Guided Tour vs DIY Ancient Olympia

While visiting Ancient Olympia, do you think it will too boring without a guide telling you information about what you are seeing?

I hear that the site does not offer audio headphones and there are few signs with some information.

I am debating whether to take a guided tour or browse by myself.

What is your opinion on this when you visited?

The site has very little signage and it's not one of the best restored sites so you have to use your imagination and understanding of Greek temples, fountains, stadiums, etc.

How interested are you? I'd say that for those with a medium interest who don't want to do a lot of research or reading in advance, a guide is a good thing.

For those with low interest, maybe just wanting to snap some photos and say "been there, done that", a guide isn't needed.

For those who have a major interest, you'll probably read in advance and bring notes with you (or a guidebook) and a map of the site -- all of which are helpful. You may not need a guide unless you like to ask a lot of questions.

The museum at Olympia -- as opposed to the site -- is excellent and has very good signs and information. Don't miss it!

(When people visit the site now, they tend to think of it as quiet, peaceful, shady, etc. But it was nothing like that "back in the day" when the Olympic games were held every four years. A very good book that gives some insight into the crowds, noise, rituals, etc. of that time is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Visitors-Guide-Ancient-Olympics/dp/0300159072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429211288&sr=1-1&keywords=visitor%27s+guide+to+ancient+olympics)

we used taxi Katakolon for a guided tour of the area including Olympus and a monastery

George-owner of taxi Katakolon couldn't act as guide within the complex but he provided us with guide books including one where you can overlay a photo of the ruins with a transparency of an artists impression of what the original building was like-it does help to make sense of the site

he also played a dvd on way to next site shown on seatback screen[his taxi was an e class Mercedes] which gave more history of the site

We used VisitKatakolon and we were very pleased with their services. we went to Olympia and then for lunch in a nice local tavern. kostas, our chauffeur and the owner of the company, gave us a guide book, plus lots of information about Olympia and the surroundings. they offer a guided tour as well for the site & the museum (only legal guides can actually guide you inside the archaeological areas), but a book and a chat with a local was enough for us.

Olympia is very easy to DIY. Coming off the ship there will be at least two companies offering a shuttle. We did it last week and the cost was 10eur per person return, excluding site entry fees. When the coach drops you off, instead off walking straight to the site,take 10 minutes and go and buy a guide book to the site, from one of the many shops on the Main Street where you have just been dropped. Obviously if you can a book before you leave for your cruise, even better. From the drop off point it's less than 10 minutes walk to the site.

The signage at the site is poor and without some sort of reference book, you really won't have too much idea of what you are viewing. The site entry fee is 6 eur plus a further 3 for the museum which you really should visit.

The shuttle bus will give you a pick up time, don't try to get an earlier one than you are allocated as they wont let you on and you will just waste an hour waiting for the next one!

If you decide to DIY Olympia I would recommend a good guidebook. Otherwise it is just ruins. There is a guidebook with overlays to show you what the structure looks like now and what it looked like back then.

What Greek crruise ports do you think can be done on your own?

What Greek crruise ports do you think can be done on your own?

By 'on your own' do you mean without using a ship excursion (e.g., a private or local tour) or do you mean completely on your own as in getting around using local transportation or walking?

Almost any port can be done on your own, depending on what you want to do. Some are easier than others.

Katakolon is already discussed in this thread.

The islands of Mykonos and Santorini are easy to do on your own.

Rhodes is easy because the ships dock close to the old town, which is very walkable.

Corfu is easy if you only want to visit the town (which is a fine, easy half day), but not so easy if you want to tour more of the island.

Athens can be done on your own but you should put in some time in advance planning your day and ideally have some information with you about the sights you'll be seeing there.

The island of Crete has, I think, three different ports. If you want to stick to doing what's available near each one, it's easy enough. There are local buses in Iraklion that can take you to Knossos. In Rethimnon, you can simply walk around, perhaps visit the castle above the town. Souda is my least favorite of the Crete ports, but there is either a ship shuttle or a local bus that will take you to Chania, a pretty enough little town, where you can wander, eat, shop.

Nauplio is easy to do on your own, the ships dock very close to the town. But this port is also a great place from which to tour Mycenae and/or Epidavros, for which you would need to hire a car or take a tour.

At Volos, it's best to plan a tour that visits Meteora, where you can see and visit the cliff-top Greek Orthodox monasteries (but there are lots and lots of steps; beware if you have physical limitations).

Monemvasia is a beautiful little town; ships tender you into the modern part and then a shuttle will take you to the old city (or you can walk it, it's not that far). I find this one of the prettiest little towns I've visited in the Med.

Gythion is a port where it may be best to hire a driver or take a tour to Mystras and/or ancient Sparta.

you can also download apps with audio guides. I have used Rick Steve's but there are others.

I like this because I can pause and rewind depending on what's going on.

We are planning to do Olympia, Argostoli, and Mytilene on our own as well as Santori - is this inadvisable?

you can also download apps with audio guides. I have used Rick Steve's but there are others.

 

I like this because I can pause and rewind depending on what's going on.

Is there an audio tour from Rick Steves for Olympia??

I looked but didn't find anything from him or anybody else...

I know I had one for Olympia but I can't remember where I found it. Happy googling.

Does anyone know where we can find an audio tour of Olympus. Is Rick Steves the only "person" doing them for free?

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