Olympia is not just about the past; it's still a super interesting place today! We've put some special links in the article so you can learn more about why people love going there now.


"The earliest remains date from 2000 to 1600 BCE, the sanctuary itself from about 1000. "

Olympia held the Olympic games for over 1000 years in that place 🙂. Amazing as we can't seem to keep things stable for 100 years these days.

"The festival of Zeus, of which the Olympic Games were a part, was held there every four years from 776 BCE until the end of the 4th century CE, when the Roman emperor Theodosius I abolished pagan festivals."

Sunday 29th October
We woke up in Olympia as part of our bus tour.  We started the day walking around the ancient Olympic site.  Our guides stories are really great, the tales from the mythological times mixed in with facts from the archaeological findings and a little bit about the landscape, current day and even what types of trees are growing. he main trees are acorns, the olive trees and the Judas trees.

At the site there was a mix of temples, sporting locations, the gymnasium, wrestling school, the stadium, buildings to support events, starting from as early as 776BC until AD 394 when it all stopped.

We saw the place where the Olympic torch is still lit today before the modern games. The best thing about this site and probably all the places we visited is where they are located. beautiful mixes of trees and wonderful views, fresh air. Despite all the tourists they are such peaceful places.  I kind of wish they were still used today for locals to come with their families and have picnics or BBQs.

The most impressive part was the temple of Zeus which had huge columns which are now all topped down on their sides.

Any good statues and any valuable gold etc. have been stolen but theres some examples of what was found in digs in museums

Yes. The structures were destroyed because of Christianity and also fell over because of earth quakes.




"Theodosius II had the temples destroyed in 426; earthquakes further damaged the ruins in 522 and 551. Mudslides and silt from the Cladeus River eventually covered much of the area, helping to preserve the site."


Olympia held the Olympic games for over 1000 years in that place 🙂. Amazing as we can't seem to keep things stable for 100 years these days.