Ancient Olympia Half-Day Tour from Katakolo Cruise Port
Description
Drive through the scenic and beautiful landscape of the Peloponnese Peninsula to reach the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Admire the emblematic temples and athletic facilities and feel the era of the ancient classical period. Visit the modern Village of Olympia for shopping, traditional Greek food and refreshments. Save time and money with our fast drive to Olympia. For your convenience and comfort departures just outside the cruise Terminal of Katakolo.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Fresh of your cruise ship just 2 min away from the Katakolo cruise Terminal meet our multilingual staff and start your adventure to explore the birth place of the Olympic Games. We need approx. 1 hour to reach Ancient Olympia
Olympia, a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula, is known for hosting the Olympic Games in classical times. Join us in reliving the wonder and thrill of the original Olympic Games, which were held from 776 BC. to 393 AD. as you explore the ruins of the great monuments. Enter the famous archaeological site of Olympia and marvel at the Temple of Hera, in front of which burns the Olympic Flame during modern day Olympic Games. See the Temple of Zeus, which once housed the Golden and Ivory statue of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and the original Stadium and Bouleuterion, monuments unlike any other, where once competitors swore an oath to conform to the rules. We stay at Ancient Olympia 3 hours when you can visit the Archeological Sites and the modern village of Olympia for shopping, souvenirs, lunch and snacks.
Then we head back to Katakolo village ( 60-min ride back) where you can stroll around the picturesque little port, swim at the nearby beach, shop at the local shops or head directly back to the cruise ship.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(303)
The bus to Olympia was easy to get on and off. The guides were very friendly. It was a good amount of time to see everything and still have lunch in town.
This was pretty much a bus ride to Olympia and back, as promised. However had to rate it 4/5 stars because some of us passengers really struggled to understand the person directing us on this bus. Her English was not great and she simply said “ yes,ok” to us even when we were misunderstanding her direction and trying to clarify. This led us to think we were just stopping to go to the bathroom and returning to the bus. Thankfully I found another guide that spoke better English and clarified.
We had a wonderful experience on this excursion! Everything was perfectly organized and started right on time. Our guide, George, was friendly, knowledgeable, and very informative, making the trip both enjoyable and interesting. He shared great insights throughout the tour and made sure everyone had a great time. Highly recommend this excursion!
The actual description requires more clarity. This is not a “tour”. It is bus transport from just outside the cruise port to the Town where the the Ancient site is. There are no tour guides- merely people who direct you on and off the bus. At the Ancient Site you have to buy your entrance tickets and go through the site I. Your own (there is an app you can download). Staff upon arrival were surly and annoyed when questioned because most people thought this was a tour. If 2 or more just rent a car. Drive is easy and straightforward and allows you your own timing.
Straightforward bus service with agreed set times. Our 9am group were 3 tour buses. On the way back, we finished about 30mins ahead and was able to get one of the return buses back when it was filled.
Well organised coach service with a guaranteed seat, unlike the public bus service. Three hours was just the right amount of time to see the archaeological site and both museums.
Great little bus trip to get to Olympia. Very clear instructions on when and where to get back on. Helpful with information on tickets to Ancient Olympia.
The tour was great. Finding the starting point was difficult in the tumult of the location and a sign on the ground hard to see from any distance identifying the location. In fact, we missed our scheduled ride due to that and had to wait an extra hour. Also, our booking information was for a private car/van for the three of us. Yet, we were put on a huge bus.
Well-organized bus tour with guidance up to the entrance. Depart directly at the boat. Good bus and punctual.
As many pointed out, this tour is basically a transportation to and from the Olympic site and it excludes the entry fee to the site. I understood this before booking this tour. So no issue. The bus ride is smooth. The only confusion I had was that the tour guide brought to the museum site first and dropped us off there. I thought I could purchase the tickets there near the museum site. But it turned out (after asking so many locals there) that the ticket office is located probably another 500-800 feet away. The guide did not provide instruction on where to buy the tickets. I see many people already have mobile tickets when we were dropped off at the museum so that they could enter the museum right away. But given the tour did not include the entry tickets, it should be reasonably expected that the guide should bring us to the ticket office or tell us where the ticket office is located in order for those of us who did not buy mobile tickets ahead of time to buy the tickets on site. We wasted about 30 minutes walking all over before we finally found out where the ticket office was located. A clear disappointment from the tour. Wish the guide could explain this well in advance on the bus before reaching the Olympic site as voice over the microphone in the bus would ensure everyone hears this instruction clearly.
