Footsteps of Apostle Paul from Athens to Corinth, Private Day Tour

This tour gives us the opportunity to visit and explore the places where St. Paul preached to the ancient Greeks in Athens and Corinth, in a day.

The tour starts by visiting the “Areos Pagos” (literally, Mars Hill) at the foot of the Acropolis.

Continuing our tour to our next stop, the “Agora”, we’ll have the opportunity of a sightseeing in the centre of Athens. (Temple of Zeus-1896 Olympic stadium-Presidential Palace-Greek Parliament-Changing of the Guards).

With our visit to the “Agora” we conclude the Athens part of our tour and we continue to visit Corinth and the Corinth Canal. The Canal (approx. 6 km long connecting the Aegean with the Ionian Sea)where we have a brief stop for photos. Then we visit Ancient Corinth where we visit the museum and the archaeological site where the “Bema” is.

We conclude our tour in Corinth with lunch in a traditional Greek taverna and we start our return trip to Athens via Kechries, the port of Corinth from where St. Paul sailed to Ephessus.

Areopagus is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was used as the council of elders of the city. In classical times, it functioned as the court system.

In Roman times, it was from this location, drawing from the potential significance of the Athenian altar to the Unknown God, that the Apostle Paul is said to have delivered the famous speech.

The term “Areopagus” also refers to the judicial body that subsequently formed the higher court of modern Greece.

The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural centre, and the seat of justice.

The site was occupied without interruption in all periods of the city’s history. It was used as a residential and burial area as early as the Late Neolithic period (3000 B.C.). Early in the 6th century, in the time of Solon, the Agora became a public area.

Here, Apostle Paul preached Christianity for the first time to Greeks in 51 A.D.

The temple of Olympian Zeus (124-132 AD) had three rows of eight columns (tripteral octastyle) on the two narrow sides and two rows of twenty columns (dipteral eikosastyle) on the long sides. It once housed the chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Zeus and the statue of the emperor. Sixteen of the temple’s columns survive today, thirteen of them, on the east side, intact. Of the remaining three on the west side, one collapsed in 1852.

It was originally a natural hollow part of the ground between the two hills of Agra and Ardettos, over Ilissos river. It was transformed into a stadium by Lykourgos in 330-329 BC for the athletic competitions of the Great Panathinaea Festivities. Between 140 and 144 AD, Herodes Atticus restored the Stadium, giving it the form that was found at the 1870 excavation: the horseshoe construction with a track 204,07 meters long and 33,35 meters wide. It is believed that the Stadium had a seating capacity of 50.000 people. Separating scales were built between the tiers and on the base of the sphendone there was a portico with Doric-style columns; another portico was placed in the stadium’s facade. At the Roman times, the Stadium was used as an arena, with the addition of a semi-circular wall on the north that was corresponding to the sphendone of the southern side.

The triumphal arch lies on an ancient street that led from the old city of Athens to the new, Roman section, built by Hadrian. It was constructed by the Athenians in A.D. 131, in honor of their benefactor emperor. Two inscriptions are carved on the architrave, one on each side: the first, on the side towards the Acropolis reads “This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus”; the second, on the other side, facing the new city reads “This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus”.

Also known as Constitution Square, Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos) is a huge public plaza stretching out in front of Athens’ parliament building. Gleaming with white marble and beautiful statues, it’s a great place for people watching. Many of the city’s most important streets begin here, including Ermou Street and Vassilissis Sofias Avenue.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the House of the Greek Parliament. It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok. The tomb is guarded 24-7 by the Evzones (Presidential Guards).

Changing of the Guard ceremonies take place at the Presidential Mansion and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is off Syntagma Square below the Hellenic Parliament.

The Changing the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in particular has become a popular tourist attraction in Athens.

The Academy of Athens is Greece’s national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The Academy’s main building is one of the major landmarks of Athens.

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is a public university in Athens, Greece

The National Library of Greece is situated near the center of city of Athens. It was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen, as part of his famous Trilogy of neo-classical buildings including the Academy of Athens and the original building of the Athens University.

The Corinth Canal is one of the oldest man-made canals in the world and a very important navigational route in the Greek archipelago connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf.

The canal’s position, thereby also separates the peninsula of Peloponnese – conveniently converting it into an island – with the Greek mainland. And, while the Greece canal is quite narrow, it is a fact that the canal is a vital lifeline for ships wanting to enter the Aegean Sea.

Spanning a distance of 6.3 kilometres, the Corinth Canal has a depth of 26 feet and its width alters between a minimum of 69 feet and a maximum of 82 feet at the bottom and at the surface respectively. Surrounded by walls standing at a height of 170 feet, the canal helps a ship to save a journey of 185 nautical miles.

The apostle Paul first visited the city in AD 49 or 50, when Gallio, the brother of Seneca, was proconsul of Achaia.[57] Paul resided here for eighteen months (see Acts 18:11). Here he first became acquainted with Priscilla and Aquila with whom he later traveled. They worked here together as tentmakers (from which is derived the modern Christian concept of tentmaking), and regularly attended the synagogue. In AD 51/52, Gallio presided over the trial of the Apostle Paul in Corinth. This event provides a secure date for the book of the Acts of the Apostles within the Bible. Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul here, having last seen him in Berea (Acts 18:5).

In ancient times, Kechries was one of the two ports of Corinth. This is the port from where St. Paul sailed to Ephessus.

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Our company complies with all the health instructions of the World Health Organization about COVID-19.
• Please note that your personal professional driver, will provide commentary in fluent English, en-route but cannot enter the archaeological sites. We can arrange for you to have a private licensed guide to escort you in the sites, at an extra cost, depending always on the availability. You may contact us on the phone number or by the email provided by Viator and we will confirm accordingly.
• The proposed itinerary may need to be adjusted in case of emergencies or special circumstances that are out of our control (e.g. extreme weather conditions, police instructions, safety reasons etc).

• Footsteps of Apostle Paul from Athens to Corinth, Private Day Tour
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  Pickup included

• Experienced, knowledgeable, professional English speaking driver.
• Skip the line service to purchase the appropriate entrance tickets in advance.
• Service animals allowed
• FAMILY FRIENDLY For family groups our tours can be modified to cater to the needs of the children
• Private tour. Personalized service adjusted to your needs and wishes.
• All vehicles are fully A/C non-smoking, insured & certified for tourist use by the state authorities
• Athens & Piraeus Hotels / residence or Piraeus cruise port pickup & return
• Flexible pick up time on request
• Luxurious transportation vehicle suitable for the size of your group: taxi, sedan, suv, van, minibus
• All Fees and Taxes
• Child seats available upon request

• Entrance fees (Ancient Agora 8 Euros including the museum & Corinth 8 Euros including the museum)
• Local icensed guide in Corinth, upon request, depending on availability (Additional cost – 200€)
• Food and drinks unless specified

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• This Tour is Provided by Private Greece Tours.
• Tour Timezone & Starts at Europe/Athens.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 37 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 15 Travelers is accepted for booking.