Archaeological Museum

Lonely Planet review

The superb Archaeological Museum - Ancient Olympia's archaeological site museum - about 200m north of the sanctuary's ticket kiosk, is a great place to start or end your visit to the site of Ancient Olympia.

There is a scale site model, and the reassembly of the pediments and metopes from the Temple of Zeus are spectacular (despite not being complete). The eastern pediment depicts the chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, the western pediment shows the fight between the Centaurs and Lapiths, and the metopes depict the Twelve Labours of Hercules.

Don't miss the 4th-century Parian marble statue of Hermes of Praxiteles, a masterpiece of classical sculpture from the Temple of Hera. Hermes was charged with taking the infant Dionysos to Mt Nysa.

You'll also find intriguing collections of tiny, but beautifully crafted, votive offerings discovered on the site, and the sculptured Head of Hera.