down. Humans dug the Corinth Canal to improve commerce by linking Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea. This was dreamed up & digging began in ancient time but was only completed in 19th century. Location is around 1 hour from Athens. It was a stop to appreciate human labor. Marveling at it for a short time was enough unless you want to jump. Bungy jumping off the bridge is available though it was closed on the day of our visit.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Boeing747-8I
Freeport, NY144 contributions
Jul 2022
Our cruise by small ship from Venice to Athens included a transit of the Corinth Canal. With only 5 feet of clearance on either side of our ship, it was a tight squeeze. It is a remarkable experience that I cannot recommend enough.

Note: the canal can close at short notice for any number of reasons!
Written July 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Corinth Canal (Isthmia) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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