Side Trips

Isthmia

Isthmia was one of the four places in Greece where Panhellenic Games were held (the others being Delphi, Olympia, and Nemea). The Isthmian Games took place every 2 years at the Sanctuary of Poseidon, of which very little remains. To get here from ancient Corinth, drive back toward the canal. Isthmia is signposted on your right just before you reach the canal.

The Site and Museum of Isthmia (tel. 27410/37-244) were closed when this guide was published, but are slated to have reopened by now. The projected visiting times are Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Admission was not decided when published, perhaps 3€ ($3.90) for the site and museum. The principal temple in Isthmia was dedicated to Poseidon. Foundations remain of the structure built in the 7th century B.C., first rebuilt after a fire in the 5th century B.C., and then rebuilt once again when the Romans refounded Corinth in 44 B.C. Speaking of the temple, even the excavator, Oscar Broneer, admitted that "the casual visitor will marvel chiefly, perhaps, at the thoroughness of its destruction." Remains of the ancient stadium's elaborate starting gate were lovingly reconstructed by Broneer.

Isthmia's small museum has exhibits on the Isthmian Games, as well as handsome Roman glass-mosaic panels showing land- and townscapes and the figure of a philosopher, sometimes identified as Plato.

Loutraki & Perachora

To get to Loutraki from Corinth, cross the Corinth Canal. Once you're on the mainland, Loutraki will be signposted on your left. For Perachora, continue through Loutraki to Perachora, 32km (20 miles) or 30 minutes away by car.

Loutraki is the famous Greek spa whose springs churn out a good deal of the bottled water you'll see in restaurants. If possible, avoid visiting here on summer weekends when Loutraki bursts at the seams with Athenian day-trippers and busloads of Russian visitors who stream here to gamble at the huge Casino, 48 Posidonos tel. 27440/65-501(open round-the-clock). If you come here, you might want to emulate Greek visitors and "take the waters" (and have a massage) at the Hydrotherapy Thermal Spa, 26 G. Lekka (tel. 27440/22-215); open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 2pm. Off season, the seaside promenades and leafy parks are quite charming; information available at www.loutraki.gr.

En route to Perachora from Loutraki is Lake Vouliagmeni, a saltwater inlet from the Gulf of Corinth. You'll find a number of seafood restaurants along the lake; make your choice depending on where the most Greeks are eating and what looks good in the kitchen.

After sprawling Corinth, Perachora will seem like a miniature model of an ancient site, with just enough fallen walls and columns to be picturesque. This is an ideal spot to spend a few lazy hours swimming and picnicking (but not on weekends, when too many other people have the same idea). You may prefer to dangle your toes in the water and not swim in the cove, although the snorkeling is good. Sharks are not unknown just outside the harbor in the gulf.

Perachora is situated at the end of the peninsula, around a tiny cove with a picturesque lighthouse chapel. The ancient Corinthians rather self-referentially named this place Perachora, which means "the land beyond" -- in this case, the land beyond the Gulf, as seen from Corinth. Views are superb south across the Gulf of Acrocorinth and the mountains of the Peloponnese, and along the north coast to the mountains of Central Greece.

Founded in the 8th century B.C., the site of Perachora had several temples to Zeus's wife, Hera, several stoas, and a number of useful water cisterns. Little was left standing after the Romans dismantled the temples and stoas and ferried the stones across the gulf to rebuild Corinth after they destroyed that city in 146 B.C.

The site is open daily: in summer from 8am to 7pm, in winter from 8am to 3pm. Admission is free.