Athens&Ancient Corinth Full Day Private Tour 4seat

The Acropolis hill (άκρον: the highest point and πόλις: city), also known as the “Sacred Rock” of Athens, is the most important site of the city and one of the most famous monuments in the world. It is the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture, as well as the symbol of the city of Athens. In the 5th century BC, the Greek statesman of the Athens golden Age, Pericles, coordinated the construction of the site's most important remains, including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon and the other monuments were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians during the Sixth Ottoman-Venetian War.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple in the center of Greek Athens, dedicated to the Olympian god Zeus. The construction of the Temple began in the 6th century BCE by the tyrant Peisistratos, but was completed after almost 700 years by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. During the Roman period, the temple, which included 104 colossal columns, was renowned the largest temple in Greece and hosted one of the largest religious statues in the ancient world. Today, however, only 16 of the columns exist, with one of which is lying on the ground.

The Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro is one of the main historic attractions of Athens and] it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. It was built in the 4th century BC by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus), primarily as a venue for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator in 144 AD and had a capacity of 70,000 seats. After hundreds of years of abandonment, the stadium was completely restored in 1895 by a wealthy Greek benefactor, Georgios Averof. The Stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It was once again used as an Olympic venue in the Olympic Games of 2004.

The Guards or the Evzones in front of the Hellenic Parliament are the members of the Presidential Guard, a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Parliament of Greece. They stand motionless and they change hourly. Evzones are known for their distinctive uniform, which is based on the clothes of the klephts, -mountain fighters who fought during the Ottoman occupation of Greece. The most distinguishing item of this uniform is the fustanella, a kilt-like garment. This uniform turned the Evzones into a popular figure of the Greek soldier.

The Athens Trilogy of neoclassical buildings includes the Academy of Athens, the University of Athens and the National Library of Greece, designed by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen. The Academy of Athens was established in 1926 and its objective is the cultivation and advancement of the Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, together with the communication of the Foundation with other Academies. Today, the Academy has 14 research centers, seven research offices and the "Ioannis Sykoutris" central library. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is a public University and was established in 1837. It is the oldest institution of higher education in the contemporary Greek state and the first contemporary university in the Eastern Mediterranean. Today, it is placed among the largest Universities in Europe. The National Library of Greece was designed by Theophil von Hansen and was founded by the Greek governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias. It was designed as a Doric temple and was built almost entirely with Pentelic marble. The construction of the National Library started in 1887 and was completed fifteen years later. It has 4,500 Greek manuscripts, one of the greatest collection of Greek scripts, as well as, many archives of the Greek Revolution.

Standing 277 meters above the sea level, Lycabettus Hill is the highest point of Athens. The name Lykabettus appears in various legends. It is said that it was once the refuge of wolves, (Lycos in Greek), which is possibly the origin of its name. At the top of the hill there is the Greek whitewashed church of Saint George, an ideal spot where you can enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of Athens surrounded by the Aegean.

The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea and it cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth, separating the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. It is 6.4 kilomotres in length and 21.4 meters wide, making the access impossible for modern ships. Currently, it is used mostly as a tourist attraction. The initial idea for constructing the Corinth Canal was tyrant Periander’s in the 7th century BC, who eventually abandoned that project and constructed Diolkos instead, an overland portage road where ships would be able to move overland across the Isthmus of Corinth. The first Governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, revived the idea of the construction of the modern Canal after the formal independence of the country in 1830. The construction begaun in 1880, however, due to financial reasons, the construction was completed in 1893.

The site of ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (6500-3250 B.C.). It is located on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land which connects the Peloponnese with the mainland of Greece, about halfway between Athens and Sparta. Its fertile soil, but mainly, its strategic location, offered a great potential for communication, growth and prosperity.
Since the Mycenaean period, Corinth was called afneios [prosperous], as referred to by Homer in the Iliad, because of its exceptional fertile soil. The great output of the city in agricultural products largely expanded its trade activities mainly towards the Western Mediterranean. In the 8th century BC, the Corinthian colonies were founded, such as Corfu in the Ionian Sea and Syracuse in Sicily, and made an important contribution to the history of the ancient Mediterranean world. The economic prosperity of the city reached its peak in the 7th– 6th centuries BC under the administration of the tyrant Cypselus and his son Periander. The strength of Corinth made its mark with the construction of splendid buildings, such as the Temple of Apollo and the creation of the Isthmian Games, which were held at the Corinthian sanctuary of Poseidon, and this helped increase the fame and influence of the city. The acropolis of Ancient Corinth, called "Acrocorinth", lies 1 km to the southwest, located 575 meters high. It was already fortified in antiquity, but the walls and towers that we see today are mostly of Frankish and Venetian times. It is considered to be the largest, highest, and most spectacular acropolis of Ancient Greece. For Christians, Corinth is well known for the Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians. He founded the Christian community in Corinth, Greece. The First and the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians are now respectively the seventh and eighth books of the New Testament canon. The first letter, probably written about 53–54 CE at Ephesus, Asia Minor, deals with problems that arose in the early years after Paul’s initial missionary visit to Corinth and his establishment of a Christian community. The Second Letter was written in Macedonia in about 55 CE and might have been written by Apostle Paul after an actual visit to Corinth.

The acropolis of Ancient Corinth, called "Acrocorinth", lies 1 km to the southwest, located 575 meters high. It was already fortified in antiquity, but the walls and towers that we see today are mostly of Frankish and Venetian times. It is considered to be the largest, highest, and most spectacular acropolis of Ancient Greece.