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If you are looking for a family vacation itinerary in Ancient Olympia for your summer holidays with kids, combining culture, mythology, history, food and tastings, as well as some leisure on the sandy family-friendly beaches of the Peloponnese, this itinerary is just for you! Read on and plan the perfect family trip to Ancient Olympia.
Traveling to the Peloponnese and especially along its western coast is a journey to a mythical world. You will have the chance to visit one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, Ancient Olympia, as well as to enjoy the view of the sunset in the Ionian Sea from golden beaches, silver olive groves and pine littoral forests, next to white sea-lilies growing in the sand. Learning with pleasure in other words, in a very family-friendly area, which also happens to be the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
Apart from Olympia, which is the highlight of the area, the region of Elis also embraces the Foloi Forest, believed to be home to the mythical Centaurs and Dryads, the forest fairies who hosted Hercules while searching for the Erymanthian boar. With a coastline stretching along the western shores of the Peloponnese, the region offers some of the best sandy and kid-friendly beaches, such as Loutra Killinis and Kourouta, ideal for leisure and fun for the whole family.
Brief Family Trip Itinerary in Ancient Olympia & Classical Greece
Day 1: Olympia day trip
Day 2: Mythology Forest & Waterfalls Hiking Tour
Day 3: Leisure on the Olympian Riviera
Detailed Family Trip Itinerary in Ancient Olympia & Classical Greece
Day 1: Olympia day trip
Enjoy a full-day trip to Ancient Olympia, become an Olympic athlete and an archaeologist for a day taking part in a kid-friendly excavation simulation and a guided family-friendly tour in the Olympia site and the Museum.
Ancient Olympia is a must-visit location, not only for history and archaeology buffs, mythology and sports lovers but for every real traveler sharing international values. And there is nothing more precious across time than friendship, respect and excellence, the values of the Olympic Games. In Olympia, you will be able to see where the Olympic torch is lit to this day, to run the Olympic track, to stand on the grounds of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the statue of Zeus.
Before your visit to Olympia, you are recommended to prepare your kids with relevant material. However, for the whole family to enjoy the visit to Ancient Olympia, you are strongly advised to book a private family-oriented guided tour. Bear in mind that tour guides specialized in kids know how to keep up their interest according to their age and their knowledge.
You can also combine your Olympia site visit with an educational activity that familiarizes both kids and adults with archeology. Dig with the guidance of an archaeologist and learn more about the work of archeologists and the procedures during excavations.
You also have the opportunity to visit the Archimedes’ Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, located in the center of Ancient Olympia. The Museum is dedicated to the great mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and inventor of ancient Greece and the ancient Greek technology of his time. Find out how the massive stones were lifted with the life-size cranes to create the temples and the ancient Greek technological marvel that created the analog computer of Antikythera, humanity’s first.
Conclude your day with a private farm-to-table dinner at an organic honey farm!
Recommended kid-friendly guided tours & activities
Archaeologist for a Day
Family visit to Olympia and Archimedes Museum
Walk and Taste Olympia
Olympia: The most beautiful place in Greece (Audio Tour)
Duration: 1h 10min-
Day 2: Mythology Forest & Waterfalls Hiking Tour
Foloi Forest is one of Europe’s oldest self-planted beech and oak forests. Home of Centaurs and fairies, the forest’s name derives from the Centaur’s king, Folos, or Pholus, who hosted Hercules when he was searching for the Erymanthian boar. Traversed by the Erymanthos and Ladon rivers, the forest is perfect for invigorating walks for the whole family.
On the Foloi plateau, the forest is flat, and the paths are mainly forest dirt roads. The easiest ones are the one starting from the junction Foloi-Koumani, and the other, starting from the Foloi Museum and leading to the gorge of Erymanthus crossing bridges, watermills and small caves.
An exceptional destination, close to the Foloi Forest and to the village Lalas, is Nemouta with its waterfalls, a scenery resembling a wild jungle. The path is safe and passes through a variant nature that keeps up the whole family’s interest from the beginning to the end. You can easily reach 3 out of 10 waterfalls, but to visit all 10, children must be at an age and physical condition able to endure a 5-hour hiking trail (3 km from the village Nemouta).
Recommended kid-friendly guided tours & activities
Nemouta Waterfalls
Mythology Hiking Tour at the footsteps of Hercules
Day 3: Leisure on the Olympian Riviera
This is a beach day to relax and enjoy the sandy family-friendly beaches along the Olympian Riviera: you can choose among Loutra Killinis, the long exotic beach with the littoral forest, Glifa and the Golden Beach (Hrisi Akti). Or, you can head towards the organized ones of Kourouta or Skafidia, a bit to the south.
When the sun is high and you need some shade, you can visit the Killini Thermal Springs, where you will find the remains of the Roman baths and a path that leads to an outdoor amphitheater. Otherwise, head to Katakolo, which apart from the hours when huge liners dock and the port fills with tourists willing to visit Olympia, is a serene town with seaside restaurants and cafes, hosting the first Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Greece that holds 200 operating reconstructions of mechanisms and inventions by the ancient Greeks covering the period from 2200 BC to 100 AD. Among the exhibits, you will be impressed by the first wake-up mechanism in history, the Automatic Opening of the Temple Gates after sacrifice on its altar (the first building automation in history), the first “cinema”, the first operating robot, the first scheduled automobile “puppet show”, the first elevating mechanism, and many other inventions.
What About Teens? Lake Water Ski
Lake Kaiafas is an outstanding ecosystem and boasts wonderful scenery. The lake is separated by the sea with a thin slice of land, known since ancient times for the healing attributes of its thermal springs. Between the lake and the sea, there is a pine forest, while the distinguishing features of the landscape are the sand-dunes leading to the deep blue waters, spangled with sea-lilies and low plant. The asphalt road around the lake and the scenic trails that reach the shores are ideal for family cycling and walking, and facilities for water skiing are available.
Sunset Views & Tasting
The Olympia Riviera is among the top places in the world for a great sunset, as the sun literally dives into the endless Ionian Sea. Enjoy a wine tasting at a local winery, stroll around the vineyards and olive groves, and come in contact with the beautiful Mediterranean nature with amazing views of the Ionian Sea and the island of Zante.
Another unique spot for a great sunset is the Castle of Chlemoutsi, perhaps the finest fortification of the early period of Frankish rule preserved in Greece today. Easily accessible to children, the Castle is located at the hilltop of village Kastro (Castle in Greek), where you will find cozy traditional taverns and a playground.
Need some help in trip planning by the best family travel agents in Greece? MAMAKITA family travel specialists can customize your Greece family trips according to your preferences, age of kids, travel pace and budget. Enjoy your family holidays in Greece without worrying about family-friendly accommodation or kid-friendly tours and activities by making your request here.
This is a guest blog by Eleni Fotiou, travel journalist, founder & travel specialist at ΜΑΜΑΚΙΤΑ Family Friendly Greece and family travel advisor for Greece and Italy with Travel 12 and KimKim.