The Corinth Canal is an engineering marvel. A project that spanned many centuries, it was conceived by a ruler of Ancient Corinth, begun by Roman emperor Nero and completed in the 19th century by the French. Cut through solid rock, the canal is more than 6km long and 23m wide, its vertical sides rising 90m above the water. The canal did much to elevate Piraeus’ status as a major Mediterranean port and is particularly impressive when a ship is passing through.
The concept of cutting a canal through the Corinth Isthmus to link the Ionian and Aegean Seas was first proposed by Periander, tyrant of Ancient Corinth at the end of the 7th century BC. The magnitude of the task defeated him, so he opted instead to build a diolkos (paved slipway), across which sailors dragged small ships on rollers, a method used until the 13th century.
In the intervening years many leaders, including Alexander the Great and Caligula, toyed with the canal idea, but it was Nero who struck the first blow himself, using a golden pickaxe in AD 67 before leaving it to 6000 Jewish slaves to do the hard work. The project was soon halted by invasions by the Gauls. Ironically, it was a French engineering company that finally completed the canal in 1893.
If you're feeling adventurous, Zulu Bungy Jump offers the chance to see the canal walls from a unique angle.
If you have your own transport, head to nearby Isthmia to the submersible bridge, one of two bridges crossing the canal. The nearby banks are great vantage points if you’re lucky enough to be there when a ship passes over the submerged bridge.
All buses from Athens pass over the bridge and stop at the Corinth Isthmus KTEL bus station , 200m from the canal.
