Modern OLYMBÍA is a village that has grown up simply to serve the excavations and tourist trade. It's essentially one long main avenue, Praxitéles Kondhyli , lined with gold shops, and with a few short side-streets. Nevertheless, Olymbía is quite a pleasant place to stay, and is probably preferable to Pyrgos, with the prospect of good countryside walks along the Alfiós River and around the hill of Krónos.

Most people arrive at Olymbía via Pyrgos , which is on the main Peloponnese rail line and has frequent bus connections with Pátra and four daily with Kyparissía. The train link from Pyrgos to Olymbía is currently closed for refurbishment; previous timetabling had five daily services. If you have time to kill between buses or trains in Pyrgos, the city square Platía Karayiórga, two blocks north of the bus station, is tolerable in an otherwise unexciting town. Buses leave hourly between Pyrgos and Olymbía, some signed to "Vasiláki" beyond Olymbía; the last service is at 9pm. The only other direct buses to Olymbía are from Trípoli , via Langádhia. These run twice daily in either direction. If you are approaching from Andhrítsena , either take the bus to Pyrgos and change, or stop at Kréstena and hitch or take a taxi the final 12km on from there.

There is a tourist office (May-Oct Mon-Sat 9am-3pm; Nov-April Mon-Sat 11am-5pm; tel 06240/23 100), on the right of Praxitéles Kondhyli as you head towards the site. Olymbía has three banks on the main avenue, and a post office just uphill. English-language books are to be found in a couple of shops near the tourist office.