BRIEF GUIDE TO THE KORINTHIA

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

  N.B., the prices and schedules mentioned here were correct as of spring of 2003.  Inflation in Greece, however, is considerable, and prices and schedules are subject to significant change, so you should verify this information before relying on it.  Prices are given in Euros (€), the only currency that is accepted.  Generally, you should not plan to pay for things (except for large purchases) with foreign currency or credit cards.

BUSSES:

There are busses from Ancient Korinth to Korinth (New Korinth) every hour. This is the only public bus, so you shouldn't have any fear about getting on it.  The bus comes through the village, going more or less from east to west, at about 25 past the hour; it goes to Anaploga (Agioi Anargyroi) and turns around and comes back (going more or less west to east).  The bus therefore leaves Ancient Korinth on the half hour (i.e., 6:30, 7:30, etc.--although sometimes it can just a bit early or late!).  You can get the bus in the plateia, or (closer to Rooms Marinos) down the hill, directly across the street from Tasos' restaurant (i.e., across the street from the Turkish tekes-- described on the sign as a "Muslim Monastery, near the former BP station).  The bus goes down to the sea (and you can get off at the first or second stop after the bus makes a big turn toward Korinth) and into Korinth.  The final stop is at the bus/train station, past the center of the city, but you can get off near the center, on Koliatsou--and many people will do that, so just go with them if you want to go to the center).  From Korinth to Ancient Korinth the busses leave from the terminal at 10 minutes after the hour and you can also get it on Koliatsou across the street on the corner, just west of where it lets you off.  A number of other busses leave from this place, so make sure it is going to Ancient Korinth--ask if you are uncertain.  The fare is € 0.80 each way (as of this writing)--and you buy the ticket on the bus. Everywhere in Greece you should keep your ticket until the end of the trip since they are subject to control by the bus company.  Again, busses leave Ancient Korinth on the half hour and Korinth on the hour.  As mentioned, you can get the bus to Korinth from the plateia or across from Tasos' at the bottom of the hill just north of ROOMS MARINOS.  N.B. the last bus from Korinth in the evening leaves at about 9:00 PM.  After that there are no busses (you have to take a taxi).

If you want to take a bus elsewhere, it is probably best to go to Korinth.  For long-distance trips you should normally purchase a ticket at the appropriate bus station.  There are at least three bus stations in Korinth.  The main station is at the east end of the city, and is the terminal for the bus from Ancient Korinth, and it serves Athens and several places in the Korinthia (e.g., Loutraki and Isthmia).  The fare to Athens is currently about € 8 (plus the fare from Ancient Korinth).  The station for Nafplion, the Argolid, and the southern Peloponnesos is in the center of the city, on the main north-south street (Ethnikis Anexartisias).   Note that busses for many places in the Peloponnesos (e.g., Patras, Olympia, and Sparta) do not stop in Korinth; you must get them at the bridge by the Isthmos.  If you want to go to Delphi or to the north, you normally have to go to Athens and change.  If you need help or advice on this, just ask one of the Isthmia staff or a member of the Marinos family.

TRAINS:

The train station for Athens, Olympia, and Kalamata is located at the eastern end of the business district of Korinth, across the street from the main bus station.  Just walk east along the water and you'll come to the tracks; turn left.  In general, the busses are better and more convenient than the trains, but some places (e.g., Olympia) are more easily reached via the train.  It is also possible to take a train to and from the Piraeus (convenient if you are taking a boat to one of the islands).  Trains in Greece are not very fast or very clean and they do not go to very many places, in part because of the mountainous nature of the country and in part because Greece was a very poor country when railroads were built in most of the rest of the world.

  TAXIS:

          Taxis are relatively inexpensive (about € 7 from Korinth to Ancient Korinth).  The taxi stand in Ancient Korinth is just beyond the plateia.  Be sure to take the first taxi in line (or people will get mad)!  Taxis can be hired to go distances near and far: a small group (up to 4 people) might well want to hire one or more taxis for short trips.  Taxis will normally not take more than four people each.  Some taxis have meters, some do not (it depends on the kind of taxi they are).  If there is no meter, it may be wise to determine the fare beforehand.  You can reach the taxi stand in the plateia by calling 27410-31464; our favorite taxi driver is Sotiri Tsakiris, who lives just up the road from ROOMS MARINOS; you can reach him by calling 27410-31320 (home) or 6973-324128 (mobile).  Sotiri, the Grivas family (father and son), or any of the other taxi drivers will be happy to make arrangements to drive you directly to the airport from Ancient Korinth when you leave. Obviously this is more expensive than taking the bus, but it is often a more practical plan, especially for flights that leave early in the morning.  If you make it clear that you are with our excavation program you do not have to fear that you will be overcharged.

