Things to do
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Sanctuary of Olympia
Walk the vaulted Krypte into the stadium where the ancient Olympic Games were run, then stand at the altar of the Heraion, where the flame for the modern Games is still lit before it sets off round the world.
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Ancient Olympic Stadium
A vaulted stone tunnel leads from the sanctuary into the ancient stadium, a long earth track between grassy banks where spectators sat. The stone starting and finishing lines are still set into the ground at each end. Many visitors run the length of it. There are no seats and no shade, so midsummer afternoons here are hot.
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Archaeological Museum
Opposite the site entrance, the main museum holds the finds of a century of excavation. The central hall reassembles the sculptures from both pediments of the Temple of Zeus, and side rooms hold the Hermes of Praxiteles and the winged Nike of Paionios. Bronze armour and votive offerings fill the earlier galleries. Entry is on the shared site ticket.
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Archimedes Museum
The Archimedes Museum is free to enter and holds replicas of ancient machines and ships. It is in the village, a few minutes on foot from the sanctuary. Go in the early afternoon heat of a summer day, between the morning and evening visits to the ruins, when the open ground has little shade.
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Foloi Forest
Foloi Forest is a large ancient oak forest about 30 km north-east of Olympia. Drive there from the village, park, and walk in among the oaks. It suits a second day by car, for shade after the open ground of the ruins.
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Kaiafas Lake
Kaiafas Lake is a quiet natural lake near Olympia, a stop for nature after a morning on the ruins. Kaiafas Beach nearby is for a swim or a walk by the sea. Go by car from the village on a second day, and pair the lake with a swim at the beach.
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Katakolo
Katakolo is the waterfront harbour village where cruise ships call for Olympia, about 35 minutes away by car. The train runs Monday to Saturday only and takes about 45 minutes; by bus the route needs a change at Pyrgos. On summer mornings when a ship is in, coach groups head from the port to the site.
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Kourouta Beach
Kourouta Beach is about twenty minutes by car from the ruins of Olympia, near enough for a seaside lunch and a swim on the same day as the site. Do the ruins in the morning and drive to Kourouta for lunch and a swim through the midday heat.
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Kronos Hill
Kronos Hill rises above the ancient stadium at Olympia and is named after the Titan Kronos, with views out over the valley of the sanctuary. Look for it from the stadium, the long earth track of the ancient Games, which sits inside the archaeological site on the single ticket that also covers the museums.
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Leonidaion
The foundations of the large guesthouse that lodged official visitors to the Games fill the southwest corner of the sanctuary. Visitors see the outline of rooms set around a central courtyard with a garden and pool. Little stands above knee height, so the scale is the point. It lies at the start of the site path, near the entrance.
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Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity
The original neoclassical museum building on the hill above the village now tells the story of the ancient Games. Over four hundred exhibits, from athletes' equipment to inscriptions and statues, are grouped by event and festival, including the other panhellenic games. A basement room adds digital reconstructions. Entry is included on the single site ticket.
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Philippeion
A round marble memorial raised by Philip II of Macedon stands near the Temple of Hera, partly rebuilt with several of its Ionic columns restored to height. It is the only circular building within the sanctuary and stands out at once among the ruins. A short stop on the main site path, best in low morning or evening light.
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Temple of Apollo at Bassae
The UNESCO-listed Temple of Apollo at Bassae stands in a mountain setting about 1 hour 45 minutes by car from Olympia. Go on a different day from the sanctuary, with a car for the whole round trip, since the drive there and back takes about three and a half hours.
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Temple of Hera
Among the oldest temples in Greece, the Heraion sits at the foot of the wooded Kronos hill with several of its columns still standing. Its altar area is where the flame for each modern Olympic Games is lit by the rays of the sun, in a ceremony held months before the Games open. The rest of the year it is an ordinary, quiet stop on the site path.
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Temple of Zeus
Massive column drums lie toppled in rows where an earthquake threw them, beside the platform of the temple that once housed a gold and ivory statue of Zeus. One column has been raised again to show the full height of the building. The sculptures from both pediments now stand in the archaeological museum nearby, so seeing both completes the picture.
