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Katakolon 03 February 2016

The Olympic Games Site

3.5 h. tour (Private tour)

(Transportation + guidance all the way + guided tour of ancient Site + free time in Olympia)

For those of you who do not want to visit the archaeological museum of Olympia, this private tour will show you the magnificent Olympic Games site as well as the modern town of Olympia.

Departing from the port with your private vehicle and driver, you will travel through the rich countryside between the Alfios and Kladeos rivers, on your way to Olympia, where you will embark a 1 and a half hour guided tour, that visits the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, the altar of Hera where the lighting of the Olympic torch takes place and the stadium, among other sites.

Ancient Olympia, the archeological site of the first Olympic Games, in 776 B.C., lies in the lush valley formed by the Alfios river. The temple of Zeus in antiquity was housing one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, which Phedias had created. You will also see the temple of Hera, the shrine of Pelops (one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palaestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games. Finally you will reach the stadium, where the marble starting blocks are still in position.

After all that, you can have a break in the modern town of Olympia, for coffee or shopping and then you will be returned back to the port.

Since this tour is not including any indoor visits, you should be prepared for exposure to the weather conditions which according to the month of the year that you will be visiting vary.

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Katakolon 03 February 2016

Private Olympia Highlights

4 h. tour (Private tour)

(Transportation + guidance all the way + guided tour of ancient Site + guided tour of the archeological museum + free time in Olympia)

Departing from the port with your private vehicle and driver, you will travel through the rich countryside between the Alfios and Kladeos rivers, on your way to Olympia, where you will embark a 2 and a half hour guided tour, that visits the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, the altar of Hera where the lighting of the Olympic torch takes place and the stadium, among other sites.

Ancient Olympia, the archeological site of the first Olympic Games, in 776 B.C., lies in the lush valley formed between the Alfios and Kladeos rivers. The temple of Zeus in antiquity was housing one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, which Phedias had created. You will also see the temple of Hera, the shrine of Pelops (one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palaestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games. Finally you will reach the stadium, where the marble starting blocks are still in position.

You will also visit the Archeological Museum, only a short walk from the Olympia site itself. There you will find a wonderful collection of Greek sculpture, as well as treasures that have been unearthed over a century of excavations. See the breathtaking original pediments from the Temple of Zeus, all in white marble from Paros, illustrating the mythical war between the Centaurs and the Lapiths on the one side, the beginning of the chariot race between Prince Pelops and King Oinomaos on the other side. The museum is also home to the famous Hermes of Praxiteles statue as well as the statue of the winged Nike. Extremely important for world's history and the way democracy was founded in Athens was the battle of Marathon in 490 BC from which the helmet of general Miltiades that was dedicated to Zeus still exists and is in display in the museum.

After all that you can have a short break in the modern town of Olympia, for coffee or shopping and then you will be returned back to the port.

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Uncategorized 29 January 2016

More information about me

I had the luck to be born and raised in this beautiful country and specifically at a city on the western coastline of the mainland. So many beautiful beaches, historical sites, traditional villages and amazing seafood come from that area, which though remains undiscovered by most tourists. As a little girl growing up on the countryside I was dreaming of being able to travel around the rest of Greece and the rest of the world one day, in order to meet different people and cultures. Learning English and French as a child, and being in love with the rich history of my country, I was always amazed when a "traveler" would out of the blue show up in my land and would try to communicate with him and tell him as much as possible about Greece. It was in my own hometown, Mesolongi, that a school for tour guides opened its gates and I managed to take the exams successfully in order to attend it.

Having graduated in 1997 from Greece’s school for tour guides, I started offering guiding services for many areas all over Greece, in Greek, English and French. A few years afterwards, in 2002, I was lucky enough to start working and collaborating with Rick Steves. Eventually that led into meeting him in person and accompanying him to some of his travels throughout Greece, helping him update his travel guide books. Talking and collaborating with the "guru of traveling" could be nothing else but an inspiration and great lesson for me, but at the same time a big responsibility to carry out, since a lot of people contact me after his recommendation.

