Six kilometres north of the Corinth Canal is the spa resort of LOUTRÁKI . The epicentre of the 1981 Corinth earthquake, it has today straight lines of unmemorable concrete buildings. The resort is nonetheless immensely popular, with a larger concentration of hotels than anywhere else in the Peloponnese. The visitors are mostly Greek or Italian, coming here since 1847 for the "cure" at the hot springs, and to sample Loutráki mineral water - the country's leading bottled brand. A sign of the times is the new Pepsi-Cola bottling plant on the outskirts of Loutráki. Others come for the renovated and reopened casino - Greece's oldest - on Posidhónos on the southwest seafront. Near the train station, there is a helpful tourist kiosk on E. Venizélou, the main road through town, four blocks south of the bus station, and a second near the thermal baths. The local council has a choice range of well-produced brochures and a town map.

With your own transport, you'd be better off using the town simply as a staging post en route to the site of ancient Perahóra and making Lake Vouliagméni your base. Otherwise, Loutráki is connected by bus and special summer trains with Athens, and by bus (every 30min) with Kórinthos. Car hire and exchange are available from 24 Hours Travel (tel 07440/67 666, fax 67 667) on Y. Lékka, near the thermal baths. If you end up staying, Hotel Brettagne , at Y. Lékka 28 (tel 07440/22 349; ¬34-42), makes a refreshing change from the many expensive spa-resort hotels ; Hotel Pappas (tel 07440/23 026; ¬73 and upwards), to the left of the Perahóra road, has better facilities and fine views across the gulf; and the friendly, family-run Acropole , P. Tsaldhári 11 (tel 07440/22 265, fax 61 171; ¬24-33), has nice, comfortable rooms. To eat , the Harama psistariá at the corner of Kanári and Ethnikís Andistásis has good grills at decent rates.