Huge Olympics fan wanting the best tour

Hi! I’m a huge Olympics fan and picked this itinerary for the Olympia stop. I want to make sure I’m not rushed at Olympia so wanted to hear your suggestions. We have a tour reserved with Princess but I’m looking for the best.

The tour is very dependent on the guide. Our guide carried a book that showed how things look now with overlays that showed how they looked back then. There is not a lot there that is not in ruins. However, it was cool seeing where they light the torch.

There are some (very) new tours that offer Augmented Reality (AR) tablets to look at the place and see what things looked like through history. I am signed up for one this summer, but I have not been able to find any reviews yet for Olympia. I have been to Olympia a couple of times before and I think this could be really interesting. There are a handful of reviews for AR at other places like the Acropolis. I have also heard of some Virtual Reality (VR) tours using goggles offered in other places, but not in Olympia. My tour is through my cruise line, so it would not help you in this case. But search to see what you can find. They sound like fun.

I hope someone jumps in here who has taken those tours (anywhere) to get some actual opinions. Anyone?

we used a taxi company which unfortunately cant point you towards as he died a few years ago

however there will be similar companies

he dropped us off at Olimpia with guidebooks showing the original buildings superimposed on ruins so could get better idea what looking at

he agreed to collect us at appointed time and by that time the large coaches from ship excursions were arriving so we had the benefit of place more or less to ourselves prior to that

he then took us to other areas of interest in area before dropping us back at ship

Hi! I’m a huge Olympics fan and picked this itinerary for the Olympia stop. I want to make sure I’m not rushed at Olympia so wanted to hear your suggestions. We have a tour reserved with Princess but I’m looking for the best.

LOL just take a shuttle bus in port 3 E pp round trip . Then buy 13 e ticket in Olympia and you can stay there the whole day but you will probably leave in 45 min max. There is nothing there ....just a filed with some stones around it . We saw it on Google then from fence and decided to have nice lunch in local restaurant . There is Museum as well... most boring I ever saw .

LOL just take a shuttle bus in port 3 E pp round trip . Then buy 13 e ticket in Olympia and you can stay there the whole day but you will probably leave in 45 min max. There is nothing there ....just a filed with some stones around it . We saw it on Google then from fence and decided to have nice lunch in local restaurant . There is Museum as well... most boring I ever saw .

Typo alert!!!!!

The shuttlebus costs €20 round-trip per person.

JB :)

Typo alert!!!!!

The shuttlebus costs €20 round-trip per person.

 

JB :)

Last May there was lots of shuttle buses in port for 3-5 e pp round trip. Do you mean cruise ship transfer?

LOL just take a shuttle bus in port 3 E pp round trip . Then buy 13 e ticket in Olympia and you can stay there the whole day but you will probably leave in 45 min max. There is nothing there ....just a filed with some stones around it . We saw it on Google then from fence and decided to have nice lunch in local restaurant . There is Museum as well... most boring I ever saw .

Wow. We had a totally different experience and this is why I recommend going with a guide. Such a shame you didn’t get more out of it.

Here is the original entrance to the arena.

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Last May there was lots of shuttle buses in port for 3-5 e pp round trip. Do you mean cruise ship transfer?

The public service bus costs €8 pp round-trip, you have to change buses at Pyrgos & the total journey time is about an hour e/w.

The Katakolon Express bus, a privately-operated direct service for cruisers, is quicker but costs €20 pp round-trip, and no flexibility on timing - you get 2 hours at Olympia.

Both these prices are widely available on the web.

I don't know ships' prices, but I'd guess somewhere over $50 pp incl. admission.

That's why we chose to rent a car - very easy, very flexible, and the cost a couple of years back was €50 including fuel, ie under €13 pp for 4.

JB :)

Wow. We had a totally different experience and this is why I recommend going with a guide. Such a shame you didn’t get more out of it.

 

 

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I went with a guide but also with about 20 pages of notes and pretty much left the tour to wander on my own.

I agree, it is a fabulous site if you enjoy history, art, or even sport. Not sure why the other poster doubts the authenticity. Sure, some of it has been partly restored, but so has the Acropolis, Pompeii, the Colosseum, and just about any other ancient archaeological site.

For huge Olympics fans (and I hope that means ancient Olympics....), you'll get to see:

-- The remains of the workshop of Phidias, who created both the statue of Zeus at Olympia (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) and the statue of Athena Parthenos (for the Parthenon temple).

-- The Philippeion - remains of a (circular) memorial to Philip of Macedon and his more famous offspring, Alexander the Great -- the only monument in Olympia to a human (rather than a god).

-- In the museum, a statue of Hermes sculpted by Praxiteles, probably the most revered sculptor of antiquity -- this is one of a VERY few originals known to still exist.

-- The starting line in the stadium for foot races.

-- The place where the modern Olympic torch is kindled.

(....and more.)

