Ancient Olympia Shore Excursion from Katakolon

This private tour from Katakolon visits the site of Ancient Olympia and its Archaeological Museum, home to treasures recovered from the site over more than a century of excavation.

After meeting your guide, you depart for Olympia, where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC in honor of Zeus. The site sits in a fertile valley where the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers meet, a setting as scenic as it is historically significant. Your guide leads a walking tour through the Altis, the sacred precinct where the games took place. The most imposing structure here was the Temple of Zeus, which once housed a gold-and-ivory statue of the god considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nearby stood the Temple of Hera, the Prytaneion, and the Philippeion. The Stadium itself, the largest of its era with capacity for 45,000 spectators, is entered through a long vaulted passage built in Roman times.

From the archaeological site, you continue to the museum nearby, where highlights include the Head of Hera, Praxiteles' statue of Hermes, ornaments from the Temple of Zeus, and the helmet of Miltiades, the Athenian general credited with the victory at Marathon. At the end of the tour, you return to the pier in Katakolon.

Walking note: the site involves uneven, sometimes difficult surfaces, and it is not wheelchair accessible. If you have a larger group, this tour can be arranged with a mid-size bus or full-size coach.

• Mobility: Due to uneven surfaces, steps, and walking distances, this itinerary is not suitable for guests using wheelchairs. Please contact us for alternative sightseeing options, including private driving tours that may better accommodate your needs.
• Prices shown are not valid on Sundays or local national holidays. If your only day in this city is Sunday, please contact us for pricing and availability.