Olympia, the most ancient and most famous sanctuary in Greece, lies in the verdant valley of Alpheios river in the western Peloponnese, in an area of striking natural beauty.

Pausanias visited the region of Elis and described in detail the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia where the Ancient Olympic Games were held every four years in honour of Zeus. Pausanias was fascinated by the temples of Zeus and Hera, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus in his temple, the innumerable works of art that stood in the Altis, the sacred grove of Olympia.

Nowadays you can visit the excavated site of Ancient Olympia and see the remains of the temples of Zeus and Hera, of public buildings like the council house, the Leonidaion which provided accomodation for official visitors to the Olympic Games, the Philippeion, a building in honour of the family of Alexander the Great, the workshop of Pheidias, the sculptor of the huge statue of Zeus which was converted into an early Christian church.

You can see the Palestra and the Gymnasium, where the athletes trained and above all you can see the Ancient Stadium with a capacity of 45.000 spectators where the games were held for more than a thousand years.

Explore the museum of Olympia located opposite the excavated site, one of the richest museums in the country. You can see figurines of men and animals in terracotta or bronze, tripods, weapons and helmets.