Antirio looks like a wedge of land that begins from the mountains to drill into the sea. It became a cape, a village and a castle. The two facing capes, Rio – Antirio tend to bridge the strait of the sea west of the Corinthian Gulf. In 2004, the link between the two capes was completed and the Rio-Antirio bridge opened to the public. The bridge was named “Harilaos Trikoupis”, after the Greek politician and nearby Messolonghi native, who served as Prime Minister of Greece and first raised the issue of building this bridge. It is one of the most emblematic projects in Greece, while it is the longest, multi-span, cable-stayed bridge in the world.  

The construction of the Rio-Antirio bridge has been a challenge for the technical world due to the combination of many adverse conditions, such as the unusual depth of the foundations, the moderate tolerances of the seabed, the high seismic activity in the region and tectonic plate movements.

Innovative studies and offshore manufacturing methods have been implemented to address the specific features and challenges of the construction. The total length of the Rio-Antirio bridge is 2,833 m, while its suspended section is 2,252 m. Its foundations have a diameter of 90 meters and are placed up to 65 meters deep into the sea, which is a world record. The pillars rise from 145 m. up to 165 m above sea level and the free height for the passage of the ships through the middle opening is 52 m.

The construction of the Rio-Antirio bridge has made it possible to establish a permanent connection between the Peloponnese and Western Greece, reducing the time needed to cover the distance to 2,5-5 minutes compared to 45 minutes, which until then was only carried out by ferry boats and often interrupted by weather conditions.

The bridge also includes a pedestrian walkway/bicycle lane, the use of which is exempted from toll payment.

The Bridge Exhibition Center is open to the public. You can contact Customer Service (Tel. 26340-39010 & 39011,  email:info@gefyralitourgia.gr) to plan your visit and avoid overlapping with other scheduled visits or activities.