Olympia on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes: one paid ticket covers the main sights, and the village has cheap grill shops and family hotels. A realistic minimum is about €65 per person a day (about €25 for a shared room, €20 food, €10 sights, €10 transport).
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €25 | €50 | €110 |
| Food & drink | €20 | €35 | €65 |
| Sights & tickets | €10 | €15 | €35 |
| Local transport | €10 | €25 | €45 |
| Per person, per day | €65 | €125 | €255 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Olympia day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walking the main street of the modern village, Praxitelous Kondyli
- The pine-covered slopes around the Hill of Kronos and the Kladeos riverside
- The view over the site from outside the fence on the approach road
- The square of Andritsaina, with its plane tree and old fountain
- Long sandy beaches on the Kyllini peninsula, such as Kastro Kyllinis and Glyfa, and Kaiafas
- The harbour front at Katakolo
Cheap eats
- Tyropita, spanakopita or koulouri from a bakery: a couple of euros
- Souvlaki or gyros in pita: about €3.50–5
- Horta (wild greens): about €5–7
- A home-style oven dish: about €8–13
- Half-litre carafe of house wine: about €5–8
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in Olympia village, where small family hotels and rooms cost roughly €45–75 a room, 5–10 minutes' walk from the site. Many have pools, which are useful in summer.
Getting around cheaply
Walk in the village and to the site. From Athens, the cheapest route is the KTEL bus to Pyrgos (about 4 hours) and a local connection to Olympia (about 25–30 minutes); check current timetables. For the rest of the region, a shared rental car (about €35–60 a day) is the only practical option.
A sample budget day
- Morning: bakery pie and coffee (about €4), then the site at 8:00 with the combined ticket (about €20)
- Lunch: souvlaki in pita and a salad (about €10)
- Afternoon: the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games in Antiquity (included in the ticket)
- Evening: taverna dinner with house wine on a side street (about €15)
- Total: about €70–75 per person including a shared room of about €25
More ways to save
- Do the site and both museums on one ticket, and the countryside on other days.
- Visit in April, May or October for pleasant weather and lower room prices than in summer.
- Ask your hotel where locals eat: the villages a few kilometres away are often cheaper.
- Pack a picnic from a Pyrgos bakery or the weekly laiki market for the Bassae day.
- Combine Chlemoutsi and the Kyllini beaches on one car day.
- EU citizens under 25 and children often enter Greek state sites free with ID; check the current rules.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Common questions
Can you visit Olympia on a budget?
Yes, at about €65–75 per person a day with a family hotel, souvlaki and taverna meals, and the combined site and museums ticket.
What is free in Olympia?
The village, the Kladeos riverside and the slopes around the site, the beaches of the Kyllini peninsula and Kaiafas, and free-entry days at the site itself.
What is the cheapest way from Athens to Olympia?
The KTEL bus from Athens to Pyrgos (about 4 hours) and a local connection to Olympia (about 25–30 minutes).