Combine a visit to the Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games with trips to the adjacent Archaeological Museum of Olympia and the Ancient Olympia archaeological site; together, these attractions paint a vivid picture of Olympia in ancient times. To save hours of advance planning, visit on a day trip from Athens or as part of shore excursions from Katakolon Cruise Port. Many multi-day tours combine a visit to Olympia with other ancient sites such as Corinth, Delphi, Mycenae, and Epidaurus.
With more than 400 ancient artefacts, the Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games is a must for sporting history buffs.
Visitors under 18 go free, and the museum is wheelchair-accessible.
Only put aside around 30 minutes to explore this small museum.
To get to the museum, take the train from Katakolon to Olympia. The journey takes about 45 minutes. The museum is about a 10-minute walk from the train station, and is near the coach parking area for Ancient Olympia.
This Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games is open daily, though—as with the neighboring Archaeological Museum of Olympia—closes in mid-afternoon between November and March. During the summer months, is open from early morning to early evening; take advantage of these long opening hours by coming early or late in the day to avoid the midday rush.
Olympia was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were held every four years from 776 BC. The games, which were held in honor or Zeus, saw athletes from various city-states assert their athletic superiority. The ancient Olympic games ceased in AD 393: some sources suggest that the event was banned by Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I, who wanted to eradicate paganism.