Ancient Olympia (birth place of Olympic Games) & Corinth Canal, Private Day Tour
Description
A great suggestion for a private day tour so as to visit some of the most interesting and impressive places in Peloponnese. Our first stop will be at the Corinth Canal and its “Isthmus” (neck in Ancient Greek). A 6km marvel of ancient and modernengineering, the Canal connects the Aegean and the Ionian Sea. After our short stop there, we continue to visit Tripoli, where we can stop for coffee, and then reach famous Ancient Olympia. Birthplace of the Olympic Games, a religious and sports center, Ancient Olympia will take your breath away. Feel the energy of this historical site and let yourself be transported back in time. See the Temples of Hera, of Zeus, the Ancient Stadium, the Palaestra and the workshop of famed sculptor Pheidias, creator of the chryselephantine statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. In the Museum of Olympia you will see such masterpieces as the Hermes of Praxitelis, Nike of Paionios, a variety of artifacts, the drinking cup of Pheidias!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Aprox. one hour after leaving Athens we will reach our first stop, the Corinth Canal. The Corinth Canal is one of the oldest man-made canals in the world and a very important navigational route in Greece, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. The canal’s position, thereby also separates the peninsula of Peloponnese – conveniently converting it into an island – with the Greek mainland. And, while the Greece canal is quite narrow, it is a fact that the canal is a vital lifeline for ships wanting to enter the Aegean Sea. Spanning a distance of 6.3 kilometres, the Corinth Canal has a depth of 26 feet and its width alters between a minimum of 69 feet and a maximum of 82 feet at the bottom and at the surface respectively. Surrounded by walls standing at a height of 170 feet, the canal helps a ship to save a journey of 185 nautical miles.
Half an hour later we will be at Tripoli. Tripoli is the largest city in the central part of the Peloponnese. It is the capital of the regional unit of Arcadia. We may have a short stop here for a coffe / snack or just rest for a few minutes.
Aprox. one and a half hours later we will be in Olympia. The archaeological site of Olympia includes the sanctuary of Zeus and the many buildings erected around it, such as athletic premises used for the preparation and celebration of the Olympic Games, administrative buildings and other lay buildings and monuments. The Altis, the sacred enclosure and core of the sanctuary, with its temples, cult buildings and treasuries, occupies the centre of the site. It is surrounded by a peribolos, or enclosure wall, which in the late fourth century BC had three gates on its west side and two on the south, and is bordered on the east by the Echo Stoa, which separates the sacred precinct from the stadium. The enclosure wall was extended in Roman times and two monumental entrances were created on its west side.
The Archaeological Museum of Olympia, one of the most important museums in Greece, presents the long history of the most celebrated sanctuary of antiquity, the sanctuary of Zeus, father of both gods and men, where the Olympic games were born. The museum's permanent exhibition contains finds from the excavations in the sacred precinct of the Altis dating from prehistoric times to the Early Christian period. Among the many precious exhibits the sculpture collection, for which the museum is most famous, the bronze collection, the richest collection of its type in the world, and the large terracottas collection, are especially noteworthy.
After concluding your tour to the sites and the museum, you will spend some time at the picturesque small town next, crossing the bridge of river Kladeos. You will find many small cafes and restaurants here to relax and possibly have lunch.
After finishing with your lunch and everything in the small town of Olympia, we will start the return trip back to Athens. We will be back after aprox. three hours.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Traveler pickup is offered Pick up time can be scheduled according to your preferences. Please make your request at the special requirement’s section & we will contact you after your booking. Travelers can be picked up from all Athens centre & Piraeus Hotels. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points. For pickup from Airbnb or any other location/apartment, please provide the exact address. Please note that in case the requested pickup location is in a pedestrian zone or it is not accessible by cars/vehicles, we will notify you, upon booking, of the best alternative pick up location. Please be at the meeting point 5-10min before your scheduled pickup time, in case parking or waiting time for your driver is limited. Piraeus Ferry Port Piraeus, Athens centre Drop off is at the same location as pick up
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Our company complies with all the health instructions of the World Health Organization about COVID-19.
- Please note that your personal professional driver, will provide commentary in fluent English, en-route but cannot enter the archaeological sites. We can arrange for you to have a private licensed guide to escort you in the sites, at an extra cost, depending always on the availability. You may contact us on the phone number or by the email provided by Viator and we will confirm accordingly.