One of the highlights of my career was when BBC chose me to be the official Olympia expert in the live broadcasting of the ceremony of the lighting of the Olympic torch for the 2012 Olympics in London.

My base now is Ancient Olympia which is 320 Km away from Athens and 40 km away from the famous port of Katakolo, where a few hundred cruise ship arrive every season, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the beautiful region of the Peloponnese. Several days a month I also spend in Athens, where part of my family lives, and where most of our multiple day tours start from.

It is my privilege and pleasure to be able to guide visitors and show them my country that I love and respect. The Greek heritage and culture is very fascinating, and that is what I'm always trying to disseminate to my guests during the few days or hours that we have to share.

In addition to that since 2009 I started a new attempt which was to operate as a travel planner and organizer, for people that are interested in customized tours and in seeing as much as possible of this beautiful country. Having been in this business already for long time, I have the luck of having excellent associates by my side, such as other licensed tour guides, professional and very experienced drivers, hoteliers and restauranteurs that I have been knowing personally for all these years. It started as an amateur idea of providing with private travel planning and suggestions on places off the beaten track to visit for some friends or people that I would meet for a few hours on a guided tour, and inspired the idea of founding our own travel agency. Today myself and my team feel it's an obligation to help all of you carry out your tour in Greece, customized according to your special interests and preferences, being always at your side for a unique travel experience.

So if you would like to visit Ancient Olympia, Athens or any other part of my historical country, I would be more than happy to provide my services. The goal of myself and my associates is to share this amazing culture and philosophy of the Ancient Greeks but also provide you with an insight of how modern Greeks live.

Booking a tour with us, you are never on your own!

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Gythion 22 December 2015

Gythion to Diros Caves

4 to 4.5 h. (Private tour)

(transportation + visit at Diros Caverns + optionally stop for coffee at a picturesque seaside village)

This is a half day tour to one of the most impressive caverns of Greece.

Board your comfortable private vehicle with your driver and enjoy a drive of 1 hour, passing the rocky and unique mountains and hills of the Mani region.

Your driver along the way will be able to point out some of the things of interest you will see, as well as stop at some of the impressive points from where you will be able to capture the spectacular and different views of the area.

Upon your arrival at the cavern you will embark small boats, in order to enjoy a ride through the unique lake and the breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites that date way back... They offer the service of audio guides in several languages where you purchase the tickets. After the end of this beautiful experience, you will walk up to the parking. If you are interested and time allows it, you can also visit the small museum there is, which has in display human skeletons, pottery and tools from the prehistoric times.

Getting on the road back to Gythion you may want to have a short coffee break in one of the small picturesque villages you will drive through. Top recommendation would be the village of Limeni.

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Gythion 22 December 2015

Gythion to Sparta and Mystras

4.5 to 6 h. tour (Private tour)

(transportation + guided tour of Mystras castletown + short stop in Sparta + optionally stop for lunch or dinner at Mystras modern village)

Departing the beautiful port, you will enjoy a drive of approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes through the lush valley of Evrotas, till you reach modern Sparta, a city that doesn’t look at all as simple and remote as the descriptions about the ancient one let us imagine. Nowadays it is characterized by the beautiful architecture of the many neoclassical buildings in it and the several palm trees along the central avenue, which ends in front of the colossal bronze statue of Leonidas, the General, a legend of the ancient times.

Unfortunately there isn’t much left of the ancient city itself, apart from a few foundations of the ancient city and remainings of the ancient theater. If time allows it, you can get off and walk next to some of these ruins.

Soon after that you will start driving up the mountain to the ruined Byzantine city of Mystras. It is divided in 3 sections, surrounded by the ancient walls and has two gates, either to enter, or exit. There is one on the top level and one on the lowest one. Be prepared for extensive walking on a steep path made of stone and have your guide enter with you the most important of the remaining Byzantine churches, where you will see and hear explanations about the wall paintings and the floor mosaics. You will also see several foundations of houses where the nobles lived and the Palaces which are under restoration.

