Temple of Olympian Zeus
- Address:Corner of Amalias & Vassilisis Olgas, Athens
- Hours:Open daily 8am - 5pm
- Admission:Acropolis admission: € 12
8:39 PM Wednesday, May 23
Passing clouds. Cool.
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The Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Olympieio) has been a ruin almost since it was built. The Athenian rulers who began its construction in the 6th century BC set out to build the greatest temple in the world, but it was not actually finished until about the 2nd century AD (over 600 years late!) by the Roman emperor Hadrian. By then it was the largest temple in Greece, bigger than the Parthenon. In the 3rd century AD it was looted by barbarians and its glory days were over. Since then it has slowly fallen into ruin.
The temple was dedicated to the worship of Zeus, king of the gods of Mount Olympus, and once contained a massive statue of the god. Of this, there is no trace and only fifteen of its original 104 columns still stand. Over the centuries much of its marble has been recycled or stolen for other temples, or perhaps, over the centuries, a bit of garden paving.
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This is a well constructed tour for any new comers to Athens. The main focus of the tour is a visit to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. The tour also goes past some of Athens key sites including the old Olympic stadium, the Temple of Zeus and the Museum of Archaeology. Our tour guide, Rhea, was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and had a keen passion for everything that was on the tour. Her enthusiasm really made the tour complete. If you have not been to Athens before, this would be a great way for anyone to start learning a bit more about the city. It also includes a ticket that can be used to visit some of the other sites in Athens such as the Temple of Zeus and so is great value for money. Continue Reading »
Good introduction to Athens. You'll probably want to go out and see more of the city after the tour. The tour does include the ticket to various historical sites, like the Temple of Zeus, in the city which is nice.
Continue Reading »Practical Info
The Temple of Olympian Zeus stands close to the base of the Acropolis. Nearest metro is Akropoli. It is also an easy walk from Syntagma Square, passing by the National Gardens.
