Sanctuary of Olympia

What makes it special

The track inside the stadium is 192 metres of packed clay. Grooved white stone blocks at each end mark the start and finish, and you can still run a lap on it.

Along the walkway to the Krypte runs a row of stone bases that once held bronze statues of Zeus, the Zanes.

At the centre of the sanctuary lie the sparse ruins of the Temple of Zeus, regarded as a masterpiece of ancient architecture. Its cella held the gold and ivory Zeus by Pheidias, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the enormous base of the statue was found.

The Heraion, the Temple of Hera, began as a joint temple of Hera and Zeus, until Zeus was given a temple of his own. The Workshop of Pheidias was later turned into a Christian church.

The temple's surviving sculpture, including its acroteria, is in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

Visiting

The Gymnasium and the Palaestra, the square where athletes trained for boxing, wrestling and jumping, lie on the west side. The Sacred Road separates them from the Altis.

The Altis, the sacred enclosure at the centre of the site, holds the Temple of Zeus and the Heraion. East of it, the vaulted Krypte passage leads into the stadium, which you can walk end to end.

The Archaeological Museum is one of the best in Greece. See it after the ruins, or first if the site is busy, then add the two smaller museums of the Olympic Games and of the excavations.

Tips

Plan a break between the site and the museums at the cafeteria in the Truce Grove, just north of the ticket office. The souvenir and book kiosk is right beside the ticket office.

Some paths run under trees, so pause in their shade between the temples.

With a night in a nearby hotel you can split the temples and the museums across two days, though each day needs its own ticket.