After the end of this visit, if you choose the extended version of the tour, you can enjoy a lunch break in any of the small villages nearby and then return back to the ship.

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Nafplion 22 December 2015

Nafplion Walking Tour

3 h. tour (Private walking tour)

(guidance throughout + guided tour of the archaeological museum + visit of a liquor store and tasting + visit of the komboloi museum)

Experience this majestic city, the first capital of modern Greece, through this walking tour, which will be offered to you by a local expert, a licensed tour guide. You will be met at the area where the ship's tenders will drop you off and will start your tour.

Nafplion is a city that combines a long history from the ancient times until today, but the most important parts of it have to do with its architecture and role during the Venetian occupation, which was when the old city was mainly designed and built the way you will experience it. Nafplion was one of the very few cities that were not occupied for long by the Turks, who were occupying Greece for 400 years. When modern Greece started getting organized after the end of this occupation, Nafplion was chosen to become the first capital, after a few months that the capital was the island of Aegina.

Being at the port you will be impressed by the view of this beautiful city, full of neoclassical buildings in different impressive colors and the two forts standing out in the background and on top of it. Your guide will walk you directly to where the city limits used to be, when on the 18th century the walls of the forts used to come all the way down to the sea, making the city impregnable. From there you will imagine that you are back in the ancient times and you will enter the city from the land's gate, which still stands along with the very impressive lion's coat of arms. All over the city's walls this emblem used to exist during the long period of time that the city of Nafplion was under the Venetian occupation, symbolizing their power.

From there you will move on to the city's square and standing in the middle of it you will be able to admire all around you different statues, such as the one of Ioannis Kapodistrias who was the first prime minister of the liberated modern Greece, of King Othon who was the first king of modern Greece after the murder of Kapodistrias, as well as the monument of general Ipsilantis. You will be pointed out the neoclassical building that used to be the first school of modern Greece, which today is the city hall of Nafplion, and another one that used to be the first pharmacy of modern Greece.

Continuing your walking tour, you will reach a higher level of the old city and the church of St. Spyridon, one of the many churches there are, but with great significance in the Greek history since outside it was where Ioannis Kapodistrias was murdered and the scar on the wall from the bullet still remains. Proceed from there to the very impressive Sydagma square, a square all paved with shiny and impressive marble, and see around you gorgeous neoclassical buildings as well as Turkish baths that now consist the small movies theater of the city. The building of the archaeological museum really stands out. On Mondays it is closed, but any other day it's really worth a visit. Your licensed tour guide will present the highlights of it to you, which are displayed in two separate floors. Among other things you will see Mycenaean pottery, tools and utensils, as well as the oldest Mycenaean armor in the world which is so well preserved and dates from the 15th century BC.

It would really worth your time to enter with your guide and have a guided tour of the Greek orthodox church of Panaghia(Virgin Mary), dating back to the 15th century AD and see among other things the impressive wall paintings and portable icons, many of them decorated with silver and gold offerings that people with deep faith are dedicating to the saints.

Your tour will continue back in the crowded city center at one of the most popular alleys with the tourist shops, where among other things you can visit a store that sells traditional products and olive oil, and a store which is also a workshop of leather sandals and you can have a brief description of the traditional way they make them.

Nafplion is also famous for the several stores where they sell kombolois. Whether on the street or in a busy kafeneion downtown, you will find people playing with their worry beads(kombolois) in different manners, flips and tricks, thus letting go of their stress and worries as one bead moves deliberately towards the other. The pleasure of the action and the clicking noise of the beads turns the overall performance in an easy motion that is reported to help ease tension. It is also said that this action can be of big help for those that would like to quit smoking, but to tell you the truth I have seen many times people holding a komboloi on one hand and a cigarette on the other. You will visit the komboloi museum and you will learn more about its origin, its evolution, the way of making it as well as how many different stones or materials can be used for a komboloi to be made and for a komboloi to either cost a few euros or thousands of euros a piece. On the top floor they also have a small room where they display some old and precious pieces of komboloi.

