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Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

The largest temple ever built in ancient Greece. Guide to the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, its extraordinary scale, history and visiting the site.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is one of the most significant ancient sites in Athens. Dating from the Begun 6th century BCE, completed by Hadrian in 131–132 CE, the site preserves the 15 surviving columns from an original 104 — each column is 17 metres high — and the scale of what was, when completed, the largest temple in Greece. For any visitor to Athens, this is among the most rewarding sites in the city — both for its historical significance and for the quality of what survives above ground.

Visiting Practically

The site is accessible on foot from the historic centre of Athens. Arriving early — at or near opening time — significantly improves the experience, particularly in summer when crowds build quickly at the most popular Athens attractions. Allow at minimum 90 minutes, more if you intend to engage seriously with what you are seeing rather than completing the circuit. Photography is permitted. Water and comfortable footwear are essential.

In Context

Athens rewards the visitor who understands what they are looking at before they arrive. The ancient city was not the ruin it appears today — it was a functioning, populated, loud, and colourful urban environment where the buildings were painted, the statues were gilded, the streets were busy, and the whole apparatus of Athenian civic and religious life was in continuous operation. The quietness and stripped-marble quality of the sites today is an effect of time, not their original character.