How to Visit Ancient Corinth on a Day Trip from Athens

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The historic ruins of Ancient Corinth are one of the best and easiest day trips you can make from Athens.

We actually enjoyed this more than the Acropolis which is overcrowded with tourists.Corinth is a lesser known site with some amazing ruins and artefacts and it used to be one of the major cities of classical Greece.

For Christians, Corinth is particularly interesting because you can walk in the footsteps of the apostle Paul, who spent 18 months there as a missionary and famously wrote the letters of First and Second Corinthians.

This travel guide will explain how to get to Corinth on a day trip from Athens and what to expect when you visit.

Where is Corinth?

Corinth is located at the entrance to the Peloponnese peninsula, about 80 kilometers west of Athens.

However, the ruins of Ancient Corinth are outside the modern city of Corinth, so they are about 8 kilometers to the southwest.

How to get to Ancient Corinth?

• On tour

The fastest and easiest way to get to Corinth is by tour.

GetYourGuide has half-day tours by bus from Athens to Corinth, or they have full-day tours that include a visit to the picturesque town of Nafplio.

We have used GetYourGuide for many tours and activities around the world and they are great.Highly recommended.

Book now: Corinth Half Day Tour / Full Day Tour

• By car

If you rent a car in Athens (or elsewhere), you can drive yourself to Corinth. This is the most flexible way to visit the Corinth area.

The highway is in good condition and it takes about 1 hour to drive to Corinth city or the ruins if you start from Athens.

There are many companies that offer car rental in Greece, but we recommend DiscoverCars. We used them for our Santorini trip.

• By train

There is a direct train route from Athens to Corinth that departs every 2 hours at Larissa station (map here).

When we went to Corinth by train, tickets were easy to buy at the Athens station. The ride is comfortable and takes about 1 hour.

Once you get to the Corinth train station (map here), you’ll need to take a taxi to the ruins.

Taxis are easy to find at the train station and there are plenty of them near the ruins too for a return trip.It’s a 10 minute drive from the station to the ruins.

• By bus

KTEL operates an hourly bus from Athens to Corinth that departs from Kifissou Station (map here) and arrives at Isthmus Bus Station near the canal (map here).The journey takes about 1 hour.

You can check the bus schedule and buy tickets on the KTEL website here.The bus also goes to Corinth, but it’s no closer to the ruins than the Isthmus station, so it’s generally faster and better to get off at the Isthmus station.

Another advantage of doing this is that you can easily walk to the Corinth Canal if you wish, as it is only 100 meters from Isthmus Station.

As with the train, you need to hire a taxi, which will take you from the bus station to Ancient Corinth, which is a 15-minute drive.

What to see in Ancient Corinth?

• Temple of Apollo

The first thing to see in Corinth is the Temple of Apollo with its iconic Greek columns.It was built around B.C. 560, and although only a few of its columns are still standing, it is still impressive.

This spot is especially nice when it’s framed by Mount Acrocorinth in the background, and it looks a bit like being on the Acropolis in Athens, except without the crowds.

No offense to the Acropolis in Athens, but it can be extremely crowded and half of the Parthenon was covered in scaffolding when we visited. There were so many people we could barely walk.

In contrast, we never saw many people in Corinth and were able to enjoy the ruins in peace.

• Fountain of Peyrene

This ancient fountain served as a fresh water source for the city of Corinth dating back to 1000 BC. in the year 500.

Although it doesn’t compare to its former grandeur, you can still imagine how beautiful it must have looked when the marble rooms were filled with spring water.

• The court seat

This is an interesting place from Bible history.

In the Bible, the apostle Paul was brought before the Corinthian court and accused of teaching against Jewish law.

Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia, eventually dismissed it as beyond his jurisdiction (Acts 18:12-16).

This court seat (stage) is exactly where it happened and there is a sign that explains more information about it.

• Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth

After exploring the ruins of ancient Corinth, there is also a nice little museum located right at the archaeological site.

The museum has all kinds of great statues, mosaics, pottery, and other artifacts from the area, and while it’s not a huge museum, it’s absolutely worth a visit.

There are plenty of signs in English so you can understand what you’re looking at even if you don’t have a tour guide.

Opening hours and fees

• Summer hours (April 1 – October 31): 8:00 – 19:00, or 8:00 – 20:00 (from May 1, 2024)
• Winter hours (November 1 – March 31): 8:30 – 15:30, closed on Tuesdays
• Summer entrance fee. €8 for the full site or €4 for the museum only
• Winter entrance fee. €4 full site and museum

These are the current opening hours and entrance fees as of 2024, but you can check the official website for any changes.

How long to stay?

I would say you only need a few hours to explore the Corinthian ruins and museum.

In general, this means that you need at least half a day to visit the entire archaeological site, including the time on the way there and back from Athens.

If you want to see more things in the Corinth area, such as the Acrocorinth and the canal, you can make it a full day tour. See some more suggestions below.

Other things to do in Corinth

If you want to see some other things in Corinth while you visit the ruins, here are some ideas near the city:

• Acrocorinthos. It’s a large castle on a hill overlooking Ancient Corinth with amazing views of the sea on either side. It’s only a 5 minute drive from Ancient Corinth, but it will take you 1 or 2 hours to do it justice. The terrain around the castle is quite hilly and a bit of an effort to navigate is required, so you’ll want to bring a hat and water.
• Paralia Calamia. The main beach of modern Corinth. It’s a nice pebble beach with lots of chairs, umbrellas and sunbeds.It’s 3 kilometers from the train station, so you can walk to it in about 30 minutes.
• Corinth Canal. This is a deep canal that was dug in the 19th century so that ships could bypass the Peloponnese. It is 8 kilometers east of Corinth, but you will pass there on your way if you are coming from Athens.
• Port of Cenkria. This is another ruin with biblical significance. Cenchrea was the eastern port of Corinth and was used by the apostle Paul, who shaved his head here to fulfill his vow (Acts 18:18).There is not much to see here today, but it is a peaceful and interesting place.
• Moni Agias Triadas. A picturesque monastery 8 kilometers south of Corinth.
• Paralia Loutra Oreas Elenis. This is another beautiful beach 15 kilometers southeast of Corinth. We went here and ate seafood on the beach.

More travel guides for Greece

Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed this guide to visiting Ancient Corinth on a day trip from Athens.

Don’t forget to check out my other travel guides for Greece, including the Greek islands of Santorini, Zakynthos and Kefalonia.