End your tour with a totally different vibe. Visit a traditional liquor store owned by a local lover of wines and spirits, with deep knowledge of many things about their qualities and best regions to get them from. You will sit on the main hall, surrounded by huge shelves full of different labels of Greek wines, cognacs, but also the famous ouzo and you will enjoy listening to everything he has to tell you before you enjoy your tasting of a few of these wines and spirits.

From there you can walk back to the port either with your guide, or on your own, so that you can explore the city more now that you know so much about it, or go dine at one of the local restaurants there are. Your guide can give you tips and suggestions on how to make good use of your time.

For lovers of sea food that have more time at their disposal and would like a unique experience of Nafplion, we could arrange for you a meal that every local would want to have at the end of their day. Visit a famous old restaurant by the port, with a view of the sea, where you will taste the traditional fish soup which the locals call "kakavia". Different kinds of fresh fish and shells along with fresh vegetables and extra virgin olive oil are cooked on a way that only a few know so well, a true feast of senses!

The order of the visits on this tour might change, according to your guide's judgment, depending on the weather, traffic or other reasons that might affect the timings and your enjoyment, which is our main goal.

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Piraeus 22 December 2015

Athens Experience

Athens city tour 8h Explore Athens partly on your own

Cost per person: 60 euro

(children up to 3 y.o. free)

(Transportation from Piraeus and back + Athens guided city bus tour with a licensed guide on board + Free time)

This is a tour designed for those that would desire to explore Athens on their own and spend as much time as possible experiencing it. Either because you have been to Athens before, or because you would like to take your own pace visiting the monuments, photographing them or simply spending as much time as you want admiring them, this tour is the best option for you. It offers transportation from Piraeus to the city center of Athens and back, as well as professional narration by a licensed tour guide which will help you find your way around once you will be on your own, but also provides a guided bus city tour of Athens.

Of course booking this tour and changing your mind the day of it, you can always upgrade to the guided tour option if there is space available, since we never have more than 18 people in each tour guide's group and pay the difference of the cost directly to your guide.

The tour with the licensed tour guide and the bus will start from the port of Piraeus. Officially Piraeus is considered to be a different city, but you can say it is one of the suburbs of Athens. Along the way you will keep seeing and hearing explanations about the different parts of Piraeus and Athens, such as the Kastela and Mikrolimano ports. Since Athens hosted the Olympic Games in 2004 and most of the Olympic settlements were located on the southern suburbs of it, you will cross an Olympic Venue and you will follow an open free way that will bring you right at the center of Athens. While being amazed by the first views of the Acropolis and its Parthenon that you will be having from the bus, you will be impressed by the view of the massive remaining marble corinthian columns of the temple of Zeus which still stand in the triangle between the Acropolis, the Panathenaic stadium and the Zappion Mansion which once used to be an Olympic Commitee building. Afterwards there will be a photo stop by the Panathenaic marble stadium of the 1896 Olympics. The sightseeing will proceed passing the Parliament house, the Sydagma square, the Athenian Trilogy consisted by the Academy, the Library and the University buildings, the semi-byzantine building of the first eye clinic building in Europe and the church of St. Dionysios which is the Metropolis of the Catholic church in Athens. The drive will proceed through the Stadiou Avenue and the other side of Sydagma square, the Arch of Hadrian and will end by the statue of Melina Merkouri and the pedestrians street between Plaka and the Acropolis where your free time will start from.

Your tour guide will also give you directions on how to get to Plaka or the Acropolis hill or the New Acropolis museum. On the Acropolis hill you can see the temple of Nike, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and of course the Parthenon. From the top of the hill you will have a great view 360 degrees of the whole city of Athens, as well as Lycabettus hill, the Ancient Agora and the port of Piraeus. In the Acropolis museum you can see a garden of statues of "Kores" and "Kouroi", foundations of ancient houses beneath a glass floor, the Karyatides and on the top floor, all made of glass, the remaining pieces of the pediments and the frieze of the Parthenon. This is the next best view of the Parthenon if for any reasons you do not want to climb the Acropolis Hill.

