This full day
Piraeus shore trip enjoys a visit to Ancient Corinth, a photo stop at the Corinth Canal and also a tour of the top sites in Athens include the Acropolis, the Olympic Stadium and the Parliament Building on Constitution Square.
After meeting your licensed guide you start the drive to Corinth. You enjoy a photo stop at the incredible Corinth Canal. The concept of cutting a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth to link the Ionian and Aegean seas was first proposed by the tyrant Periander, founder of Ancient Corinth. The magnitude of the task defeated him, so he opted instead to built a paved slipway across which sailors dragged small ships on rollers, a method used until the 13th century. Nero, Rome's most infamous emperor, inaugurated an attempt in 67 AD with his golden spade, but it was finally completed in 1893. You can walk across a bridge over the canal now used for smaller commercial ships and private yachts alike.
Next is a short drive to the once rich and powerful city of Ancient Corinth. The city was blessed with a superb location and fertile plains making it virtually an impregnable refuge. Excavations reveal that the ancient city was huge and wealthy. It survived numerous invasions but was ultimately brought down by earthquakes. St. Paul lived and worked in Corinth for 18 months, making converts where he could and leaving for posterity the Bible's Letters to the Corinthians. The Bema (platform) where the Roman governor tried him is still visible.
Your licensed guide is with you throughout the journey to provide explanations. You'll see one of Corinth's most striking ancient buildings, the Temple of Apollo, seven of whose original columns are still standing. You'll walk through the remains of the Market Place, a colonnaded square once surrounded by many small shops, and see the celebrated Fountain of Priene, which has produced water since the earliest times, and the Lechaion Road, formerly the main thoroughfare to the port of Lechaion.
After your visit at Corinth you drive to Athens where your first stop is the oldest part of the city, the Plaka. This lively district is filled with shops and typical Greek taverns and restaurants. You will have time to enjoy lunch (meal not included).
After lunch you will embark on a walking tour of the famous Acropolis, which means the high city, for a visit to the foremost symbol of the glory of ancient Greece. Climb the smooth marble steps on the Sacred Way as visitors have for centuries. History's doors open before you as you reach the Propylaea, a masterpiece of classical architecture, serving as the entrance to the complex of buildings. You'll see the Temple of Athena Nike (Wingless Victory), and the Erectheum, with its classical Porch of Maidens (Caryatids). Stand in awe of what is considered the most perfect example of classical architecture in the world, the Parthenon, designed as a shrine to Athena and at one time housing a massive gold and ivory statue of the warrior goddess.
Looking down from the Acropolis you'll see the two ancient theaters in its shadow, the Greek theater of Dionyssos where the masterpieces of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes debuted to delighted audiences, and the theater of Herod Atticus, a grand Roman theater restored and used today for concerts and classical plays during the summer Athens Festival.
Finally you enjoy a driving tour of Athens where you see the top sights including the Olympic Stadium, birthplace of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 that returned in 2004. You'll see the Parliament Building with its traditionally dressed Evzones soldiers guarding the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Constitution Square, Hadrian's Arch and much more.
Mobility: Folding wheelchair OK, Acropolis is not accessible (advance notice required)
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