A note on Greek museums. In the past few years, the government has opened smaller museums at important sites, such as Olympia and Mycenae, and has transferred important works of art from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens to the smaller museums. Those works are pieces that come from the smaller sites or closely linked to their history. Some of those treasures are the Hermes at Olympia and the Mask of Agamemnon at Mycenae.

And the Hermes is exquisite. If it were more popularized by Rick Steves, you would have more tour buses going to see it than you have going to see the David in Florence. Thank goodness it is not!

 

And the Hermes is exquisite. If it were more popularized by Rick Steves, you would have more tour buses going to see it than you have going to see the David in Florence. Thank goodness it is not!

Indeed! Let's keep it a secret. Nothing to see here folks. Move along.

My lips are sealed.

:rolleyes:

What fascinates me about it also was that the entire site was buried due to an earthquake and simply forgotten about.

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The public service bus costs €8 pp round-trip, you have to change buses at Pyrgos & the total journey time is about an hour e/w.

The Katakolon Express bus, a privately-operated direct service for cruisers, is quicker but costs €20 pp round-trip, and no flexibility on timing - you get 2 hours at Olympia.

Both these prices are widely available on the web.

 

I don't know ships' prices, but I'd guess somewhere over $50 pp incl. admission.

 

That's why we chose to rent a car - very easy, very flexible, and the cost a couple of years back was €50 including fuel, ie under €13 pp for 4.

 

JB :)

We paid 3 euro pp round trip and there were lots of options in port from 3 to 6 euro. Yes ,you get 2 hours in Olympia but for me was more then enough.

LOL just take a shuttle bus in port 3 E pp round trip . Then buy 13 e ticket in Olympia and you can stay there the whole day but you will probably leave in 45 min max. There is nothing there ....just a filed with some stones around it . We saw it on Google then from fence and decided to have nice lunch in local restaurant . There is Museum as well... most boring I ever saw .

Here's a great video of some of the highlights of Olympia just posted by Cruzer Two -- I'll leave it to readers to decide for themselves whether it's just a field with some stones...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55512897&postcount=414

Nicely done video. I did not know that the Mask of Agamemnon had been moved from the archaeology museum in Athens - I last viewed it in Athens. Where is it now?

The public service bus costs €8 pp round-trip, you have to change buses at Pyrgos & the total journey time is about an hour e/w.

The Katakolon Express bus, a privately-operated direct service for cruisers, is quicker but costs €20 pp round-trip, and no flexibility on timing - you get 2 hours at Olympia.

Both these prices are widely available on the web.

 

I don't know ships' prices, but I'd guess somewhere over $50 pp incl. admission.

 

That's why we chose to rent a car - very easy, very flexible, and the cost a couple of years back was €50 including fuel, ie under €13 pp for 4.

 

JB :)

I also rented a car from the Avis location near the dock. It was cheaper than a shorex for 2 and gave us flexibility.

Nicely done video. I did not know that the Mask of Agamemnon had been moved from the archaeology museum in Athens - I last viewed it in Athens. Where is it now?

At the museum in Mycenae.

At the museum in Mycenae.

I thought that the mask in the Mycenae Archaeological Museum was a copy - at least that is what I was told.

They seem to be creating a more recent set of Olympic ruins: http://www.thisisinsider.com/photos-of-the-athens-olympic-venues-2016-7

I thought that the mask in the Mycenae Archaeological Museum was a copy - at least that is what I was told.

Then, where is the original?

They seem to be creating a more recent set of Olympic ruins: http://www.thisisinsider.com/photos-of-the-athens-olympic-venues-2016-7

Sic transit gloria mundi...

Then, where is the original?

According to their website, it is still housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. I would imagine that such a small valuable artifact should be housed in a large facility with very tight security.

You can actually see the mask during a virtual tour of the Mycenaean Antiquities collection:

http://www.namuseum.gr/exhibitions/permanent/permanent-mycenean-en.html

https://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/mycenae/agamemnon-mask.htm

According to their website, it is still housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. I would imagine that such a small valuable artifact should be housed in a large facility with very tight security.

You can actually see the mask during a virtual tour of the Mycenaean Antiquities collection:

http://www.namuseum.gr/exhibitions/permanent/permanent-mycenean-en.html

https://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/mycenae/agamemnon-mask.htm

Yes -- at least it was in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens when I was there last about 18 months ago -- it's in one of the front galleries of Mycenaean goods, very prominently displayed. I also recall that I was told the one in Mycenae was a copy.....but wasn't sure if maybe things had change in the last couple of years.

It is true that the regional museums have made a bit of fuss about objects always going to the main museum in Athens and now there is more sharing -- for example, in order to see the available frescoes from Akrotiri I had to visit both the National Museum and also the regional museum in Thira on Santorini. (Maddeningly, some of the most recent frescoes, which I've seen in documentaries, are not on display yet as they are still either being restored or aren't published yet...)