After you explore either of these monuments on your own, you will be able to spend your free time to shop, dine or stroll around the Plaka or Monastiraki area. Plaka is one of the most famous districts of central Athens and one of the few parts of the city which remain untouched, full of neoclassical buildings where people still reside, as well as several gardens, terraces and squares where small traditional restaurants are serving their specialties. For those of you that don't mind long walks, you can also spend your free time walking to the Ancient Agora and the Monastiraki area(flea market) which are located on the other side of the Acropolis Hill and you can reach crossing through the beautiful alleys of Plaka. You have to make sure though that you have enough time in order to make it back and a map which will make navigating through the narrow alleys easier.

After you assemble at the designated meeting point, your guide will make sure that everyone is on the bus and then will escort you back to Piraeus. On the way you will be able to discuss your experience in Athens and ask questions you may have.

The order of the visits on this tour might change, according to your guide's judgment, depending on the weather, traffic or other reasons that might affect the timings and your enjoyment, which is our main goal.

Food, beverages, gratuities and the entrance tickets to the monuments are not included.

The ticket to the Acropolis is 20 euro and to the Acropolis museum 15 euro per person.

 

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Piraeus 22 December 2015

Athens Highlights All-Inclusive

8 h. tour (Semiprivate tour, up to 18 people max. per guide)

Cost per person: 185 euro (135 euro for children up to 5 years)

(skip-the-line entrance tickets included)

(children up to 3 y.o. free)

(Transportation + guidance on board + guided tour of the Acropolis Musuem + guided tour of the Acropolis + city tour + free time in Plaka)

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This tour includes most highlights of Athens, one can see in a day. Athens is a city with a lot of history, great architecture, old districts, some of the best museums in the world and a lot of great restaurants where someone can taste famous Greek cuisine recipes. Since you will be on a cruise and you have limited time available, we have designed for you a tour that can help you experience Athens the best way and make the most of your visit there.

The tour with the licensed tour guide and the bus will start from the port of Piraeus. Officially Piraeus is considered to be a different city, but you can say it is one of the suburbs of Athens. Along the way you will keep seeing and hearing explanations about the different parts of Piraeus and Athens, such as the Kastela and Mikrolimano ports. Since Athens hosted the Olympic Games in 2004 and most of the Olympic settlements were located on the southern suburbs of it, you will cross an Olympic Venue and you will follow an open free way that will bring you right at the center of Athens. While being amazed by the first views of the Acropolis and its Parthenon that you will be having from the bus, you will be impressed by the view of the massive remaining marble corinthian columns of the temple of Zeus which still stand in the triangle between the Acropolis, the Panathenaic stadium and the Zappion Mansion which once used to be an Olympic Commitee building. Afterwards there will be a photo stop by the Panathenaic marble stadium of the 1896 Olympics. The sightseeing will proceed passing the Parliament house, the Sydagma square, the Athenian Trilogy consisted by the Academy, the Library and the University buildings, the semi-byzantine building of the first eye clinic building in Europe and the church of St. Dionysios which is the Metropolis of the Catholic church in Athens. The drive will proceed through the Stadiou Avenue and the other side of Sydagma square, the Arch of Hadrian and will end by the statue of Melina Merkouri and the pedestrians street between Plaka and the Acropolis where your walking guided tour will start from.

Next will be the visit of the New Acropolis Museum, characterized as one of the best museums in the world, where you will see parts of the excavations of the ancient city through its glass floor, an amazing exhibition of “Kores” and “Kouroi” statues, the Karyatides e.t.c. As you will be ascending the different levels of the museum, you will reach the top floor, all glass, where admiring the remaining pediments and frieze of the Parthenon, you will also have an excellent view of the Parthenon itself. This is the next best view of the Parthenon, if someone for any reason doesn’t decide to climb up the Acropolis hill.

It is 156 meters(about 600 feet) up to the top of the Acropolis and most of the ancient marble paths are still there, for you to walk on and to “travel” with your imagination, back in the glorious “Golden Age of Pericles”, when most of the Classical period monuments you will admire were built. Climbing up you will see and hear explanations about the Filopappos hill, the Herodium odeon, the Dionysius theatre, the Pnyx hill - birthplace of Democracy and the Areopagus hill.

