Half-Day Olympia Private Tour from Katakolon

We had a fantastic tour of Olympia and an olive oil factory yesterday. We loved learning about traditional olive oil production and enjoyed the tasting. It was a wonderful blend of history, culture, and local tradition—highly recommended.

Wow!!! What a fun day!!! Andre was fantastic!!! I highly recommend this tour. He even took us to get some original Greek food. The tour of the olive oil farm topped it off! My only advice would be to get a guide scheduled before you walk through the Olympia ruins.

Andreas was our driver and he was wonderful. Very nice, clean, comfortable car. He was very knowledgeable and took us first to Ancient Olympia then recommended an olive oil factory. The visit there was great and was able to get some wonderful items to bring home. We only did half day tour so he gave us options for next which we chose lunch. He took us to a wonderful place that was authentic and so delicious! Highly recommend

Dimitra was a very nice tour guide. She took us to the Ancient Olympia ruins and museum, as well as lunch at an excellent restaurant on the Ionian Sea. We also went shopping in Olympia. It was a great tour!

Our day in Katakolon and Olympia with Andreas was truly one of the highlights of our entire trip! We began our day at the Museum of Ancient Olympia. Standing in the place where the ancient Olympic Games were held and seeing the ruins and history firsthand was remarkable. Andreas gave us a book that was his own that explained what we were seeing and it made the experience even more meaningful. We also visited an olive oil factory, where we learned about the production process and sampled fresh olive oil made using different presses and flavors. We enjoyed it so much that we bought enough to have it shipped home! Olive oil is such an important and cherished part of Greek culture and tradition. Andreas then took us to a wonderful local restaurant in Olympia—a very traditional Greek establishment where he personally knew both the owners and the staff. The food was excellent, and it was clear that this was a place he genuinely enjoyed and trusted, rather than a generic tourist stop. Next came a wonderful surprise. Since it was Sunday, the visit was especially fitting culturally: Andreas took us to his mother’s home. She welcomed us with delicious pastries, homemade honey from their own bees, and a bag of pasta made with eggs from their chickens. Experiencing such genuine Greek hospitality was something you simply don’t get on a typical cruise excursion. It made the day feel incredibly personal and authentic. We also spent time at St. Andreas Beach. Andreas called ahead and arranged sunbeds and a cabana for us, making our visit completely relaxing and stress-free. His vehicle was comfortable, clean, and well maintained, which made traveling between each stop especially enjoyable. What really set Andreas apart was his warmth, knowledge, thoughtfulness, and willingness to share his Greece with us. He didn’t simply drive us from attraction to attraction—he gave us an experience and a personal connection to the area that we’ll remember for years to come. If you’re visiting Katakolon on a cruise and have the opportunity to spend the day with Andreas, do it. We recommend him without hesitation. Thank you, Andreas, for an unforgettable day and for making us feel so welcome. This was Greece at its very best! 5 stars — absolutely recommended!

+15

Great friendly driver Demitris who was regularly in contact with us from booking. Very knowledgable and offered lots of hints and didn’t give us a set agenda but gave us some ideas and let us choose what we wanted to do. Easy to find when getting off our ship. Would use again.

Our driver Andreas was very communicative on how to find him after we got off the ship. From there, he took us on a fabulous tour which included Olympia, a GEORGOUS winery and a quick stop at a beach for a drink and a short dip. It was a really perfect day which exceeded our expectations. Don't be talked out of the winery, it was so lovely up there to see the family business!

There will be occasional traffic slow downs between the beach town and Kotokloono. Very knowledgeable guide. Best guide of cruise.

Your was good. Ideally ask him to program it to what you want to see. The ruins are very hot. The beach was nice. Go with time. Better to eat there.

To start, know that tour services were not allowed to enter the port area for pickups; so you will have to walk to the end of the pier to meet your tour service (especially if private tour is booked). Beyond that underside that Katakolon (Olympia) is all about the original Olympic games; the athletes, their training, the events, and the evolution of the games. If your goals are anything outside of those things, you might not want to book this tour. This was a privately booked tour for us, which meant that it was self guided. We toured the Museum first, and then went to the archeological site, and Wow! We were actually on the grounds where the first Olympics were held. Walking through the grounds and eventually to the stadium was unbelievable. And then...we came to the remains of the Temple of Zeus. It is difficult to explain how I felt standing at the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...satisfying, finally, the end of a long held desire all come to mind. Afterward, we went into the archeological museum to conclude a long awaited journey. Our driver was courteous and attentive, but he had little to do with the experience. If you want someone to guide you through this tour, you should make that known before booking. We decided not to do the wine and olive portion of the tour opting instead to do a quiet lunch on the shore of the Ionian Sea...Totally Satisfying!