Spirit of Olympia
Spirit of Olympia
During this 4-hour, self-guided tour you will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the well-preserved site where the Olympic games were born.
Once you have arrived to Olympia, you will have the opportunity to explore on your own the Stadium where all the sporting events took place. View the existing running track which runs more than 200 meters long and imagine what it must have been like for the athletes performing for a crowd of up to 20,000 spectators. Just outside the Stadium you will find the Temple of Hera, constructed in the Doric fashion and one of the oldest in Greece. You will also find the Temple of Zeus, a marble and limestone structure constructed in the 5th century B.C. Legend has it religious rituals were conducted before the games to honor the gods, and participants swore in front of the statue of Zeus (in the temple) to keep the rules and laws.
Armed fights were temporarily forbidden to keep travelers safe to and from the games. In later years, French Baron Pierre De Coubertin organized a conference on the games in Paris which later resulted in the creation of the International Olympic Committee. Following his death in 1938, de Coubertin's heart was buried in Ancient Olympia.
This tour is a must-do for athletes and all those who love the Olympics and the Olympic spirit that remains today!
Please Note: Entrance fees are optional (not included). Approximate cost in Olympia is 12 EUR.