Location
Olympia is a small town on the west side of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. It is a small village surrounded by farming hills and its closest city is Pyrgos. Known the world over for its archeological site of the first Olympic Games, the village hosts many tourists during the day.
Kid-Friendliness?
Greeks are extremely welcoming of children and the town boasts many child-friendly dishes in it’s restaurants. The town is hilly and the archeological site is bumpy, so strollers are more difficult to use, but not impossible. The archeological site is very kid-friendly as kids can move about and make noise with no problem as it is outdoors. The museums are less kid-friendly as they are expected to stay quiet.
Famous Landmark
The Archeological site of the first Olympics is by far the main attraction in this little town. The town itself is surrounded by hills of farmland. People flock to the village to see the historical site. You are free to walk around the archaeological site, but you cannot climb in or on the ruins.
Shopping
Along the main road leading up to the parking lot of the Olympic site, there are little tourists shops. If you are looking for a small grocery story, you can find one in town. The larger grocery store is a little drive out of town (or a longer walk not easy with kids)
Green Space
Inside of the Olympic complex, there is a small botanical gardens to walk through. These are signs to learn different plants and a map of the gardens at the entrance.
Our family also enjoyed walking along the roads at the edge of the town, as the farmland is so green and fun to see what different fruits and vegetables we could identify.
Kid Activity
The actual ruins of Olympia (not as much the museums) are highly engaging for children. Using the map and reading signage, kids can imagine what happened in each location around the site. Racing in the original stadium, wrestling where the wrestling building was, sitting on the hill of the stadium as a spectator, seeing where the Temple of Zeus stood…it is all a wonderful, magical experience for kids.
