We actually enjoyed this more than the Acropolis, which is extremely crowded with tourists. Corinth is a lesser known place to see some amazing ruins and artifacts, and it used to be one of the major cities of classical Greece.

For Christians, Corinth is especially interesting because you can walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, who spent 18 months there as a missionary, and famously wrote the letters of First and Second Corinthians.
Where Is Corinth?
Corinth is located at the entrance to the Peloponnese peninsula, about 80 kilometers west of Athens.

However, the ruins of Ancient Corinth are located outside of modern Corinth town, so they’re about 8 kilometers further southwest.
How To Get To Ancient Corinth
• By Tour
The quickest and easiest way to get to Corinth is with a tour.

GetYourGuide has half day guided tours from Athens to Corinth by bus, or they have full day tours that include a visit to the picturesque city of Nafplio.

We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended!
• By Car
If you rent a car in Athens (or elsewhere), you can drive to Corinth yourself. This is the most flexible way to visit the Corinth area.

The highway is in good condition, and it takes about 1 hour to drive to either Corinth town or the ruins if you’re starting from Athens.

There are many companies offering car rentals in Greece, but we recommend DiscoverCars! We used them for our Santorini trip.
• By Train
There’s a train route directly from Athens to Corinth, with departures every 2 hours at Larissa station (map here).

When we traveled to Corinth by train, it was easy to buy our tickets at the station in Athens. The ride is comfortable and takes about 1 hour.

Once you arrive at Corinth train station (map here), you’ll need to take a taxi to the ruins.

Taxis are easy to find at the train station, and there are also plenty of them at the ruins for your return trip. It’s a 10 minute drive from the station to the ruins.
• By Bus
The KTEL company operates an hourly bus from Athens to Corinth that leaves from the Kifisou station (map here) and arrives at Isthmus bus station, near the canal (map here). The ride takes about 1 hour.

You can check the bus schedule and buy tickets on the KTEL website here. The bus also goes to Corinth town, but that’s not any closer to the ruins than Isthmus station, so it’s generally quicker and better to get off at Isthmus station.

Another advantage of doing it like this is that you can easily walk to the Corinth canal if you want, since it’s only 100 meters from the Isthmus station.
What To See At Ancient Corinth
• Temple Of Apollo
The first thing to see at Corinth is the Temple of Apollo, with its iconic Greek columns. It was built around 560 BC, and even though only a handful of its columns are standing, it’s still impressive.

This spot is especially nice when it’s framed by the mountain of Acrocorinth in the background, and it feels a little bit like being at the Acropolis of Athens, except without the crowds.

No offense to the Acropolis of Athens, but it can be extremely crowded, and half of the Parthenon was covered in scaffolding when we visited. There were so many people we could barely walk.

In contrast, we never saw too many people at Corinth and we were able to enjoy the ruins in peace.

If you only have one day in Yosemite National Park, the best way to spend it is in the valley, where you can enjoy the spectacular waterfalls, viewpoints, and hikes. Most of these are located pretty close to each other.

A side trip to the Mariposa Grove is also worthwhile to see the ancient Sequoia trees. Some of these giants are more than 3,000 years old!

You won’t see the whole park in a day, because it covers almost 1,200 square miles, but you’ll have enough time to see a lot of the main highlights.
Best Things To See & Do
• Swinging Bridge Viewpoint
For your first stop in Yosemite, make a quick visit to the Swinging Bridge picnic area. This spot has one of the best views of Yosemite Falls in the park.

Better yet, when we visited in June, we were lucky to see an amazing reflection in the water because of the historic flooding. The Merced River had turned into a lake!

In most months you won’t see that, but it’s still worth a quick stop here to get your first good view of Yosemite Falls. This is the park’s biggest waterfall, and it’s one of the world’s tallest, at 2,425 feet (739 meters).

• Mist Trail
Next, drive to the parking lot for the Mist Trail. This is one of the busiest hikes in Yosemite, so you’ll want to get there early to beat the crowds and secure a parking spot.

You can park at Curry Village or the Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking. The latter is closer and saves you 10 minutes of walking, but the former has a cafe if you want to grab something to eat before or after the hike.

The Mist Trail is a wonderful hike with two big waterfalls: Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. If you’re a fit hiker, it’s well worth going at least to the top of Vernal Fall. Otherwise, you can enjoy a nice rainbow below the waterfall.
When you reach the top of Vernal Fall, if you continue for a short distance you’ll get a nice peek at Nevada Fall and the Liberty Cap without adding much to the hike.

Or, you can hike up to Clark Point for an even higher view of Vernal Fall, and then circle back down to the start via the John Muir Trail. Either way, you’ll get a nice variety of scenery in 2 or 3 hours of total hiking.

Remember to bring water, snacks, and sturdy hiking shoes. A poncho can also be handy so you don’t get too wet at the waterfall. That’s how the Mist Trail got its name!

Maya Bay is open again for 2024! It was temporarily closed for conservation from August 1 to September 30, but it reopened for tourists on October 1, so now is a great time to plan a visit!

The entire beach is surrounded by tall limestone cliffs, with clear turquoise water, baby sharks swimming around, and sand that’s white as snow. Everything about it looks perfect. Yep, this is paradise!
Of course, the beauty of Maya Bay has attracted the tourist hordes, just like any of the amazing places in the world, but if you plan your visit right you can still enjoy the beach without too many people.

This travel guide will explain how to visit Maya Bay in Thailand, what to see there, and how to know when it’s open or closed!

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Day Tours For Maya Bay
First of all, if you’re on a tight schedule or want to skip the extra steps involved in arranging your own trip to Phi Phi island and Maya Bay, GetYourGuide has prearranged day trips to Phi Phi from Phuket or similar day trips from Krabi, complete with hotel transfers, boat tickets, island tour, lunch, and same day return.

These day tours visit all of the top sights in the Koh Phi Phi islands, including Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, and Monkey Bay. They also have private tours or semi-private tours if you prefer that instead of a shared tour, although the prices are a bit higher unless you bring friends.

We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of day tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.
Where Is Maya Bay?
Maya Bay is part of Phi Phi Leh island, which is located in the Andaman Sea of Thailand, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Phuket and about the same distance from Krabi.
There are six Phi Phi islands in total, with the two main islands being Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don, and they’re all considered part of the Krabi province of Thailand.

The only inhabited island is Phi Phi Don, which has hotels, restaurants, and everything else you might want for a short stay.There’s no airport in Koh Phi Phi, so the closest place to fly is the international airport in Phuket (HKT) or the one in Krabi (KBV). Both of these have cheap flights from Bangkok. You can shop for flights to Thailand on Skyscanner.

There are a bunch of boat companies making the trip to Phi Phi daily from either Phuket or Krabi, and they usually include free hotel pickup and drop-off. You can also do the day trip from Koh Lanta, or as far away as Khao Lak Thailand.