- The proposed itinerary may need to be adjusted in case of emergencies or special circumstances that are out of our control (e.g. extreme weather conditions, police instructions, safety reasons etc).
Reviews(29)
Yannis was an excellent guide and driver! Super accommodating and knowledgeable and his English was great! Non-smoker. We enjoyed our time with him and the tour! You should ask for Yannis if you can, but the whole company and experience was amazing.
First and foremost it’s so important to have an amazing guide. Our gentlemen was Apostle and he was amazing and fun. He made our tour so much better, great ideas of what we should do and see. He was a lifeline to a great time!!
Billy was a fabulous guide. The half city tour was knowledgeable & lots of fun anecdotes. Please ask for him when you're in Athens
Makis was absolutely amazing! Very knowledgeable and passionate about Greece. Amazing to see Ancient Olympia. So much history.
Nikos was a pleasure to deal with the booking process from US was easy and tours to be customized for your group. Would highly recommend Our driver Apostle was prompt very friendly and knowledgeable. A great overall experience
Tolis, made our experience absolutely amazing. This is by far the best thing we could have done while in Athens. I recommend having him as a driver. He’s an expert in the history of Greece and is extremely personable. When you meet him, you feel that he is a friend that you’ve known for years. I can’t recommend this tour enough. It was such an amazing experience.
We had a great trip organised by Nikos. Everything was as we had discussed covering a 2 day tour to Delphi and Olympia. Our driver George was hugely knowledgeable and helpful, and spoke perfect English. We went with two of our two sons, 15 and 9, who also had a great time. Thank you!
My wife and I booked this 4-day tours. Spyros was our driver and did an amazing job of describing the ancient history of each location...he was extremely knowledgeable! We packed so much into 4 days...it was great! His recommendations for lodging and restaurants were spot-on! Spyros was also very courteous and friendly...and everyone in Greece seems to know him and speak highly of him! I would highly recommend using Spyros to see the highlights of the Peloponnese Peninsula. He was simply the BEST!
You simply cannot do any better than PGT for touring while in Greece! All 14 of our group of family and friends enjoyed a total of 18 bookings with PGT. They provided private transport between Athens Airport and our rented apartments; took us on multiple tours that we were able to tailor; and transported us from our lodging in Athens to the ferry terminal so we could visit several islands during our stay in Greece. The drivers providing transport were prompt, thoughtful and knowledgeable about all things visiting Athens and Greece. The vehicles were always roomy, comfortable and air conditioned, and they were quick to ensure we were offered water to stay hydrated under the intense sun. When they tell you their tours are tailorable, they mean it. They were very quick to accommodate our requests to linger in certain places and even add a visit to a small, excusive vineyard that provides wines to our favorite restaurant in the US. The tour drivers are very engaging and knowledgeable about the locations we visited and quick to offer both well known and obscure tidbits regarding the history and significance of the many unique places we visited. Two folks at PGT, are worthy of special mention. George took us on 2 of the tours and was wonderfully informative, pointing out items of interest along the way, as well as offering up a comprehensive history of the places were were visiting. He always had great recommendations for meals, and we were delighted with every choice. George is very organized, has a vast understanding of Greece history and culture in general, as well as knowledge of obscure fascinating, facts that are not commonly known. George has a lightning fast wit, great sense of humor, and is wonderfully thoughtful. He made every tour an absolutely fabulous adventure. Anna-Marina is the one who brought everything together for our group. She was masterful in creating an itinerary that accommodated every single request made by the various folks in our group. Despite us arriving and departing on different days and different times, she ensured we never waited for our transport or tours. Being very detail oriented, she kept everything in order despite some in our group needing to adjust schedules for arrivals and departures. Anna-Marina is a big reason we all enjoyed ourselves so tremendously without any stress or delays in our myriad activities. PGT contributed in a major way to what all in our group agree has become one of our most favorite and memorable adventures together!!
Our recent tour to Meteora and Delphi was a truly unforgettable experience. Spiros, our knowledgeable guide, made every moment enjoyable and informative. His passion for Greek history and culture was infectious. The food recommendations were spot-on, and we loved trying authentic local delicacies. Traveling in an air-conditioned car was a comfortable way to explore these breathtaking destinations. Highly recommend this tour!
