Review: Shore Excursions Group (Spirit of Olympia and Magna Grecia Farm)

This is a review of an excursion I booked through Shore Excursions Group during my family’s Mediterranean cruise. You can read the entire report, starting HERE.

Website Description

Spirit of Olympia and Magna Grecia Farm

Travel on a scenic and picturesque journey from the port to Olympia where your introduction to this magnificent site begins on a hidden sanctuary of Zeus, known as Altis, that the ancient Olympic site was built over. Here you will find the Temple of Zeus that formerly housed an oversized golden and ivory statue crafted by the sculptor Phidias to the god of the sky and thunder. If you look closely you can still see the remnants of the Byzantine church built over the sculptor’s workshop.

Walk in the footsteps of ancient Olympians and view the Prytaneion, magistrates’ residence, the Philippeion and Hera’s Temple. Surrounding the Altis are the 12 Treasuries, or small buildings erected as offerings by the then city-states of Greece.

Just beyond the Altis lies the iconic Stadium, the largest of its kind, that seated 20,000 people for the ancient games and, more recently, for the 2014 Olympics hammer throwing competition. Be sure to stop at the Gymnasium with the nearby Vouleuterion and the Leonidaion that housed visitors during the games. Spend some free time exploring the village on your own, imaging what it felt like to be a spectator at the games in a UNESCO World Heritage Site that still lights the flame to start every Olympic games up to the present day.

Make your way back to Agriturismo Magna Grecia where Dimitris Karabelas, his wife Franca Magrini, and their sons Alexis and Francesco will greet you. Their 30-acre family property contains a multitude of olive trees and vineyards that the family has cultivated for over a century. While here, learn all about olive oil and wine production, then be treated to a wine tasting accompanied by mouthwatering handmade dishes such as Tirokafteri spicy feta cheese with herbs, tzatziki, a variety of vegetable dishes, marmalades, and baklava or other local sweets.

Take some time to visit the family’s animal farm and join the family in some festive Greek music and dancing before your return to port.

Sign up for this ancient Olympia tour now for an authentic taste of Greece and a chance to experience the site of the historic Olympic games.

Process/Booking

I found several of our excursions through Shore Excursions Group. It’s an easy website to navigate, as you put in your exact itinerary and it pulls up all of your options. The checkout process is super simple, as well. I received a separate voucher for each excursion purchased, with details/instructions.

A few planning notes:

The website has you pay in USD, so there’s no exchange rate.
I did plan a few Euros for tip when I ordered them from my bank.
WhatsApp is majorly used in Europe, so I had that downloaded. As soon as we got into port, I checked it for messages from the tour operators. This was the form of communication for all of our transfers/excursions/tours.

Excursion Recap

Note: Most of this portion is the same as my trip report. If you’ve already read that, you can skip along to my overall thoughts below!

We were off the ship by 8:15am and immediately spotted the Shore Excursions Group person, checked in, and walked along pier to bus. It was a really cute little area, but nothing too elaborate. It’s an easy port to navigate.

We waited a few minutes and then headed off! The port (Katakolon) is about a 35 minute drive to Olympia. Our guide was super informative along the way. We arrived in Olympia and drove through the modern Olympia Main Street, which was super adorable. I would have loved to have time to walk around!

We parked at the Ancient Olympia Archeological Site. We were given a restroom break. Let me warn you….. These restrooms feel only slightly more modern than the archeological site. It’s a LONG line, down a staircase, and in the minuscule restrooms. Tip – If you can wait a couple hours, there are nicer restrooms in the museum.

Once everyone had a chance, the tour started. Our guide walked us through to the two training facilities, the Temple of Zeus, the Olympic flame area, the Hall of Fame, and the Hall of Shame, to name a few. We stopped at each point and she gave us really great information about each. For example, competitors were completely naked during their games and their training at the facilities was rigorous. Also, any sort of cheating or bad behavior post-win was looked down upon. Their statues/medals won would be put in the Hall of Shame and their names posted. This area was outside the entrance to the stadium, so everyone attending would walk past the disgraced.

We also got to enter the ancient stadium. It’s sort of amusing, but it’s essentially a field with sloped grass surrounding it for spectators. It was very cool to walk through the arch, leading to this historical spot, though!

From there, we had about an hour of free time and our tour guide let us know our options. We could continue walking through the archeological site or visit one of the two museums. Em, Megan, and I opted to visit the Archeological Museum. This museum has so many artifacts, I could have spent HOURS reading every placard. As it was, it was fascinating to see all of the tools that were used, the medals, the statues, and more. We went through at a brisker pace than I would have preferred, but I still got a pretty good idea.

Our hour was coming to an end, so we headed back to the bus. A couple of “housekeeping” notes before I move on to our next stop. I would 100% recommend visiting the Ancient Olympia Archeological Site. No doubt! I, myself, would love to go back and soak even more in. That said, it’s A LOT of walking and not always on the most even of surfaces. You park in a bus lot and it’s quite the distance to just the ticket booth and entrance of the site. Then, there’s a lot of walking throughout the site.

Jen wasn’t feeling the best and decided to stay back once she saw how long the walk would be. There were horse drawn carriage tours available for purchase and she decided to pay for that after sitting for some time. She said that the carriage took her around the perimeter of the site. She was able to see the stadium and a lot of the remaining ruins. It wasn’t as comprehensive as the full tour we did, but she felt like she got enough of a taste that she didn’t feel left out.

Back on the bus….. We drove to Magna Grecia Farm. The drive was really pretty. When we arrived, we were welcomed with ice cold white wine and delicious warm olive oil bread!

We were given a tour of their olive oil processing plant. We were also told the history of the family who started and still run the farm.

We then were shown the olive trees and an explanation of the different stages of growth. This included an olive oil tasting, which was so interesting and delicious.

Lunch was included in this tour. It was a smattering of small Greek dishes and we were able to add the infused olive oil of our choosing. The lunch included traditional Greek dancing, which was super fun!

We had about a half hour for shopping in their shops before it was time to get back on the bus. Their gift shop was one of the best of the trip! They had so many of their own products, as well as locally made items. I did bring home olive oil and also have ordered some online to ship to the US.

It was time to go back to the port. We were dropped off right next to the security entrance to the pier.

Overall Thoughts

This was the review that I left on Shore Excursions Group’s website…

We experienced this excursion on 9/8/23 and cannot recommend it enough!! It was virtually a perfect day. Our guide was very informative at Ancient Olympia (and was good about finding shade at each stop). We had an hour of free time to explore the site or one of the museums, which was nice. We then made our way to Magna Grecia Farm, which was wonderful. It was breathtakingly beautiful and a lot of fun. The food and dancing were icing on the cake!

Honestly, this tour was incredible! I HIGHLY recommend it! If I were to go back to Olympia, I’d have no problem going on this same exact excursion. There are plenty of excursions that are similar (maybe going to a different farm, etc) and I’m sure they’re enjoyable, as well.

As for price, in August 2023, we paid $130. As of June 2025, they’re charging $158. I do think it’s worth it even with the more expensive price.

If I were to do the same exact excursion again, here’s how I might change it up:

The Archeological Museum had a ton of artifacts that I didn’t fully get to see. I might choose to forgo more time at the Archeological site and more time in the museum.
Museum of the History of the Olympic Games – This was another museum on the site that I didn’t go into. I might head over there and explore that museum.
Modern Olympia – We drove through the modern town and it was adorable. It’s not far from the archeological site, so I might walk down there to explore.
Magna Grecia was great and there wasn’t a big opportunity to change that tour. However, there are other options in the area that I might want to check out.

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts