Our DIY Katakolon and Olympia Report

You’ve probably come across my recent DIY report on Santorini and Athens. Here’s the next in the series from our recent cruise for Katakolon and Olympia.

When doing my research, I found information on this port-of-call a bit sparse, so hopefully this collection of information I’ve put together here is of value to future visitors.

Our priorities for Katakolon and Olympia:

If your cruise was anything like ours, it’s a very port-intensive cruise so some folks might opt to use Katakolon as a relaxing port day and skip Olympia altogether. I would encourage you to visit… it’s not that demanding, nor is it expensive if you DIY. Having said that, we used Katakolon as an opportunity to sleep in a bit, which was a welcome break from our early morning starts earlier in the cruise.

Our priorities were to have a relaxing day, take the train to Olympia, see the ancient site, maybe visit one of the museums in Olympia, and then head back to Katakolon for a glass of wine and a late lunch at one of the many sea-side tavernas in town.

Maps:

My Google Map of Katakolon and Olympia has important points of interest labeled on it.

Katakolon town:

Katakolon town is essentially a small sea-side village that’s about 4 blocks long with the large cruise ship piers at the south end and the train station at the north end. In between are some interesting shops along the main street, and on the water front, a fantastic selection of patio dining and drinking establishments.

I’m guessing it takes about 15 minutes to walk from one end of town to the other. It can take another 15 minutes to actually reach your ship from the port entrance though, depending on where your ship is tied up as some of the piers are a long walk.

I highly recommend enjoying some lunch or libations on the water front after a hard day of sight seeing in Olympia :p

Getting to Olympia:

I guess there are basically 4 ways to get to Olympia: ship tour, train, bus, or rent a vehicle and drive. We opted for the train, although the bus looked like an equally effective and affordable mode of transportation.

I’ll first mention what information I found on the bus and then I’ll describe the train in detail.

BUS:

There is at least one, and possibly more, private companies that offer coach transporation to Olympia for 10-Euro… They were soliciting people on the street in town so they aren’t hard to find.

Here’s the web site for one of these bus companies:

http://www.geo-travel.gr/offer.php

TRAIN:

The train station is marked on my Google Map. At the train platform, there is a ticket booth which has the days train schedule posted. I understand they have a set schedule plus a variety of other runs depending on the number of ships in port. It’s probably best to get off the ship, head to the train station, figure out what schedule works best for you, and then buy your tickets and kill time in town until the next train leaves. A return trip is 10-Euro and you don’t need to select a particular time. The conductor will punch your tickets on board. There is no validation required before you board.

Here’s a photo of the schedule for the day we were in Katakolon:

Here’s the website for the train (translated from Greek to English)

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=el&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftrainose.gr%2Fthematikatrena%2Fkatakolo-olympia

Since we got a lazy start, we took the 11AM train to Olympia, and returned on the 2PM train.

The train was very full, in fact, I think a few people had to stand for the 45-minute journey. My recommendation for getting a seat is just to try and be among the first to get on when the train stops. One tip that might help in this regard is not to wait in the middle of the platform, but on one end or the other. When the train is busy, as it was when we were there, it is 4 cars long and it fills the entire platform so avoiding the crowds that seem to cluster in the middle of the platform is about the best advice I can offer on that front.

What to see and do in Olympia:

Olympia is also a small village… here’s a map…

We visited the Archeological Site first, and opted to buy the combo ticket for 9-Euro that included the museum vs. the standard 6-Euro ticket for each. After you’re done exploring the site, it’s a short 5-minute walk to the museum. There is a refreshment stand and toilets between the site and the museum, or there is also a refreshment stand and toilets within the museum itself.

Note that when you're finished at the museum, there is a bridge across the Kladeos River right next to the Museum so you don't need to double-back all the way to the end of town where you first entered the site. This bridge gets you right into central Olympia by the parking area adjacent to the train station.

Be warned, neither the archeological site or the museum is particularly outstanding. For example, there’s little more than rubble to see on the site. However, I still found it interesting by trying to imagine what it was like 2500 years ago as we strolled around. I found the story of the statue of Zeus to be fascinating (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) – particularly the part about it’s loss and destruction.

For time, I would budget 1 hour for the archeological site, and another hour for the archeological museum. This is what we did and since we arrived in Olympia at around noon, we were ready to return on the 2PM train.

If you want to visit the other museums (modern games and old museum) I would probably budget another hour (30 minutes each) based on what I’ve read elsewhere.

Some photos:

This is about the only structure still standing...

The ruins of the Temple of Zeus in the background... (It's hard to imagine that this tree is an infant compared to the rest of the site)

More ruins from the Temple of Zeus

The entrance to the ancient field...

Some archeologists at work...

Great review and photos.

Keith

Thank you for your great review. We are on a port-intensive cruise next month which stops at Katakolon, and because the port stop is fairly short and 2 of the party of 4 have already been, we were hesitant if we should go to Olympia. We have seen thousands of ruins/historical sites/heaps of stone all over the world, so we are pretty spoilt. We had already heard and read there is not much still standing in Olympia. Your pictures confirm that.

