Katakalon

[CJcruzer]

our stop in Katakalon is 7am - 2pm.....

 

Definitely want to see the Olympia site....but recommendations as to whether to add the museum, or the village or I believe they have a Greek dancing venue which the ship offers as excursions.....

 

Even if I do this with a tour operator, what would you recommend to round out the morning --- we will be there beginning of October.

 

Also, I believe someone said there is some shopping, village right near the pier - so how is Olympia village different from what's near the pier.

 

Is there a wine store near the pier/where we dock.

 

thank you

[kate52]

The museum is definitely worth a visit- most people find it best to go there first, to put the remains in context. The shops are much better in Katakolon, certainly for souveniers, wines and food gifts. We spent some time in Olympia town, found it pleasant but unremarkable. A couple of specialist shops, e.g. lovely glassware, nice cafes, very quiet.

kate

[MercedMike]

We did the ship's tour with the Zorba dancing and it was a lot of fun. We got a huge plate of appetizers from olives and feta cheese to octopus, plenty of ouzo, and then the dancers got everybody in the group up and dancing!

 

Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea.html

[CintiPam]

The Museum is superb, and a great intro to the site itself.

[Onessa]

We were among the first people off the ship in Kotokolon. We hired a taxi for the round trip and had the Olympia site nearly to ourselves. It was wonderful to be able to view without the crowds. Then we went to the museum which was also still pretty empty. By the time we were ready to leave the site, it was really getting crowded. We had some time in the town before our driver came back (he had taken another fare in the interim) and then spent some time in Kotokolon for a light lunch and some more shopping. It was a lovely time. No greek dancers for us.

[eliopia]

We were among the first people off the ship in Kotokolon. We hired a taxi for the round trip and had the Olympia site nearly to ourselves. It was wonderful to be able to view without the crowds. Then we went to the museum which was also still pretty empty. By the time we were ready to leave the site, it was really getting crowded. We had some time in the town before our driver came back (he had taken another fare in the interim) and then spent some time in Kotokolon for a light lunch and some more shopping. It was a lovely time. No greek dancers for us.

hi onessa

did u hire the taxi per hour?how much should we expect to pay for the taxi to drive us to olympia and back?still can t figure out the best way to get to olympia.

[Onessa]

hi onessa

did u hire the taxi per hour?how much should we expect to pay for the taxi to drive us to olympia and back?still can t figure out the best way to get to olympia.

 

We negotiated a round-trip price for all three of us up-front. It was a bit off season and we were flexible with our return time -- it was 70E round trip.

 

I had been prepared to pay 100E based upon what others had reported but it was off-season and olive picking time (the driver confided that had he not had fares, his wife would have expected him to be home picking! so he was "motivated" :D)

[Cotta]

We docked in Katakolon last May. Along with about 50 other folks from our ship we took a local train to Olympia. At Olympia we had time to tour the ruins, visit the mueseum and stop in town for a cold drink before taking a return train to the port. When we returned to the port we had a short time to browse through the local shops in Katakolon. The port train terminus was very close, no more than 200 yards from where our ship docked. I don't remember excatly how much it cost, but it was a lot less expensive than a taxi or a guided tour.

[fengkycar]

We took an organised excursion (we cruised on Costa Fortuna) that included lunch and a tour of Olympia. The lunch was at a hotel perched up on a hill above Olympia. The food was decent (my husband is Greek) and it included wine and ouzo. The dancing was fun to watch, and lots of people got up to join in.

 

After lunch we had the tour of Olympia. We found it really beneficial to have a tour guide - she was very informative. Her name is Saskia - she is a Dutch woman married to a Greek man and speaks fluent Dutch, Greek and English! I picked up the Dutch accent as my mother was born in Amsterdam.

 

On the coach back to Katakalon we were given the choice of getting off at the top of the village, or being taken directly to the port. We hopped off and walked through the village markets then back to the ship. Expect to see lots of the same souvenirs at each shop/stall.

 

It's not far through the village to the dock - maybe 10-15 mins at a very slow pace!