Katakolon (Olympia) Greece - Best Things to See and Eat Tour

Hi everyone! I'm taking you along with me to Katakolon (Olympia), in Greece! We only had 7 and a half hours here at this cruise port so let’s get started!

In this video, I will cover the sights and food that I saw on a private tour/excursion from a MSC Cruise. This video will cover the best things to do in Olympia (Katakolon), Greece!

My ESSENTIAL Travel Gear (battle tested, Lin approved):

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Video Notes:

* Introduction to Excursions or Private Tours from Katakolon, Greece: *

The stop at Katakolon needs a tour for sure. There really isn’t much to do around the port. The only reason cruise ships stop here is for Olympia. I’m glad I got to see it because I would never fly to Athens and make the drive out to see Olympia, so this was a nice chance to see the things I read about in history books growing up.

I highly recommend a private tour company vs. any tours that you can book on the ship. Having your own private car and personal attention, especially on a short day like this one, was key.

Sights:

The first thing we did was see the archaeological museum. It would have cost an extra 130 euros if we wanted her to go in with us and explain everything we see.

I didn’t go to the olympic museum because we didn’t have enough time. Our tour guide told us that it was pretty boring because it’s basically just a rectangular ruin.

Hermes and the infant dionysus, by Praxiteles: this statue was discovered to be in very good condition in 1877. This statute is famous for being incredibly polished. Hermes is carrying the child dionysus to the nymphs who were charged with his rearing. The arm is missing, but they think he could be holding out a bunch of grapes for the child.

Nike of Paionios: This is an ancient statue of the Greek goddess of victory named Nike. It was originally on a pillar near the tempe of Zeus. This statue was installed to honor the recapture of Sphacteria from the Spartans in 425 BC. This is a statue of the greek goddness of victory which shows her gently landing on her left foot. This is where the brand "Nike" got its name.

The west pediment of the temple of zeus: this shows a big battle between centaurs and ancient Greeks. This was built around 460 BCE and it has 42 figures in total. It's crazy to see how well preserved it was and how emotional some of the figures are.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was a giant Zeus sculpture on a giant wooden throne with gold, ivory, precious stones and ebony. Sadly it was destroyed over time, possibly by fire or looting.

The second part of the museum was a big open land where some of the ruins still stand. I can’t believe they allow you to walk into the ruins and touch them. We didn’t spend that much time here because it started pouring.

Palaistra: This was part of an ancient gym, and helped to train some of the wrestlers and other athletes.

Philippeion: was erected by Philip II, King of Macedonia after the victory of Chaeroneia in 338 BCE. Originally there were 18 Ionic columns and inside were gold and ivory statues of Philip's family.

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#travel #travelvlog #olympia #greece #Katakolon #excursions

Music by: Nicolai Heidlas - Drive

[sasandy]

We were just there a month ago. It was one of our favorite cruise ports. Peaceful small town. The museum was wonderful. Many Greek functioning designs. My husband and I went upstairs and they had a table and benches to play games. Food nearby was good too. Edit to add we did not go on a tour.

[TouringTastebuds]

Amazing! Greece is a travel goal of ours for this year or next! Looks beautiful, way to make the most of the 7 hours you had!

[TravelwithTommy]

Watching your video make me want t go to Greece. Gorgeous video Lin. Will put this on my bucket list.

[nazfromqueens]

Hi Lin,
We actually live in a Greek neighborhood in nyc. We always ask why they would move from such a beautiful country?? Looks really nice there. I we love archeological sites like this.

[PhysicalTherapyStudent]

Could you please tell me where to get the olive oil. I will be taking the same cruise in two weeks. Thank you very much

[TCMURAT]

Somebody mugged us in Greece. We spent so much money to go there, we didn’t feel safe at all. Transportations are so expensive, taxis they are charging whatever they want, no regulations that’s sucks. We were treated so badly. Hell no never go back to Greece again. If you want to get robbed and spend so much money for vacation you can go there. Find somewhere else to go with your family vacation.