Private Tour To Ancient Olympia

[TOUR CODE #P14]

This is a 10 hour private tour!
Historical Information In Details About This Private Tour!

Visit Ancient Olympia and see one of the most important sanctuaries of antiquity, dedicated to the father of gods and human being Olympian Zeus. Feel the atmosphere as our guide will explain the history and the importance of Olympic Games at their birth-place, Olympia.

Experience and admire the beauties of Greece on this guided private tour, travelling in our luxury air-conditioned car / mini bus / bus while you are listening to our professional licensed guide explaining all important historical and monumental sites and introducing you to the spirit of more than 3000 years of Greek history.

Travel at your own pace.
This tour includes a private guide and vehicle, just for you. Enjoy the world’s known destinations with itineraries taliored to feed your needs.

You will be meet by our personnel and start your private tour with a wonderful drive from Athens passing by the famous Corinth Canal – a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth (Ionian Sea) with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea – to the north-west part of Peloponnese where Ancient Olympia is located.

Olympic Flame

Our guide will introduce you Ancient Olympia. Olympia is a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is well known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad, the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC. In 394 AD, (after exactly 1170 years) emperor Theodosius I abolished them as they were then considered reminiscent of paganism.

Ancient Olympia, known as the Altis, includes the oldest stone temple in Greece, the Temple of Hera (Heraion/Heraeum) and the Temple of Zeus, the Pelopion – the funerary monument in honor of King Pelops, according to a myth he was the one who organized the first games and for that reason he became famous and gave his name to Peloponnese (Pelop’s Island) – and the area of the altar, where the sacrifices were made. The stadium and the hippodrome were also to the east.

To the north of the sanctuary are situated the Prytaneion and the Philippeion, as well as the array of treasuries representing the various city states. The Metroon lies to the south of these treasuries, with the Echo Stoa to the East. To the south of the sanctuary is the South Stoa and the Bouleuterion, whereas the West side houses the Palaestra, the workshop of Pheidias, the Gymnasion and the Leonidaion.

Ancient Olympia is also known for the gigantic gold and ivory statue of Zeus that used to stand in the temple, sculpted by Pheidias, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon. Very close to the Temple of Zeus which housed this statue, the studio of Pheidias was excavated in the 1950s. Evidence found there, such as sculptor’s tools and his personal cup with his name at the bottom, corroborates this opinion. The ancient ruins sit north of the Alfeios River and Mount Kronos (named after the Greek deity Kronos). The Kladeos, a tributary of the Alfeios, flows around the area.

Ceremony of Olympic Games

The Olympic Games

Ancient Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympic Games which started on these very grounds. In the year 776 BCE the first Olympiad took place at the sanctuary of Zeus and repeated every four years for centuries thereafter. The date of the first Olympic Games (776 BCE) is the first accurate chronology of historical Greece since the names of the victors were faithfully recorded and the ancient Greeks measured time back to the centuries by referring to the different Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games were a tradition that endured centuries of time emanating a feeling of unity through competition that galvanized the independent Greek city-states into a coherent cultural entity. The Olympic Games were so important to the Greeks that they put aside their traditional differences, and even went as far as ceasing open hostilities in war time in order to descent to the sanctuary of Olympia to compete in the honorable games. The tradition of togetherness helped the Greek colonies retain close ties with mainland Greece, and acted as a catalyst for the development of what we now know as the Hellenic contribution to the birth of Western civilization.

Winning an Olympic event was an honorable endeavor for any Greek athlete. Upon winning, his home city would tear down part of their defensive walls as a gesture of confidence in the ability of its defenders. Victory in the Olympic Games was one of the highest honors bestowed upon a mortal, but besides a crown made of olive branches no material reward was afforded to the winners. One of the pivotal points of Greek thinking was the nobility of man as a free being who can overcome all obstacles in search of virtue. The Olympic Games, in their own unique way, aided the formulation of the kind of intellect that searched for answers in nature, and a respect for rules that made co-existence of free men possible.

Afterwards we will drive you back to your original pick up point.

Back to the private tour!

Prices per Group	Prices in Euro
Group up to 2 persons:	780.00
Group up to 16 persons:	970.00
Group up to 49 persons:	1290.00
The above group prices do not include: Entrance fee to Ancient Olympia archaeological site 9.00 per person
For the final cost please calculate the group price + (participants X 9.00) = TOTAL COST
The above group prices include: Professional English – speaking licensed guide, Transportation by air-conditioned – non smoking coach, Local taxes

Do you prefer to include Lunch in this tour?
In order to organize Lunch (3 course menu-without drinks) in a typical Greek restaurant you have to add 1½ hours more on the duration of this tour and 20.00 Euros per person on any of the above prices.

How to book
Click here to pay and book this private tour
Or e-mail us at adm@hopin.com
Or call us at +30 210 4285500

Highlights
Ancient Olympia, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hera, Stadium of Olympic Games, Hippodrome, Corinth Canal

Schedule Details
This tour is private and is available from Athens or Piraeus port or Athens Airport
Recommended Departure Time: 9:00am
Duration: 10-12 hours (approx.)
Return details: to original departure point (at your hotel or Piraeus port or Athens Airport)

Additional Information
All prices in this website are in Euro
Other languages are available upon request with additional price
Licensed guide = approved from the Greek government

Personal – No groups
Enjoy your own guide and vehicle, set your own pace.

Flexible - No preset times
Start when you want. Change what you want.

What to bring
Comfortable footwear, Sunblock, Hat, Camera

F.A.Q. Got some questions?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions