Departing from the port with your private vehicle and driver, you will travel through the rich countryside between the Alfios and Kladeos rivers, on your way to Olympia, where you will embark a 2-and-a-half-hour guided tour, that visits the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, the spot of the lighting of the Olympic torch and the stadium, among other sites.
Ancient Olympia, the archaeological site of the first Olympic Games, in 776 B.C., lies in the lush valley formed by the Alfios river. There is a temple of Zeus which in antiquity was housing one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, which Phedias had created. Then see the temple of Hera, as well as the shrine of Hera which is where since 1936 the Olympic Torch is always being lit from the sun, the shrine of Pelops (one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palaestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games. Finally, you will reach the stadium, where the marble starting blocks are still in position.
You will also visit the Archaeological Museum, only a short walk from the Olympia site itself. Here you will find a wonderful collection of Greek sculpture, as well as treasures that have been unearthed over a century of excavations.
See the breath-taking original pediments from the Temple of Zeus, all in white marble from Paros, illustrating the mythical war between the Centaurs and the Lapiths on the one side, the beginning of the chariot race between Prince Pelops and King Oinomaos on the other side. The museum is also home to the famous Hermes of Praxiteles statue, as well as the marble statue of Nike and the bronze helmet of general Miltiades who defeated the Persian army in 490 BC in the battle of Marathon.
You can stroll around Olympia town and have Greek coffee at one of the town's coffee shops, mingle with the locals and explore the high street with its many shops.
