OLYMPIA SITE MUSEUM

 

TOUR OVERVIEW:

Leaving the port of Katakolon, we will arrive after about 45 minutes drive in Olympia. It was here that the first Olympic Games were organized in honor of Zeus in the year 776 BC. The famous games, held every fourth year, were performed during August and full moon.

Our two hour guided tour will start at the archaeological site. Stroll the deserted sanctuary with its temples, altars and treasuries, all overlooked by masses of trees, said to have been planted by Hercules to mark the boundaries of his father's domain. Walk, or for the more active, run the original course in the stadium with its marble starting blocks still intact. The Gymnasium and the Palaestra, where athletes were trained, are our first stops, and then we will continue through the Sacred Altis to the Temple of Zeus, and on to the Stadium where the contests were taking place.

As you follow your guide you will transgress 2,000 years into the past. It requires a good deal of imagination to visualize the site crowded with athletes, orators, merchants and philosophers. Try and picture the temples, treasuries, porticoes and statues as you view the ruins of ancient Olympia and listen to your guide's explanations. The last stop is the altar where the Olympic flame is lit.

Thought to be one of the most important Museums in Greece, the Archaeological Museum of Olympia is host to a collection of priceless treasures unearthed during archaeological excavations. The Museum offers many awe-inspiring exhibits including the remains of the pediments to the Temple of Zeus, which housed one of the seven wonders of the world, the gold and ivory statue of the God. The marble statue of Hermes, thought to date back to 330 BC will also leave you spellbound with its perfection.

 

Important Notes:

• This excursion will operate by coach and on foot.
• Note that all minors (those under 18) must be accompanied by an adult on shore excursions.
• Guests are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes, as there is approximately two hours of walking on this tour over some gravel pathways and steps.
• To reach the Museum of Olympia, there is a walk of 400 yards on a slight incline, and over a bridge with 30 steps.
• Flash photography is not permitted inside the Museum.
• Rest room facilities at the site and the museum.