Should You Visit Ancient Olympia: You Can Still Run Its Stadium
The path to the stadium runs through a long stone tunnel, cool and dim even in the middle of a summer afternoon. Your footsteps echo off the vaulted ceiling, a bright rectangle of light grows at the far end, and then you step out onto a wide strip of pale earth between two grassy banks. A low line of marble slabs crosses the ground in front of you. Athletes once curled their toes into the grooves cut in that stone and waited for the signal to run.
Ancient Olympia sits in a green valley in the western Peloponnese, where the Kladeos stream meets the Alfeios River below the pine-covered hill of Kronos. For more than a thousand years, from the traditional date of 776 BC until the end of the 4th century AD, athletes from across the Greek world gathered here every four years to compete in honor of Zeus. The sanctuary has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989, and it still hosts the lighting of the Olympic flame before every Games.
So should you visit? If ancient history, sport or simply a beautiful walk among ruins appeals to you, the answer is yes. Olympia is spread out and shaded by old pines, oaks and olive trees, with fallen column drums lying in the grass exactly where earthquakes left them centuries ago. Set aside a full day, or better an overnight stay in the village, and it becomes one of the most rewarding stops on any trip through mainland Greece.
Running the Ancient Stadium
The vaulted tunnel, known as the Krypte, was built in the 3rd century BC as the official entrance for athletes and judges. Just before it, a row of stone bases lines the path. These once held bronze statues of Zeus called the Zanes, paid for with fines from athletes caught cheating or bribing their rivals, and the names of the offenders were carved into the bases for every passing athlete to read on the way in.
The track itself measures about 630 feet from one stone starting line to the other, the length of a single stade. Around 45,000 spectators sat or stood on the sloping earth banks on either side, and the same grassy banks frame the track today. On the south bank you can still see the platform where the judges watched the races. You are free to walk or run the full length of the track, and on a quiet morning there is something quietly thrilling about lining up at the same marble sill the first Olympians used.
The Temples of Zeus and Hera
At the heart of the sanctuary stands what remains of the Temple of Zeus, built between 470 and 456 BC. It once housed a seated statue of Zeus made of gold and ivory by the sculptor Pheidias, about 40 feet tall and counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue was lost long ago, and earthquakes in the 6th century AD brought down the massive columns. Their drums still lie in long rows on the ground, and a single column was raised again in 2004 to give a sense of the original height.
A short walk away, the Temple of Hera is one of the oldest Doric temples in Greece, dating to around 600 BC. It is smaller and more weathered than its neighbor, yet this is where the Olympic flame is lit for every modern Games, using a curved mirror to focus the rays of the sun. Nearby you will find the round Philippeion, begun by Philip II of Macedon after his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC, and the workshop of Pheidias, where archaeologists uncovered the tools and molds used to make the great statue of Zeus.
Closer to the river, the large colonnaded courtyard of the Palaestra was the training ground for wrestlers, boxers and jumpers, while the long Gymnasium next to it gave runners and javelin throwers room to practice. Further south, the Leonidaion was a grand guesthouse for official visitors, built around a garden courtyard with a pool in the middle. Walking between these buildings, it is easy to picture the crowds, the merchants and the athletes who filled the valley during the festival.
The Archaeological Museum of Olympia
Leave at least an hour for the Archaeological Museum, a short walk from the entrance to the site. The highlight for many is the room holding the sculptures from the two pediments of the Temple of Zeus. On one side, Lapiths fight centaurs at a wedding feast that has turned violent. On the other, the hero Pelops and King Oinomaos prepare for the chariot race that, according to legend, gave the Peloponnese its name.
Other treasures include the Hermes of Praxiteles, a marble figure of the god holding the infant Dionysus, and the Nike of Paionios, a winged Victory that once stood on a tall pillar in front of the Temple of Zeus. Look out too for the bronze helmet dedicated by Miltiades, the Athenian general who led the Greeks at Marathon, and a small cup found in the workshop of Pheidias with the words "I belong to Pheidias" scratched on its base. The same ticket also covers the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity, set in the old museum building in the village.
How Much Time You Need at Olympia
Plan on two to three hours for the archaeological site and another hour or so for the museum. That makes Olympia a comfortable day trip if you are already nearby, but a long one from Athens, which is about three and a half hours away by car. Staying the night in the village lets you arrive at the gates when they open, walk the stadium before the tour groups and day trippers arrive, and enjoy a slow dinner once the site has closed.
Tickets and Opening Hours
A combined ticket costs 20 euros, or 10 euros for reduced admission, and covers the archaeological site, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity. Tickets are sold for timed entry slots, and you can buy them in advance on the official e-ticket site. From April to August the site is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with closing time moving earlier through September and October. From November to March the hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and entry is free on the first and third Sunday of each of those months.
Visiting Olympia From a Cruise Ship
Many cruises in the Ionian Sea call at Katakolo, also spelled Katakolon, a small fishing port about 22 miles from Olympia, roughly 40 minutes away by road. A day in port gives you enough time for the site and the museum, as long as the transport is arranged in advance and someone keeps an eye on the clock.
An organized half day takes the guesswork out of the timing. A driver meets you at the port, the ride inland passes through olive groves and farmland, and you get time among the temples and in the stadium before heading back. Some departures add a stop at a local honey farm, and entrance tickets are paid separately at the site, so bring cash or a card for the ticket office.
With pickup at the pier, the drive inland and the return to the ship all arranged, a day in port becomes a morning among the ruins on the Olympia Half Day Tour.
Getting to Olympia
By car, the drive from Athens takes about three and a half hours, mostly on the motorway toward Patras and then south along the coast toward Pyrgos. From Patras it is around an hour and a half. KTEL buses run from Athens to Pyrgos, the nearest large town, with local buses continuing on to Olympia, and the modern village of Archaia Olympia is small enough to explore on foot. The entrance to the site is a short walk from the main street, past cafes, bakeries and shops selling copies of ancient pottery.
Where to Stay in Ancient Olympia
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Up on Drouva Hill above the village, Hotel Europa Olympia is a long-standing favorite with an outdoor pool, a pool bar, a Greek tavern and balconies looking out over the Alfeios Valley and the mountains of Arcadia. Nearby, Olympion Asty Hotel has spacious rooms with marble floors, a pool and a terrace with wide sunset views over the river valley toward the sea.
For something more polished, the five-star Arty Grand Hotel has two pools, a spa and rooms with garden and mountain views, about a mile from the archaeological site. Amalia Hotel Olympia sits at the entrance to the village surrounded by Mediterranean gardens, with a large pool, a restaurant and a lounge with a fireplace for cooler evenings.
If you would rather stay in the village itself, Hotel Pelops is a small hotel on a quiet street next to the church, around a 15 minute walk from the ancient site, with a courtyard, a pool and a breakfast that guests rate very highly.
Quick Tips for Visiting Ancient Olympia
Book a timed entry slot online in summer, when the site is busiest.
Arrive at opening time, especially from June to September, when the stadium has little shade by midday.
Wear comfortable shoes, since the paths are gravel and uneven in places.
Bring water, a hat and sunscreen, and plan the museum for the hottest part of the day.
Check the winter hours if you visit between November and March, as the site closes in the afternoon.
Olympia rewards the visitors who slow down. Sit for a while on the grassy bank of the stadium, listen to the cicadas in the pines and look down the track toward the far starting line. Nearly three thousand years after the first race, the valley still holds the hush of a sacred place, and an afternoon spent walking its paths stays with you long after you leave.
Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
