Going to the place where the Olympic Games began has been on my bucket list for many years! I was finally able to visit in October of 2025, and it truly exceeded my expectations! The Olympics began in the year 776 BC in Olympia, and still to this day, the flame of the modern Olympic Games begins its global journey here! It was amazing to visit in person, and I highly recommend making your way to Olympia for a memorable visit!
How To Get There
Olympia is located in the Western Peloponnese of Greece. It can be a bit challenging to reach, so we decided to rent a car from Athens and drove for about four hours to the site. The journey begins on a toll road out of Athens, making it relatively easy initially. However, for the last hour or so, you’ll be driving through the mountains on very winding roads, which can cause motion sickness. It’s definitely something to keep in mind ahead of time.
We did stop at Kapsia Cave to break up the drive from Athens to Olympia. We didn’t realize that we would actually have a guided tour while stopping here. The cave tour was 30 minutes long and certainly worth a visit. The cost of the tickets was 4 Euros per adult.
We also stopped at Lagkadia while driving through. This mountain village was completely unexpected to us, so we just had to stop for a few minutes to take some photos. They do have a few lovely-looking cafes, and if we weren’t on a time crunch, it would have been amazing to stay for a short visit while passing through.
Finding a Tour Guide
I strongly recommend finding a tour guide for your visit to Olympia. There is just so much information about this historical place, and it was beneficial to have someone explain the sites at Olympia as we walked through the site.
We found Niki, and from Niki Olympic Tours, thought that she was an excellent tour guide. She was extremely insightful about the history of Olympia and the Olympic Games. She clearly explained the different areas of the grounds, how they were used in history, and provided pictures of what the grounds and temples used to look like when they were standing. By having a guide, it truly added to our experience and made it quite memorable for us!
There were two options for us (a group of 7) to choose from with our tour guide:
- A 2.5h tour that included the Olympia Site and the Archaeological Museum – 200 Euro Total
- A 1.5h tour that only included the Olympica Site – 150 Euro Total
Note that this fee did not include the entrance tickets to the museums or the Olympia Site. We opted to book the 1.5-hour private tour. This worked well for our group as we stayed longer at the stadium area and enjoyed running and walking on the original Olympic track!
My Experience at Olympia!
The Olympia site opens at 8:00 am, so we found it quite easy to find parking, and it wasn’t too busy at all. We were set to meet our Tour Guide at the ticket counter at 8:30 am, right outside the Olympia site. Each adult ticket was 20 Euros, and this also included the entrance to the following museums in addition to the Olympia site:
- Archaeological Museum of Olympia
- Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of Antiquity
- Museum of the History of the Excavations in Olympia
With our tour guide, we walked around the sites, took photos, and enjoyed learning stories that took place many years ago. It is amazing to see the structures and stone that have been recovered and to see the original carvings of Olympic Champions’ names on the stones!
Our tour finished in the stadium area, where we walked and ran on the running track. This is a great spot for photos, and we had such a fun time there!
Visiting the Olympic Museums
1. Archaeological Museum of Olympia
The main museum that was also very busy was the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. We spent almost an hour there, and it was very cool to visit after seeing the actual Olympic site, as we were able to make connections to the artifacts and understand what we were seeing more clearly! We spent about an hour there and felt that it was a sufficient amount of time to take it in!
2. Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of Antiquity
This museum was personally my favourite one as it was solely focused on the games themselves. The museum overall is not too big, and it wasn’t busy at all. It is less than a 10-minute walk away from the Olympia site, and I highly recommend going there for a visit. It was very informative and great to learn even more about the history of the Olympic Games.
3. Museum of the History of the Excavations in Olympia
Unfortunately, this museum was closed when we were there. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and we visited on a Sunday. I did see in a review that it is generally closed; however, it may* be possible to ask someone at the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of Antiquity, and they might open it for you.
Overall Thoughts.
Overall, I absolutely loved spending time at Olympia, exploring the site of the origin of the Olympic Games, and viewing ancient artifacts at the museums. This was a bucket list item for me, and it is definitely worth the visit out there! I would recommend going in the morning, right when it opens at 8:00 am, as by 10:00 am the site becomes very busy. There was even a line to get into the Archaeological Museum of Olympia by 11:30 am, whereas first thing in the morning, there was no line at all.
Having a tour guide was beneficial in gaining a thorough understanding of the origin of the Olympics and how they came to be. Booking a tour with Niki from Niki Olympic Tours would be a fantastic way to take in the sights and learn the history behind the games.
This was a fantastic trip to have, especially in October. The weather was only a little cool and perfect for exploring the grounds!
Enjoy your trip to the Olympic Games!
