Kalamia Beach, Corinth: The 3.5km City Beach 700 Metres From the Centre, Adjacent to Ancient Lechaion Where the Largest 5th-Century Basilica in Greece Has Been Excavated, and the City’s Acknowledged Sunset Point

Greece | Kalamia | Corinth Municipal Unit, Corinthia, Peloponnese

Ancient Corinth had two harbours. The eastern harbour, Cenchreae, opened onto the Saronic Gulf toward Athens and the eastern Aegean — it was the port where the Apostle Paul stayed for 18 months around 50–52 CE, from which he cut his hair as a vow, and from which he departed for Ephesus in Asia Minor. The western harbour, Lechaion, opened onto the Corinthian Gulf toward the west, Italy, and the Adriatic — it was the commercial port for the trade that made ancient Corinth one of the wealthiest cities in Greece. The Lechaion road — a wide colonnaded street — connected the harbour to the ancient Agora at the heart of the city.

The harbour of Lechaion is now a silted lagoon immediately adjacent to Kalamia beach. The Lechaion archaeological site, excavated in recent years, contains the remains of one of the largest 5th-century AD Christian basilicas in Greece — a church built when Corinth was a major centre of early Christianity, just as it had been under Paul’s ministry. The basilica is 180 metres long. Its scale reflects the significance of a city that the Apostle described as the most challenging congregation he worked with, and to which he addressed two letters that became canonical scripture.

Kalamia beach runs along the Corinthian Gulf waterfront of modern Corinth, 700 metres from the city centre and directly adjacent to the Lechaion archaeological zone. It is 3.5 kilometres long, pebble-covered, Blue Flag awarded, and specifically described by local reviewers as the “sunset point of the city” — the place where Corinth residents go to watch the sun descend over the Gulf of Corinth toward the mountains of western Corinthia and the Perachora peninsula.

Getting There: 80km From Athens (1 Hour on A8), 700m From Corinth City Centre on Foot, Train to Corinth Station Then Short Drive or Taxi, Parking Along the Coastal Road

From Athens, take the A8 (Olympia Odos) motorway toward Corinth. The exit for central Corinth leads into the city, from which the beach is 700 metres. Total distance: approximately 80 kilometres, 1 hour.

By train, the Hellenic Train runs from Athens (central and airport) to Corinth station. From the station, the beach is accessible by taxi (5 minutes) or on foot (15 minutes).

The beach is connected to the city centre by the coastal road and a pedestrian promenade. The western end of the beach (quieter, fewer sunbeds) is further from the centre; the central and eastern sections have the beach bars, cafes, and organised infrastructure.

The Beach: 3.5km Pebble, Slight Depth Decrease, Blue Flag, Boardwalk Cafes and Tavernas, Western End Quieter, Ranked 31st of 428 Peloponnese Beaches

The beach is 3.5 kilometres long with a slightly declining seabed — water shoes are not required per the beach database, the bottom decreases gently. The water is clear and calm. Blue Flag consistently.

The boardwalk with beach bars and cafes runs parallel to the beach and is where the social life of Kalamia is centred — coffee in the morning, cocktails in the evening. Reviewers are consistent: the late afternoon and sunset are the prime time, when the golden hour turns the Corinthian Gulf copper and the mountains on the opposite shore turn amber. The beach is popular with older visitors and families specifically, and the western end near the Lechaion ruins provides the quieter alternative to the busy central section.

The beach ranks 31st among 428 Peloponnese beaches — a strong position for an urban city beach that shares its region with the dramatic natural beaches of Mylokopi, Kalogerolimano, and Vrachati.

Ancient Lechaion: The Silted Western Harbour, the 5th-Century Basilica, the Lechaion Road

The Lechaion harbour is now a silted lagoon directly behind the western end of Kalamia beach — the same harbour that shipped the Corinthian goods (bronze, purple dye, pottery, timber from the mountains of Achaia) westward to Italy, Sicily, and the Adriatic for seven centuries of ancient commercial supremacy. The silting that ended the harbour’s function is the same silting that created the flat land behind the beach.

The basilica uncovered at Lechaion — in an ongoing excavation that began in the 1950s and resumed with modern methods from 2014 — is one of the most significant early Christian finds in Greece. Its 180-metre length makes it comparable to the largest basilicas of Rome. The excavation is the reason that recent Corinth travel guides specifically mention Lechaion as a worthwhile stop alongside Ancient Corinth and the canal.

Corinth City: The Ancient Temple, the Canal, Lake Stymphalia

Ancient Corinth — 6 kilometres south of the beach — has the Temple of Apollo (built around 550 BC, seven Doric columns standing), the ancient Agora, the Bema where Paul stood before Gallio, and Acrocorinth (575m, multi-layered medieval fortress) above. All were covered in the Vrachati Beach Corinthia Greece.

Lake Stymphalia — 40 kilometres south, in the mountains of Corinthia — is the lake where Heracles drove off the Stymphalian Birds for his sixth labour, using bronze rattles made by Hephaistos. The lake is a Natura 2000 wetland with a museum and nature trails. The Stymphalian Birds mosaic floor from the site is displayed in the British Museum.

Kalamia Beach at Corinth in Corinthia is the 3.5km Blue Flag pebble city beach 700 metres from the centre — adjacent to the silted Lechaion ancient harbour (the 5th-century basilica excavation ongoing, 180 metres long, one of the largest in Greece), the sunset point of Corinth (golden hour descends over the Corinthian Gulf with copper light on the water), boardwalk cafes and tavernas along the promenade, western end quieter, ranked 31st of 428 Peloponnese beaches, 80km from Athens (1 hour on the A8), Ancient Corinth 6km south, Corinth Canal 7km east.

Drive from Athens. Park at the western end. Wait for the sunset.