Peloponnese Peninsula and the Corinth Canal

Living the Dream, One Trip at a Time

The historic Corinth Canal is the gateway to the Peloponnese, the large peninsula separated from the mainland by the narrow Isthmus of Corinth.

The blue arrow represents the route ships could take once the canal was finished; the red line is the former way of circumnavigating around the Peloponnese Peninsula.

Construction on the Corinth Canal was originally initiated by the Roman Emperor Nero as a way to link the Aegean with the Gulf of Corinth. But the four-mile-long ribbon cut through solid rock proved too difficult and the project was quickly abandoned.

Since digging didn’t begin again until 1881, in ancient times ships were simply dragged across the isthmus along a paved road.

A poster shot from a coffee shop by the canal

This stop was a glimpse into one of Greece’s most impressive engineering marvels. Carved through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, this canal connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea, drastically reducing the sailing time for vessels bypassing the Peloponnese peninsula.

This pic looks from the canal to the Aegean Sea

The canal itself is narrow, just 21 meters wide, making it impassable for many modern ships but a dramatic sight for smaller vessels and yachts that can navigate it. As we stood on one of the bridges overlooking the canal, the steep limestone walls plunging into the turquoise waters below were breathtaking.

This pic looks toward the Ionian Sea. The walls of the canal are about 255 ft. high.

The canal wasn’t completed until the late 19th century. Today, it remains a symbol of human ambition and ingenuity, both for its natural and engineered beauty.

Because of its width and draft limitations, it can only accommodate vessels that are up to around 56 feet wide, 24 feet deep, and about 620 feet long. This typically includes smaller cruise ships, yachts, and smaller cargo vessels; it’s too narrow for larger, modern commercial ships.

In 2019, his cruise ship barely squeezed by!! The Fred Olsen cruise ship M/S ‘Braemar” crossed the canal smoothly to the amusement of the 929 passengers onboard!

We did not stop there, but we were very near Corinth. At one time, the great city state of Corinth rivaled Athens in power and prestige, but its reputation for bawdy living caused St. Paul to criticize it mercilessly during his stay in AD 52.

2024, with Overseas Adventure Travel