Peloponnese places · Corinth Canal
A narrow blue channel cut through solid rock, with walls nearly a hundred metres high and bridges overhead. The best-known stop on the road to the Peloponnese, and worth more than a photo.
The short answer
The Corinth Canal cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, the strip of land that joins the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece. It is about 6.3 kilometres long, around 25 metres wide and was opened in 1893.
Before it, ships had to sail around the whole of the Peloponnese, a detour of roughly 700 kilometres. Now they pass through in minutes, between sheer limestone walls.
Almost everyone driving from Athens to the Peloponnese crosses it. We always tell guests to stop for ten minutes on the way.
Written by the Sampatiki Suites team. Updated September 2026.
Best for
A quick, dramatic stop
Time needed
15 minutes to an hour
Length
About 6.3 km
Opened
25 July 1893
What to see
The view
Fixed road, rail and motorway bridges cross high above the water. Stand on one of the pedestrian crossings and look straight down the channel.
The walls
The canal is cut through rock walls that rise around 90 metres, which is why the water looks so narrow and so blue from above.
The ships
Small ships and tourist vessels still use it, usually in a one-way convoy. If you are lucky you will see one passing below you.
The end points
At each end, low bridges sink beneath the water to let ships through, a clever piece of engineering from the 1980s.
Our tip
The best views are from the old crossing bridge. Park nearby and walk out slowly.
A little history
The idea of cutting through the isthmus goes back to the tyrant Periander in the seventh century BC, who instead built a stone trackway on which ships were dragged across the land. The Roman emperor Nero actually began digging in AD 67, but the work stopped.
The modern canal was started in 1881 and finished in 1893. The workers cut through solid rock by hand and with explosives, and it was a famous feat of engineering for its time.
Make it a stop
The canal is a natural first stop on a road trip from Athens: it is only an hour or so out of the capital, and you can pair it with the ruins of Ancient Corinth and then carry on to Nafplio.
From there you can follow the coast road to the east coast and Leonidio, with Mycenae and Epidaurus on the way.
From us at Sampatiki
Driving down from Athens? The canal is the perfect first stop. Our reception can suggest a route and a lunch stop, and we are a few hours further along the coast.
Keep exploring
Questions
How long is the Corinth Canal?
About 6.3 kilometres, with a width of around 25 metres and a depth of about 8 metres.
When was the Corinth Canal opened?
On 25 July 1893, after construction that began in 1881.
Why was the canal built?
To save ships the 700-kilometre trip around the Peloponnese by connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf.
Can you see ships in the canal?
Sometimes. Small ships and tourist boats still use it, usually in one-way convoys.
How long do you need to stop at the canal?
A quick stop for photographs takes 15 minutes. Allow an hour if you want to walk the bridges and have a coffee.
Is the canal on the way to the east coast?
Yes. It is the gateway to the Peloponnese on the road from Athens, and a good first stop on the way to Nafplio and Leonidio.
Stay with us
Eleven sea-view suites, a spa and a breakfast built around local produce, a few minutes from Leonidio.
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