The history of the Olympic Games Tour, then & now

Start this unique tour while you will be taken back to Ancient Olympia through the narrative of your experienced guide  .

The first written evidence of the  Olympic Games dates from 776 BC. The Games were held every four years in honour of the god Zeus. One of the most popular running competitions, the Marathon, was named after “Marathonas”, a town nearby Athens and the site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. Learn the exciting story behind this from your guide.

In 393 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games for religious reasons.The Olympic Games were revived at the first Olympic Congress, organised by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and were held in Athens in 1896

Stop at the Panathenaic Stadium where the revival of the modern Olympic Games took place. Marvel the white Attic marble of the Stadium (also known as “Kalimarmaro” in greek). A heritage  monument of global significance and part of the sporting and Olympic history of Greece and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Panathenaic Stadium offers visitors a unique opportunity to revive the history of the games.

Drive  through Kifisias avenue towards Marousi (on your way pass by the Hellenic Olympic Committee building). Upon arrival walk outside the Modern Olympic Stadium where the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games took place in 2004. Walk a short distance by the Stadium which was originally built in 1982 and renovated for Athens Olympics. The roof, designed by the world-known architect Santiago Calatrava, was added because of the AthensOlympic Games.

Walk a short distance to the nearby Athens Olympic Museum. The Museum operates under the aegis of the International Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Olympic Committee and is a member of the International Olympic Museums Network.The Museum hosts the authentic spirit of the Olympic Games displaying a balanced mix of exhibits, emotions, tokens and memorabilia

Return to Piraeus port and your cruise ship