Olympia · Elia · Greece

Archaeological Site of Olympia

historicculturewalkgoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning

contemplative, nostalgic, adventurous

A local would say...

The Olympic flame is still lit in this same valley — the tradition has continued for nearly 3,000 years.

Not a city but a sanctuary — the birthplace of the Olympic Games, set in an idyllic leafy valley by the Kladeos River. Though Theodosius and earthquakes reduced the magnificent buildings to ruins, enough remains to sustain an absorbing half-day walk: the gymnasium, the palaestra (wrestling school), the Temple of Zeus, and the best-preserved ancient stadium in Greece. The Olympic flame is still lit here and carried by runners to the modern host city.