Stopping before the Propylaea, you will have an excellent view of the temple of Wingless Nike and the Ancient Agora, where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle introduced great philosophical schools. Walking through the Propylaea you will reach the top and you will see the breathtaking Parthenon and the Erechtheion temple opposite it where the Karyatides stood instead of columns to support the roof.

At the end of the guided tour, you will enjoy some free time to explore on your own and take pictures of the roof tiles of the buildings in the Anafiotika and Plaka districts below e.t.c. Your tour guide will also give you directions on how to get to Plaka, where you will enjoy aproximately 1 and a half hour free time to shop, dine or stroll around. Plaka is one of the most famous districts of central Athens and one of the few parts of the city which remain untouched, full of neoclassical buildings where people still reside, as well as several gardens, terraces and squares where small traditional restaurants are serving their specialties.

After you assemble at the designated meeting point, your guide will make sure that everyone is on the bus and then will escort you back to Piraeus. On the way you will be able to discuss your experience in Athens and ask questions you may have.

The order of the visits on this tour might change, according to your guide's judgment, depending on the weather, traffic or other reasons that might affect the timings and your enjoyment, which is our main goal.

Entrance tickets for the Acropolis Hill and New Acropolis Museum are included so you will not waste valuable time waiting at the ticket booth lines. Dense crowding is expected at the Acropolis and there might be waiting time to enter the archaeological site.

Food, beverages and gratuities are not included.

Audio devices (microphone for the tour guide and earpieces for the guests) are included in this tour.
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Katakolon 21 December 2015

On board guided tour

6 h. tour (Joined excursion)

Cost per person: 50 euro (40 euro for children up to 5 y.o.)

(Transportation + guidance on board + free time in Olympia on your own)

This is a tour designed for those that would desire to explore Olympia on their own and spend as much time as possible experiencing it. Either because you have been to Olympia before, or because you would like to take your own pace visiting the monuments, photographing them or simply spending as much time as you want admiring them, this tour offers transportation from Katakolon to Olympia and on board guidance by a licensed tour guide, for only 50 euro per person.

On the way to Olympia you will have the opportunity to learn all there is about Katakolon, Olympia and its history, Pyrgos and the prefecture of Ilia. You guide will inform you about all there is to see in Olympia and will give you useful tips that will help you make the most of your time.

Having a licensed tour guide presenting the highlights of the museum as well as the monuments of the Olympic Games site which are now in ruins, is a way to be able to visualize them better and to make the most of your time at each place. But, there are a lot of people who have deep knowledge of ancient Greek art and history or who are less interested in all that and don't like to have to be in a group and follow a certain itinerary. This is the right tour for you in this case. Of course booking this tour and changing your mind the day of it, you can always upgrade to one of the guided options if there is space available since we never have more than 25 people in each tour guide's group.

As soon as you arrive in Olympia you will be able to start your exploration from either the archaeological site or the archaeological museum, where you will be able to see among other things the ancient gymnasium and the palaestra, the remains of the temple of Zeus and Hera and the spectacular Olympic Stadium. In the museum you will be able to see the statue of Nike and Hermes of Praxiteles as well as the beautifully preserved pediments of the temple of Zeus from the classical period.

In the archaeological site and the museum there are boards with information about all the important things mentioned in English and German.

There are also two other museums. One is the museum of the history of the Olympic Games, located at the end of the main street of Olympia and close to the archaeological site, which is focusing on how the athletes were training and what kind of accessories they were using. It's a neoclassical building of unique architecture. The other is the museum of Ancient Greek Technology which has a lot of interesting innovations of Archimedes, beautifully presented and most of them recreated for the visitor to see.

You will also be able to explore the modern town of Olympia, do some shopping and taste local specialties before you meet with the rest of the group at the designated area to return back to the port. On the way back you can discuss your experience in Olympia, ask questions and your guide will be happy to answer.