Thanks for the review!

Many thanks for your review and photos! We will be there next spring and we have already reserved a private tour. I've learned my family gets alot more out of a sight if someone is there explaining it to them.

Your pictures are gorgeous and have inspired me to try hard to get good, quality photos for our trip.

Getting to Olympia:

 

I guess there are basically 4 ways to get to Olympia: ship tour, train, bus, or rent a vehicle and drive. We opted for the train, although the bus looked like an equally effective and affordable mode of transportation.

IME, you may also just take a cab, as they will be waiting. I don't recall how many they are. We were on the Windstar, which is a small ship, so maybe if you are on a larger one, the cabs are quickly taken.

Be warned, neither the archeological site or the museum is particularly outstanding. museum.

Totally agree. And watch out for the employees outside who will blow a whistle at you if you touch or sit on anything.

Thanks for your review and pics..... the more I think about it, the more I am thinking to just stay on board the ship or find something else to do or just do Olympia as you did, nice and easy! :)

Thanks for your review and pics..... the more I think about it, the more I am thinking to just stay on board the ship or find something else to do or just do Olympia as you did, nice and easy! :)

I can understand why you might want to just stay on board, as Olympia is not all that compelling, but at the very least, I would encourage you to get off for lunch at one of the many great Greek waterfront restaurants. How often do you get a chance to have some Greek cuisine overlooking the ocean from a nice seaside town in Greece? ;)

But the train to Olympia is affordable and easy too.

Thanks for your review and pics..... the more I think about it, the more I am thinking to just stay on board the ship or find something else to do or just do Olympia as you did, nice and easy! :)

I can fully understand why you would think like that, and a day off from a hard schedule :) does sound tempting.....but it's the birthplace of sport

we actually hired a car from Avis at the waterfront (you see their office in front of you as you get of the ship) for EUR 36,97 for a whole day. With 4 people that was cheaper than any other option.

We used it to drive to Chlemoutsi Castle.

Hi VirtualRain,

Do you have any pictures of the village area at the port? We are thinking of just getting off and enjoying walking along the sea and finding something cool to eat.

L.A.S.T.

Hi VirtualRain,

 

Do you have any pictures of the village area at the port? We are thinking of just getting off and enjoying walking along the sea and finding something cool to eat.

 

L.A.S.T.

No pics, but it is a lovely little village with some interesting shops and tons of waterfront patio bars and restaurants.

Thanks!!

How far is the train station from where the ships dock? Also, how far is the train station in Olympia from the ruins?

How far is the train station from where the ships dock? Also, how far is the train station in Olympia from the ruins?

The train station is about 5 blocks or so from the pier and maybe 6 or 7 blocks from the ruins on the other end. Maps posted in the first post may shed further light on this for you.

I am considering car rental and it will be split between 4. I was wondering about beaches in that area.

I've probably been to Katakolon at least a half dozen times or more (and Olympia twice). I like Katakolon as a restful cruise port where I can walk from the ship to the town in under five minutes and chill out a bit. Standard Greek tourist shops with bars and restaurants but low key when confronted with the islands or, heaven forbid, Athens. My suggestion for those who have already been to Olympia or don't have interest in it, to enjoy a couple hours in this laid back little port village. It has a lot to offer.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to "post" their comments. This level of interest tells me that reading other "posts" on the Cruise Critic will be critically informative as we prepare to cruise the Mediterranean & Western Europe on HAL this April.

Thanks again!

Great review and pictures. Can I ask what kind of camera you are using?

Thanks

Great review and pictures. Can I ask what kind of camera you are using?

 

Thanks

Thanks. I use a Canon 5D Mark III. I wrote a bit of an essay on it all here in another thread if you're interested...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=35864556&postcount=12

While the ruins are really, quite ruins, there is something amazing about walking through the gate that the original players walked through thousands of years ago. It's fantastical really.

We've decided that we will get off the Jade for lunch/shopping and also to visit the Mercouri winery and have a chill out day..... we are seeing the ruins in Rome, Athens and Ephesus for this cruise as well so it will be good to just do what we what to do before more port intensive days! :)

Just rereading your DIY report as I will be revisiting Katakolon in January and once again I love the detail (plus the photos) you put into all your reports. I'm thinking this time I might revisit Olympia, but do the train.

When I was there last year in January it was a lovely sunny day.

My tip-most of the seaside restaurants have free internet. So for the cost of a glass of wine, coffee or whatever drink you would like you can relax with a gorgeous view and access the internet. Many people were having meals which they enjoyed. I find there is so much food on the ship, eating is the last thing I want to do on a port stop.

Thanks VirtualRain, as usual the tips and pictures are wonderful! We plan on taking the bus to Olympia, either the one you've mentioned or Katakolon Express, though lately there have been quite a few negative reports about the latter. Do I need to book the tickets in advance or can I just show up and get a spot? Thanks again:)