Corinth, a sheer-sided canal and the city that controlled the two seas.

Corinth is the first stop on the Peloponnese when you leave Athens, and almost everyone drives past it on the way to Mycenae or Nafplio. It deserves a day of its own. Within 20 kilometres you have the Corinth Canal, a 6 km cut through rock with 80-metre walls; Ancient Corinth, the city that grew rich charging for passage between the two seas, with its Temple of Apollo from 560 BC; and Acrocorinth, a three-ringed fortress 575 metres above the two gulfs. To the north of the isthmus, Loutraki adds thermal baths, a beach and a coast to paddle along to the sanctuary of Hera.

How do you get there from Athens?

By car, one hour. It is about 80 km along the A8 motorway, the Corinth and Patras one, with tolls at Elefsina and at the Isthmus. To see the canal, exit at the Isthmus and look for the pedestrian bridge next to the old road: there is parking, cafés and the Tourist Information Centre. For Ancient Corinth, exit at Corinth and follow the signs for Archaia Korinthos, 7 km from the modern city. From the airport, via the Attiki Odos, it is about 110 km, an hour and a quarter.

By train, the Hellenic Train Proastiakos suburban line goes from the airport and from central Athens to Corinth in about an hour, on the Kiato line. The station is on the outskirts of the new town: for Ancient Corinth and for the canal you need a taxi. Without a car it can be done, but the day gets half as much done.

From Spain, you fly to Athens with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Corinth is on the natural way out of the airport towards the Peloponnese: if you hire a car, it can be your first stop.

What is there to see in Corinth?

The canal, first: from the Isthmus pedestrian bridge you see the rock cut right down to the bottom, with 21 metres of water between vertical walls. It opened in 1893. If you want to see it from inside, Corinth Canal Cruises takes you through it by boat from Isthmia. At each mouth of the canal there is a submersible bridge that sinks to let the ships through, and at the west mouth there are remains of the Diolkos, the stone track along which the ancients dragged ships from one gulf to the other.

Ancient Corinth is the long visit: the Temple of Apollo, the Roman agora, the Peirene fountain, the platform from where St Paul spoke and a museum with the kouroi of Tenea. Two hours. Above it, Acrocorinth: three gates, 3 km of walls and the best view of the isthmus.

On the other side of the canal, in Loutraki, the kayak from Lake Vouliagmeni to the Heraion with Trekking Hellas, the Heraion of Perachora with its cove and the Melagavi lighthouse, and the Loutraki thermal baths, Greece's spa town for a hundred years.

How much does it cost and what are the opening hours?

Ancient Corinth costs €15 (reduced, €8) with the museum; Acrocorinth, €5 (reduced, €3). EU citizens under 25 usually get in free with ID. Ancient Corinth opens every day from April to October, until 19:00 or 20:00 depending on the fortnight; from November to March, from 8:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesdays. Acrocorinth opens from 8:30 to 15:30 all year. Both are free on the first and third Sunday of each month from November to March, and close on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December. The canal can be seen for free.

A day trip or with a night?

As a day trip, no problem: you leave Athens at 8:00, see the canal at 9:00, Acrocorinth before 12:00, have lunch at Ancient Corinth, see the site in the afternoon and are back at 19:00. You have it hour by hour in the excursion to Corinth from Athens. With a night you can add kayaking at Loutraki or an afternoon on the beach at Isthmia, and carry on the next day to Nemea or Nafplio.

Where to sleep?

In Ancient Corinth, Marinos Rooms, run by a village family, a few minutes' walk from the site, with home-made breakfast in the garden. In Isthmia, seven minutes from the canal, Kalamaki Beach Resort, four stars, with a beach and pools: the one families look for. In Loutraki, the Club Hotel Casino Loutraki, facing the gulf, with a spa and three restaurants; its Aquarius is the table for a special dinner.