  TELEPHONE:

You can make direct-dial calls within all of Greece and to most of the world using the OTE cards you can buy nearly everywhere.  In Ancient Korinth the best place to call is from one of the periptera (kiosks) in the plateia, although these are noisy, or from the now-numerous card phones.  You can also call from the OTE (telephone office) in Korinth.  To reach the OTE from the bus station, walk directly west across the park, cross the main street and turn left at the next street; it is in the first block.  It is often difficult (i.e., nearly impossible) to make collect calls in Greece.  Telephone credit cards are now being accepted in Greece, but you may find people who will not want to take them or who will suspect that you are trying to cheat them.  If you want to make a call using such a card (ATT, MCI, Telstra, etc., etc.), you still need to pay for a local call--usually you do this with an OTE telecard.  There also are various commercial cards you can buy that will let you make relatively cheap international calls.  Note that most US mobile telephones will not work  in Greece.

  POST OFFICE:

          There no longer is a proper post office in Ancient Korinth. Instead, go to the Papaioannou vegetable store: do down the hill toward the plateia; it's just before you actually reach the grocery store and the plateia, on your right.  The post office is open Monday through Friday ca. 7:30- 2:00.  Please understand that the Post Office is run a little like a family enterprise: if you arrive early there may be nobody there, they may (will) run out of money or stamps, or they won’t know what to do with your particular problem.  On the whole, however, the employees are well-intentioned and you can trust that things sent out will get to their final destination--at least as much as from any Greek Post Office.  The employees never, ever steal things; they just work in an incompetent system, but they are people of good will who will do their best to help you out.  The mail truck brings mail around about 9:00 AM, and comes and takes it away around 2:00 PM, so you should try to get your mail in by that time if you want to get it out that day.

            Generally, it takes about 10 days for things mailed from Greece to get to the US.  Mail from the US tends to arrive in about 7-8 days.  There are, however, wide variations in this norm.

            Letters and post cards to the US (and most destinations other than Europe) cost € 0.65.

            Mail for you will be brought to the hotel (almost) every day (Monday-Friday).

MONEY EXCHANGE:

There is no place to exchange money or use an ATM card in Ancient Korinth.  The post office at the Isthmos, however, does change money and you can change money in any bank in Korinth (open 8:00-1:30, Monday-Friday), and most of the banks now have ATMs, which usually work.  Several commercial exchange places have now opened up, and they seem reliable.  There is virtually no "black market" in foreign currency in Greece and exchange rates should not vary substantially from place to place.  Bank strikes and long lines, however, are very frequent.  In an emergency the OSU Excavations is willing to advance you a little money for you until you can get to a bank. 

SHOPPING:

Most necessary items can be found in the shops in Ancient Korinth, which tend to be open all day long, except between 3 and 5 PM and  Sunday evening.  Generally the best food can be found at Yianni Kriembardis' shop right on the plateia, and Soulis Papaioannou's vegetable/fruit store ("post office" just up the hill).  Other items can probably be found in New Korinth; there the shops are open Monday-Saturday mornings, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons (6:00-9:00).  Nearly all shops in Korinth are closed on Sunday.  A real treat is the laiki, or outdoor market in New Korinth: every Saturday morning in the dry river bed by the cathedral of St. Paul.  If you take the bus in from Ancient Korinth, just get off when everyone else does!   Tourist items can be found conveniently in Ancient Korinth; there are many shops and you will see in them essentially the same items that are found in tourist areas throughout Greece (most items are mass-produced elsewhere, some even outside Greece).  We have always found it convenient to deal with the Sennis family (just to the left of the exit from the archaeological site in the plateia, with the sign "Corinthian Vases Painter" -- tell them you are from Rooms Marinos and you will get a good deal!).  You also may want to visit Yianni Sennis, who has a large (perhaps a bit gaudy) new shop at the southern end of Ancient Korinth, near the cemetery.

Last updated: 4 May 2003