Day 1
After enjoying a scenic bus ride through the breathtaking Peloponnesian countryside, you arrive at the little town of Olympia. The town swells with tourists during working hours as they come in groups from the cruise ships. But after hours and away from the crowds, it is a quiet, sleepy village.
There are hotel options around town as well as several camping options. After a good night sleep, you are ready to explore!
If your accommodation does not include breakfast, there are many restaurants around the town center. You can find international options and lots of coffee!
After breakfast, make your way towards the Olympic site. There are signs guiding you around town. Once you pass through the parking lot, make your way down the road. Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you arrive at the ticket counter. (You can also buy tickets inside the museum next to the parking lot. However, I recommend starting at the archeological site first).
Tickets are only valid for one day and include the archaeological site and both museums. It is doable to complete both museums and the archeological site in one day; however, with kids, I highly recommend paying for two days and taking your time. We like to take in our surroundings and not hurry through a place, especially a place with so much history and room for the children’s imaginations to take off!
Back at the ticket counter – Buy tickets for the site. Kids are half price. Keep your tickets with you as you need to show them to enter each attraction included on the site.
*Family Tip – Print off a map and information sheet or have a Greece tour book handy with explanations about the ruins ahead of time for your children to follow along and plan their path around the ruins. The more historical information about each Olympic event, the more the kids can imagine. There are a good number of signs scattered throughout the site explaining different things, but we found having a book on hand to be helpful.
You can spend hours at the archeological site, as it is an enormous space that houses all the different event locations. Let your kids’ imaginations soar as you wander through each section.
Must-see Favorites for Kids:
- Olympic Stadium. – by far the favorite part of the site as the kids can imagine walking into the stadium to participate. The kids can make up their own races on the track and feel how the Olympians must have felt! It is in a basin so they can imagine the spectators sitting on the slopes surrounding the race! They can feel the crowds cheering for them!
- Phineas’ Workshop – Phineas was the sculptor of the famous Zeus inside Zeus’ temple (proclaimed as one of the wonders of the ancient world). His workshop is found amongst the ruins. In the workshop, you can imagine him working there and later on, you can go to the Museum of Archeology and see the items that were excavated from the workshop. They even have his cup displayed with his signature etched onto the bottom.
- Wrestling Arena – my boys loved reading about how they wrestled in the early Olympic Games and then giving it a try. They pretended to have wrestling matches with each other on the grass where the Olympians would have wrestled.
- The dishonored Olympians – Leading into the stadium you will find what is left of a series of bases on which once stood statues inscribed with the names of dishonored Olympians who were caught cheating. It served as a warning to competitors.
- The bathhouses – these were well excavated and it was fun to learn about the culture and customs of the first Olympians.
By the time you have covered the entire archeological site, it is time for a late lunch. It is a lot of walking and the kids will be tired. You can head over to eat lunch near the ticket office or go back into town at this time.
Enjoy a quiet afternoon or head back in for more sightseeing! The town is really lovely to relax in, with window shopping, restaurants, and nature everywhere!
Day 2
Check out the two main museums today that go along with the archeological site. Together they will take you a morning to explore. Here is an overview of the two museums:
Archaeological Museum of Olympia
This museum houses the artifacts found around the archeological site during the excavation. Two fascinating rooms to visit:
Phineas’ Workshop Tools excavated – There is a whole room with items found inside his workshop on the Olympic site. The most famous item, which helped archeologists decipher that it was indeed his workshop, was a cup that had his signature on the bottom. The museum has it on display in his room, with a mirror underneath it, so that viewers can see his signature.
Roof of the Temple of Zeus – as the site was destructed, archeologists have had to put all the sculptures back together with the little information that they have about what the buildings looked like. So, when you get to the room with the sculptures that were originally in the roof of the Temple of Zeus and you see how much they have been able to piece together, it is truly jaw-dropping. A must-see part of all of Olympia.
*Family Tip – prepare your children ahead of time that lots of men’s private parts are going to show on sculptures throughout the museum. Explain how this art form works so that the children are not shocked and make loud remarks about it while going through the museum.
Museum of the History of the Olympic Games
The last part of the Olympic site that needs to be visited is the museum up next to the parking lot! It is the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games where families can learn the timeline of Olympic history. There are MANY facts inside this museum and kids can get overwhelmed. But taking it room by room and getting an overview will help children understand what over 2000 years of Olympic history really looks like. Parents will also be awed by the vast amount of information and timelines inside this museum.
The kids will be hungry after two museums! For a treat, there are slushies at the restaurant down by the ticket booth!
Now that you have finished looking at the different parts of Ancient Olympia, take time to check out some natural scenery! You can visit the Botanical Gardens found on the grounds of the site. This will show you local flora. There is a map in the front of the gardens to help assist you.