Katakolon express or ship's tour?

[71Griffin]

In late September, 8 of us hired Niki from Olympic tours for a private tour. We were not interested in the ship's excursion - too many people for more money. Niki gave us a great foundation in Katakolon history during our drive on a very comfortable minibus to Olympia. She demonstrated a great command of the English language using humor and American slang to get her points across. When we entered the ancient grounds it was clear she knew the history as well as anyone can know it. We were lucky to visit the grounds when they were rehearsing the lighting of the torch. It was a great moment and Niki was able to give us all the background info we needed. Afterward we were unsure what to do and Niki took charge and brought us to a comfortable cafe for a light lunch. Our group commented that we would not have appreciated this historical site without a guide explaining the ruins. And we could not have done better than Niki.

[magnet1640]

Should we take the ship's tour to Olympia (we have onboard credit so cost is not an issue!) or take the Katakolon Express? I have enquired and they have spaces for us on the bus for €10 each. Obviously this does not include a guide, where the ship does. I have also copied the pages from Rick Steves book so we could guide ourselves once there. Help!

 

Whatever you do, do not take Katakolon Express. They were an absolute nightmare. He will try to extort money from you on the bus. If i could go back in time, i would have rented a car.

[71Griffin]

I would send Niki from Olympic Tours a note and ask what she can do for you. She takes small groups(up to 20) as well on their minibus. I personally would prefer a guide at this site. You can easily walk by some interesting artifacts without knowing they were there.

[margbem]

I would send Niki from Olympic Tours a note and ask what she can do for you. She takes small groups(up to 20) as well on their minibus. I personally would prefer a guide at this site. You can easily walk by some interesting artifacts without knowing they were there.

 

 

We photocopied the section on Olympia in Rick Steves book and it made the whole experience wonderful for us. It doesn't miss anything out and you can wander at your own pace. Also, there are boards everywhere in strategic places in Olympia so you can read about the buildings that existed and see pictures of what they would have looked like. Don't miss the museum - it has lots of statues, artefacts and pieces of the buildings.