Corinth was renowned as one of the most powerful and affluent cities in Greece during Hellenistic and Roman times, and a deft hand at commerce (olive oil, currants and wine being major exports, as they are today). The economic rewards have been enduring, with the Corinth Canal, a significant feat completed in the late 1800s, being a popular passage for vessels sailing between Mediterranean and Black Sea ports. Tourists still stop at the canal to marvel at the steep cliffs plunging some 79m down to sea level.

Since the creation in 2004 of the ‘Proastiakos’ suburban railway connecting Athens International Airport to Kiato via Corinth, the region has become much more accessible to foreign visitors and Athenian commuters alike. The railway is also an affordable and safe option for brief excursions: be it a refreshing dip in the Gulf of Corinth, a sojourn in Nemea, southern Greece’s wine capital, a stroll through history in Ancient Corinth and, for nature lovers, a bracing hike on Mount Ziri, or bird-watching at the Lake Stymphalia wetland, habitat to 143 species of birds.