Corinth Canal

About this place

The Corinth Canal links the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean, cutting through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separating the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. It lies about 65 km west of Athens in a straight line. The canal was completed in 1893. Dug at sea level with no locks, it is 6.4 km long and 24.6 metres wide at the waterline, too narrow for many modern ships. The idea goes back to Periander of Corinth in the 7th century BC, who built a land track for hauling ships instead. Emperor Nero began digging in 67 AD, but work stopped after his death until it resumed in 1881. It is of little economic importance today and is mainly a tourist attraction. The canal's yellow rock walls drop almost vertically to a narrow strip of blue water far below, crossed by several bridges. From the old bridge the cut looks perfectly straight to the horizon, and now and then yachts and small boats pass through, towed by tugs. Most travellers between Athens and the Peloponnese stop on the bridge, which has a footway, to look down at the canal. Boat trips run through it, and it is sometimes used for bungee jumping.