Ancient Olympia in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Ancient Olympia covers 13 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Ancient Olympia rewards a detour.

The Ancient Olympia route at a glance

• Day 1
• Day 2

Day 1

Day 1 covers 7 stops and about 2 km on foot, from Museum of the Ancient Olympic Games to Temple of Hera. ≈ 2 km of walking, about 25 min

Morning

1. Museum of the Ancient Olympic Games: The Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity, in the neoclassical old museum of Olympia on a pine-covered hill, telling the story of ancient Greek sport, its athletes, events and victors. 0.8 km on foot (10 min) to the next stop
2. Archaeological Museum of Olympia: The Archaeological Museum of Olympia, one of the great museums of Greece, with the sculptures of the Temple of Zeus, the Hermes attributed to Praxiteles and the soaring Nike of Paionios. 0.7 km on foot (8 min) to the next stop
3. Philippeion and Treasuries: The Philippeion, the round monument of Philip II of Macedon in the sacred grove of Olympia, with the treasuries of the Greek cities nearby and the Zanes, statues of Zeus paid for with cheaters' fines. 0.2 km on foot (2 min) to the next stop
4. Workshop of Pheidias: The workshop of Pheidias at Olympia, where the great sculptor made the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, later an early Christian church, identified by tools, moulds and a jug with his name. 0.2 km on foot (2 min) to the next stop

Afternoon

1. Temple of Zeus: The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, now a field of huge fallen column drums, where the giant gold and ivory statue of Zeus by Pheidias, one of the Seven Wonders, once sat. 80 m on foot (1 min) to the next stop
2. The Altis and the Palaestra: The Altis, the sacred grove of Zeus at Olympia, beneath the wooded Kronos hill, and beside it the Palaestra, the Gymnasium and the Leonidaion, where athletes trained and guests stayed during the Games. 90 m on foot (1 min) to the next stop
3. Temple of Hera: The Temple of Hera, the oldest temple at Olympia, from around 600 BC, where the Olympic flame for every modern Games is lit by the rays of the sun in front of its ruined columns.

Day 2

Day 2 covers 6 stops and about 1.4 km on foot, from Ancient Stadium to Ancient Elis. 4 longer hops are best done by public transport or taxi. ≈ 1.4 km of walking, about 15 min

Morning

1. Ancient Stadium: The ancient stadium of Olympia, a long earthen track between grassy banks, reached through a vaulted stone tunnel, where athletes ran the races of the Olympic Games in front of about 45,000 spectators. 1.4 km on foot (16 min) to the next stop
2. Coubertin Monument: The Coubertin Monument, a white marble stele in a cypress grove near Olympia, where the heart of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, rests, on the grounds of the International Olympic Academy. 33 km to the next stop: take transport
3. Temple of Apollo at Bassae: The Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae, a remarkable Greek temple of the late fifth century BC high in the lonely mountains of the Peloponnese, the first site in Greece on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 27 km to the next stop: take transport

Afternoon

1. Lake Kaiafas: Lake Kaiafas, a peaceful coastal lake south of Olympia, with an islet, warm sulphur springs in a cave below the mountain, a belt of pine forest and a long sandy beach on the Ionian Sea. 29 km to the next stop: take transport
2. Katakolo: Katakolo, the small harbour village on the Ionian coast west of Olympia, where cruise ships dock for visits to the ancient site, with a waterfront of cafes, an old lighthouse and a technology museum. 28 km to the next stop: take transport
3. Ancient Elis: Ancient Elis, the ruined city in the plain north-west of Olympia that organised the Olympic Games for most of their history, where the judges lived and the athletes trained before every festival.

Walking distances and times follow streets and footpaths (routing by openrouteservice.org, map data © OpenStreetMap contributors). Times are walking only, at an easy pace; add time at each stop.

Updated: October 25, 2026

Full Ancient Olympia guide and all stops →