Corinth Canal

Nero began digging here in AD 67 with six thousand labourers and a golden pickaxe, and abandoned the attempt within months; the modern canal was finally cut between 1881 and 1893, separating the Peloponnese from mainland Greece. It runs 6.4 kilometres, is only about 21 metres wide at water level and up to 90 metres deep at the rock face, which is why it takes vessels no larger than small cruise ships and cargo boats, towed through by tug. Standing on the road bridge at Isthmia the effect is startling: a knife-cut through pale rock with a ribbon of green water far below. Two submersible bridges at either end sink beneath the water to let ships pass. Landslides have closed the canal for long repair periods in recent years, so traffic can be sparse.

History

The tyrant Periander proposed a canal in the 7th century BC but built the Diolkos, a paved road for hauling ships across the isthmus, instead; Demetrius Poliorcetes later dropped a plan when his surveyors feared floods, and Plutarch and Suetonius say Julius Caesar considered it before his murder. Nero began digging in 67 AD with 6,000 Judean prisoners of war, cutting trenches 40 to 50 metres wide from both sides, but the work stopped soon after his death, and the modern canal was completed in 1893, separating the Peloponnese from the mainland (Wikipedia, Corinth Canal).

What you'll find

• The main road bridge - the classic view down the length of the cut.
• The submersible bridges - road decks that sink under the water for shipping.
• The rock walls - near-vertical sides rising up to ninety metres.
• Ships under tow - vessels being pulled through the narrow channel.

When to go

Any time; morning light reaches down into the cut better than afternoon. Shipping is irregular, so seeing a vessel pass is luck rather than schedule.

Good to know

It is a viewpoint from a road bridge with traffic behind you, seen in twenty minutes. Bungee jumping and a small cafe make up the facilities. If no ship is passing, the canal is simply a very impressive ditch.

Nearby

Ancient Corinth and Acrocorinth lie a short drive west; Athens is an hour east.

Key facts