How interesting is Olympia?
 

I know that's a difficult question to answer-- compared to what? what do you mean by "interesting," etc.
Still, I'm hoping to get some feedback. Thanks much.
(I don't mean the town, by the way-- I mean the "ruins.")

If you are inquiring about Olympia, WA, it is a nice little town. The downtown is very walkable.

Nearby is a very good Farmer's Market Thursday-Sundays in April-October and Saturday and Sunday in November and December.

There are three or four restaurants near the Farmer's Market. Our favorite is Budd Bay Cafe which has a friendly deck and an old-fashioned cooking style.

Sorry! I'd posted this on the Europe (Greece) forum. I guess I must not have done it properly.!

Yes, you posted in the right place - not sure what happytrails was thinking....

I found Olympia a lot more interesting than I expected, not being at all interested in sports. The ruins are quite extensive, and there is also a good museum. I was there in the spring and the wildflowers and flowering trees were beautiful.

I think you might be thinking of Olympia in Greece...? I was there about three years ago. It's in a beautiful location, kind of off the track a bit so not heavily touristed, at least not at that time. Wildflowers in abundance made it lovely in April. It's not a heavily managed site like some of the others so there aren't a lot of placards and explanatory signs. It's atmospheric, romantic, heavy with history, filled with spirits of the past. Here are some of my photos, if you want to judge for yourself: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/c1551671.html I loved it and am glad we went.

If I was touring the Peloponesses, I would definitely try to stop at Ancient Olympia.

I actually (slightly) preferred the pastoral, gently rolling landscape of Olympia over Delphi.

While travelling to or from Olympia, consider taking the "mountain" route through Arkadia prefecture, and visiting the villages of Dimitsena, Stemnitsa, Langhadia, and the Lousios River gorge.

>> Does anyone know how the Olympia region is recovering from last years' wildfires ??

I had read that the nearby hills may have suffered, although the archaeological site itself was unharmed ... probably that's where the firefighters were deployed as a priority.

I think olympia is a must-see if youre going to greece from an educational point of view....
besides the obvious tour of the original olympic site, there is also the town which is a very pleasant stop for a few hours
i liked delphi, too

We were there a few years ago in very early June and enoyed both Olympia and Delphi.

As someone noted above, the ruins at Olympia are extensive and we also enjoyed the town itself.

I very much appreciate these responses (and it was great to see the photos!)
We're on a cruise that stops at Katakolon, and I'd been reading so many "not interesting" reports abt Olympia that we'd been considering just staying on the ship at that stop. You've all convinced me that'd be a mistake.

it would be a colossal mistake to miss olympia. get that photo op with you kneeling down in the starting position on those same blocks that the ancients used! have someone take your picture sprinting down that stadium length, also posing in front of the entrance arch. walk on the floor of a Temple of Zeus. DO NOT MISS THIS!

We almost skipped it too until a friend told us to make sure to visit there. We were thrilled with the whole site and the museum.
I don't know why it gets labeled
as "non-interesting."

Probably labeled as that by someone who has never read a thing about Greek history, hates art and sculpture and who took the cruise because he/she wanted to see "those blue-and-white houses that are on all the posters."

One more voice to encourage you to go to Olympia. We went on a cruise in 1999, and it was wonderful. Very few others there; it was possible to imagine people once traveling from all over Greece to this site.