Our Full-Day Athens- Ancient Corinth sightseeing tour starts with our door-to-door service, from Athens City Centre, your Hotel, Athens Airport, Port of Piraeus, Ferry Boat or Cruise Ship. Wherever is the most convenient for you. Our private tour begins, by visiting the “sacred rock” of the
Acropolis.
The monuments of the Acropolis are unique masterpieces of ancient architecture and show the wealth and strength of ancient Athens in the 5th century B.C., the golden age of Pericles. On the Acropolis hill you will see the
Parthenon, a temple that was dedicated to the goddess Athena. On the north side of the rock of the Acropolis is the
Erechtheion with the world famous statues of
Caryatids, on the west side you will see the
Propylaea (the pre-gates) of the Acropolis which were built from the plans of Mnesikles, while to the southwest is the temple of
Athena Apterus Nike (Wingless Victory). On the slopes of the Acropolis you will see the
Odeum of Herodus Atticus and the ruins of the first theatre in the whole world, the
Theatre of Dionysus. Walking down from the Acropolis on your way to your private-hire minibus, you will see the
Areopagus (Mars Hill) the most ancient court of law, where it is recorded that St. Paul gave his historical speeches.
We will continue our private tour by visiting the
Temple of Olympian Zeus (visit), the largest ancient temple in Greece, in the Corinthian order. The area where the temple is situated is surrounded by a wall separating the old (ancient Greek) and the new (Roman) City of Athens. As a part of the separating wall,
Hadrian’s Arch, built by the Athenians in honour of the Emperor Hadrian, was the entrance to the city. The 18 metre (59ft) gate is made of marble and decorated in the Corinthian style.
We will continue on our City Tour with our private minibus to the
Panathenaic Stadium also known as
Kallimarmaro Stadium, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 (short visit). The Panathenaic Stadium, is the only major stadium built entirely of white marble (hence its name Kallimarmaro, meaning beautiful marble), and it is one of the oldest stadiums in the world.
Continuing our full-day Athens- Ancient Corinth private tour we will stop at
Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) to watch the
Changing of the Presidential Guards, which takes place in front of the
Houses of Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There we will make a short stop so as to watch the
Changing of the Presidential guards. After taking photographs of the Evzones (Presidential Guards), we will drive down University Street, one of the main avenues of Athens, to see the so called
Athenian Trilogy, the
Academy, the
University and the
Library buildings.
The
Prime Minister’s Residence (Maximou Mansion), the former
Royal Palace, known today as the
Presidential Palace, will be seen on our way to
Lycabettus Hill, the highest point of Athens. There you will have the opportunity to take your pictures with the Acropolis as a background. Driving with our private-hire minibus to Ancient Corinth, we take the motorway out of Athens with its lovely sea views along its coastal route giving you the opportunity to see where the great naval battle of Salamina took place in 480 B.C.
After a pleasant one and a half hour drive, we will make a short stop at the famous 6 km long
Corinth Canal connecting the Aegean and Ionian Sea. You will have the opportunity to take some stunning pictures and perhaps try a Greek coffee or an ice-cream.
Continuing on, ten minutes later we reach the small village of ancient Corinth, where the archaeological site is situated. Ancient Corinth itself was a very busy trading city, which led to its cosmopolitan character. It was known as “Wealthy Corinth”, and the reason for its wealth, was its location. Corinth was able to control the only land access to the Peloponnese and so dominated trade in both the Saronic Gulf (to the east) and the Gulf of Corinth (to the west). There we will visit the
Temple of Apollo a unique monolithic construction built in 585 B.C., the
Agora of Anc.Corinth, the
Archaeological Museum, and the
Bema of
Apostle Paul, who visited the city between 51 and 52 A.D.
After visiting the site you will have the opportunity to try Greek cuisine in a local taverna which has a balcony with views of the ancient agora (market) of Corinth.
After lunch our final stop on our private tour will be
Acrocorinth, the Acropolis of Corinth, an imposing fortress (castle), which was built by the site of the
Ancient Temple of Aphrodite. The duration of the Athens full-day with Corinth private tour is 8h – 8,5h. Lunch and admission fees to monuments and sites
are not included in the price of your private tour. Your tour is flexible, giving you the opportunity to change your itinerary according to your personal wishes. Just discuss any changes you would like with your chauffeur-driver.
