Traveleriences
The columns of the Temple of Hera at Ancient Olympia among pines

Ancient Olympia, Greece

Ideal: 1 dayBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Moderate
OverviewSeeHidden gemsStayPracticalHistoryNearby

In 60 seconds

Ancient Olympia in 60 seconds

For more than a thousand years, every four years, the Greek world laid down its arms and came to Olympia, a sanctuary of Zeus in a green valley where two rivers meet, to compete in the Games. The ruins are scattered among pines and olive trees: the Doric temples of Hera and of Zeus, whose ivory-and-gold statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the World; the workshop of Pheidias, who made it; the gymnasium and wrestling school; and, through a vaulted tunnel, the stadium itself, where you can run the 192-metre track. The Olympic flame is still lit here before every Games. The museum holds the temple's great sculptures and the Hermes of Praxiteles. Give it a full day, and combine it with the Peloponnese's wine country around Nemea or the coast.

ArchaeologyUNESCO

Best for

  • History
  • Museums

Known for

  • The ancient stadium
  • Temple of Zeus
  • Olympic flame
  • Archaeological Museum

Skip if

Ruins leave you cold — Olympia is all about imagination; the modern village is small and touristy.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Ancient Olympia fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

The ancient stadium

Moderate

Run the original track

Walk through the stone tunnel the athletes used and stand on the starting line; the grassy banks held tens of thousands.

Archaeological siteMust-seeUNESCO

Temple of Zeus

Home of one of the Seven Wonders

Toppled drums of its columns lie where an earthquake threw them; one column has been raised again.

Archaeological siteTempleUNESCO

Archaeological Museum

Moderate

The temple sculptures and Hermes

The pediments of the Temple of Zeus and the marble Hermes of Praxiteles — essential to make sense of the site.

OlympiaMuseumSculpture

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Temple of Apollo at Bassae

Inexpensive

A lonely mountain temple · UNESCO

A 5th-century temple high in the Arcadian mountains, under a protective tent while it is restored.

ArcadiaRemoteUNESCO

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Olympia village

Moderate

Small hotels by the site

Stay the night to be at the gates when they open, before the coaches.

Early startPractical

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Olympia is about four hours' drive from Athens; buses go via Pyrgos, and cruise ships call at Katakolo nearby.
Timing
Arrive at opening time — the site is shady but busy by late morning, and hot in summer.
When to go
April to June and September to October.
Taste locally
Olive oil and wines of the western Peloponnese, and Nemea's Agiorgitiko reds.

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 776 BC

    The traditional date of the first recorded Olympic Games.

  2. c. 456 BC

    The Temple of Zeus is completed; Pheidias later makes its statue.

  3. 393

    The Games are held for the last time in antiquity.

  4. 1989

    Olympia is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Kalamata & the Mani

Tower villages and olive groves

Kalamata & the Mani has its own guide.

2 hrs by carCoast

Nafplio

A Venetian port town

Nafplio has its own guide.

3 hrs by carTown