Ancient Olympia Round-Trip Shore Excursion from Katakolo Port

Katakolo cruise port

Katakolo is a small fishing village on the west coast of the Peloponnese that has become one of the busiest cruise ports in Greece, because it is the gateway to Ancient Olympia. Its harbour is lined with colourful houses, cafés and souvenir shops, and the cruise pier sits right next to the village, so you step off the ship and meet your host just a few minutes later.

From here the drive to Olympia covers about 35 kilometres. Our host meets cruise passengers close to where they leave the ship and leads them to the air-conditioned vehicle. If your ship stays late, you can enjoy a stroll along the Katakolo seafront or a swim at a nearby beach after the excursion, as the village is compact and everything lies within a few minutes on foot.

The drive through the countryside of Ilia

The road from Katakolo to Olympia crosses the fertile plain of Ilia, a region of olive groves, orange orchards and small farming villages in the western Peloponnese. You pass the market town of Pyrgos and then follow the valley of the Alfeios, the longest river of the Peloponnese, which in ancient times flowed right past the sanctuary of Olympia.

The journey takes about 40 minutes each way, a comfortable time to watch the landscape and plan your visit. Many cruise passengers ask how to get to Olympia from Katakolo without joining a full guided tour; this round-trip transfer is the answer, giving you the freedom of independent travel with the security of a fixed return time to the port.

The sanctuary of Olympia: the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera

Ancient Olympia was the most important sanctuary of Zeus in the Greek world, and from the eighth century BC the Olympic Games were held here every four years for more than a thousand years. Inside the sacred grove, called the Altis, lie the massive fallen column drums of the Temple of Zeus, which once housed a colossal gold and ivory statue of the god counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Nearby stands the older Temple of Hera, one of the earliest Doric temples in Greece, and in front of it the altar where the Olympic flame is still lit by the sun's rays before every modern Games. Around them you see the treasuries of Greek cities, the gymnasium, the palaestra where athletes trained in wrestling and the workshop where the great statue of Zeus was made. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.

The ancient Olympic stadium

The highlight for many visitors is the ancient stadium, reached through a vaulted stone tunnel that athletes and judges once walked through before the races. Emerging from the tunnel, you see the long running track with its original stone starting and finishing lines, surrounded by grassy embankments where tens of thousands of spectators once sat.

Along the way to the tunnel, a row of stone bases once held bronze statues of Zeus paid for with fines from athletes caught cheating, a reminder of the strict rules of the Games. Many visitors run the length of the track for a photo. Plan about an hour for the sanctuary and the stadium together; the paths are mostly flat but dusty, and there is little shade in summer.

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia, a short walk from the site entrance, is one of the finest museums in Greece. Its central hall displays the sculptures from the two pediments of the Temple of Zeus, showing a chariot race and a battle of centaurs, and other rooms hold the marble statue of Hermes carrying the infant Dionysus, a winged Victory statue and a remarkable collection of bronze helmets, shields and offerings.

Allow about an hour for the museum, plus time for the smaller Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity if you are curious about the sports and prizes. As for Ancient Olympia opening hours, the site and museums open in the morning every day and close in the early evening in summer and late afternoon in winter. Tickets are bought at the entrance, and the modern village of Olympia offers cafés and lunch spots.