Exclusive Ancient Olympia

special offer banner Exclusive Ancient Olympia Tour from Katakolon (Temple of Zeus, Gymnasium, the Vouleuterion)
Price: $119.00   Sale Price: $95.00   Save: $24.00
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Summary
Shore Excursion Size ? Standard
Shore Excursion Type Cultural, Scenic
Shore Excursion Duration 4 Hours
Activity Level ? Moderate
Shore Excursion Leaves From ? Cruise Ship Pier
Food/Beverage Provided Not Included
Recommended Dress Comfortable clothing and sensible, flat-soled walking shoes are recommended. Sun glasses and sun screen are suggested.
Restrictions Guests must be able to walk over paved, gravel, stones and packed dirt surfaces. Many are uneven and/or on inclines. There are some uneven steps.

Exclusive Ancient Olympia

Begin your approximately 40 minute journey to the birthplace of the Olympic Games with a drive through scenic villages. The Olympic Games, during classical times, were the most famous games in the known world at that time. They were held every four years from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.

Before the site of Olympia was built, a hidden Sanctuary of Zeus sat on this spot. The sanctuary was known as an Altis. It is here where you begin your approximately 90 minute Ancient Olympia Tour.

Perhaps the most impressive ruin is the Temple of Zeus, which still reveals some of its elegance and scale. It once housed an oversized gold-ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The sculptor Phidias who made the statue had his workshop in Olympia. A Byzantine church was erected on top of the workshop and its remnants can be seen today.

The Altis also encompasses the Prytaneion, magistrates' residence, the Philippeion, an offering of Philip of Macedonia after his victory at Chaeronia and Hera's temple which served as a perfect setting for the famous statue of Praxiteles' Hermes perfectly preserved and now housed in the nearby museum.

Around the Altis, you will see the twelve Treasuries, small buildings erected as offerings by the city-states of Greece.

Just beyond the treasuries is the world famous Stadium, accessible through a vaulted entrance. It was the largest of its kind seating 20,000 people during the ancient games. More recently, it was used as the stadium for the hammer throwing event in the 2004 Olympics.

Continue on to the Gymnasium, the Bouleuterion and the Leonidaion which served as a kind of hostel for the visitors of the games.

After visiting the Site of Ancient Olympia, you will have the chance to reach the beautiful village of Olympia. You will have approximately 50 minutes to stroll around the village and admire the nature of this place.

From here, you will drive back through the Peloponnese countryside to reach the port of Katakolon.

4.5 Stars4.7 / 5  |  66 ReviewsReview This Tour
Good tour
November 05, 2022
Good tour to see ancient ruins, unfortunately most of the structures are destroyed, there are lot of historic pieces and our tour guide did a good job explaining everything to us.
Reviewer: DJ Mistry
4 Stars
Bringing history to life
November 01, 2022
Excellent tour guide who was able to explain what we were seeing and relate the history of the place well paced and easy to understand.
Reviewer: J Orriss
5 Stars
A wonderful place to see
October 25, 2022
This was a great place to visit. Standing on the same ground as the ancient athletes was awesome. Seeing all the buildings and the facilities was very impressive. Easy walking. Olympia is a nice town for shopping and eating.
Reviewer: Ned Allan Lenhart
5 Stars
Olympia
October 09, 2022
A tour instructor can really make a huge effect on any tour and ours sure did. We really liked all the information and energy she brought to our group. If/When we go back to this area, we would to look up additional tours by her. Olympia the site is wonderful and is a lovely park setting.
Reviewer: Donald
5 Stars
Excellent Tour of Ancient Olympus!
August 08, 2022
This was a great tour of the ancient Olympia Stadium & surrounding ancient building ruins. We went there by a large comfortable bus with A/C. Our guide was very nice & knowledgeable & gave us time to see everything before moving on. Not much is left of the actual stadium, just an outline, but it was cool to see & you could run it to say you did if you liked! It was a hot day so we preferred to watch! This is definitely worth the visit! Afterwards we had time to shop in the small village of Olympia & get something to eat.
Reviewer: Michele Hughes
5 Stars
Olympia
July 11, 2022
Great tour, not alot of shade so be prepared to be in the Sun.
Reviewer: Dave Oppal
5 Stars