About this activity

You begin your day as an Olympic athlete at the beautiful neoclassical building known as the Zappeion, just below the National Garden. Here, you’ll find out in detail what role the Ancient Olympics played in society over the millennium in which they were held. You’ll learn how the athletes trained, what disciplines were included as the games evolved and you’ll load up on some really old sports trivia to stump your friends. You’ll also find out about how the Modern Olympics were first proposed, organized and held in Athens, more than 1500 years after they were last staged, and you’ll do this all right in the building that served as the first Olympic Village.

After knowledge comes exercise – there’s a historic gym nearby, and that’s where you’ll get to try some classic techniques for really old events, such as the discus and the javelin throw and practice newer ones like the shot put, long jump and relay races.

By the time you reach the Panathenaic Stadium, a beautiful white marble structure (and the only stadium in the world made entirely of marble!), you’ll be psyched up for a truly unique experience – a race in the stadium itself, on the hallowed track where the first modern Olympians competed more than a century ago. Don’t worry about personal bests, it’s the run, not the finish line that counts here.

Highlights

Learn the history of the Ancient Olympics and what the Games meant to people then
Tour the Zappeion, the first modern purpose-built Olympic facility
Stretch your muscles and hone your skills in a gym session in a historic 19th-century Gymnasium
Run like a champion in the Panathenaic Stadium, home of the 1896 Olympic Games

Please note: This tour does not include hotel pick up and drop off service. This means that you will have to arrange your own transfers to reach the designated meeting point and start the tour. Meeting point: In front of the fountain at the entrance of Zappeio Hall, from Vasilissis Olgas Avenue