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Katakolon 21 December 2015

Site and Museum Experience 6h All-inclusive

6 h. tour (Semiprivate tour, up to 25 people max. per guide)

Cost per person: 110 euro (80 euro for children up to 5 years)

(skip-the-line entrance tickets included)

(children up to 3 y.o. free)

(Transportation + guidance all the way + guided tour of ancient Site + guided tour of the archeological museum + free time in Olympia)

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Departing from the port with your private vehicle and driver, you will travel through the rich countryside between the Alfios and Kladeos rivers, on your way to Olympia, where you will embark a 2 and a half hour guided tour, that visits the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, the spot of the lighting of the Olympic torch and the stadium, among other sites.

Ancient Olympia, the archeological site of the first Olympic Games, in 776 B.C., lies in the lush valley formed by the Alfios river. There is a temple of Zeus which in antiquity was housing one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus, which Phedias had created. Then see the temple of Hera, as well as the shrine of Hera which is where since 1936 the Olympic Torch is always being lit from the sun, the shrine of Pelops(one of the oldest in the sanctuary), the Council house where the athletes took the Olympic oath, the Treasury houses, the Gymnasium and the Palaestra where they used to exercise for a month prior to the Games. Finally you will reach the stadium, where the marble starting blocks are still in position.

You will also visit the Archeological Museum, only a short walk from the Olympia site itself. Here you will find a wonderful collection of Greek sculpture, as well as treasures that have been unearthed over a century of excavations.

See the breathtaking original pediments from the Temple of Zeus, all in white marble from Paros, illustrating the mythical war between the Centaurs and the Lapiths on the one side, the beginning of the chariot race between Prince Pelops and King Oinomaos on the other side. The museum is also home to the famous Hermes of Praxiteles statue, as well as the marble statue of Nike and the bronze helmet of general Miltiades who defeated the Persian army in 490 BC in the battle of Marathon.

This tour is usually being combined with the guests who choose to join the Olympia Project tour that also includes a Greek dining experience in a local restaurant. Therefore, after the guided tour is over, you will have plenty of time to spend on your own at the Olympic Games site or museum and then at the modern town of Olympia. Olympia is a rather small town, therefore it is easy to walk around and navigate yourselves to the different places you would like to explore on your own.

You can stroll around Olympia town and have Greek coffee at one of the town's coffee shops, mingle with the locals and explore the main street with its many shops where you can find everything from jewellery and clothes to arts and crafts. Also you can taste the traditional souvlaki with pita and gyros by making a stop at one of the small souvlaki posts where you can either sit down or have it to go and continue your exploration. Alternatively, you can visit on your own the museum of the History of the Olympic Games(Old Museum), as well as the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology which has a lot of interesting innovations of Archimedes, beautifully presented and most of them recreated for the visitor to see.

Your tour guide will inform you before your free time is given to you, of the exact time and designated meeting point in order to gather the whole group, board your bus and return on time back to Katakolon port. On the way back you can discuss your experience in Olympia, ask questions and your guide will be happy to answer.

Food, beverages and gratuities are not included.

Audio devices (microphone for the tour guide and earpieces for the guests) are included in this tour.
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About Us

It would be a pleasure to send you my proposals, through our travel agency, and organize your touring experience in Greece, just for you!

 15561, Agiou Ioannou Theologou 43, Athens

 27065, Praxitelous Kondyli, Ancient Olympia

+30 6972426085

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Whatsapp: +30 6972426085

MH.T.E. 0415Ε60000165901

Our Awards

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ASTA

ricksteves

Recommended by Rick Steves

bbc

Niki was the official Olympia Expert in BBC live broadcasting to explain the significance of the lightning of the Olympic flame for the 2012 London Olympics

Client Testimonials

Niki's knowledge of the history there as well as how she related it to all of us was a perfect balance!
Julie
Niki knows her stuff, and she comes across as an intelligent and credible source of verified information. My wife and I used her as our group tour guide in Olympia and then again in Athens, and we were very pleased.
Tony
I definitely recommend other cruisers to book independently through Niki Vlachou.
Madge