Olympia is one of the most iconic archaeological sites in Greece, centered around the Sanctuary of Zeus, the sacred heart of the ancient Olympic Games. The site includes temples and buildings directly connected with religious worship, as well as a wide range of structures that supported the organization of the Games, such as athletic facilities, administrative buildings, and spaces serving everyday and ceremonial needs.

At the core of the sanctuary lies the Altis, the sacred grove, enclosed by a boundary wall and housing the most important monuments of Olympia. Here stood the great Temple of Zeus, one of the largest temples in ancient Greece, alongside the older Temple of Hera. Nearby were treasuries dedicated by Greek city-states, particularly colonies, as offerings to the gods, while the monumental Nymphaeum, funded by Herodes Atticus during the Roman period, supplied the sanctuary with water.

Within the Altis were also key symbolic buildings, including the Pelopion, a burial monument dedicated to the hero Pelops, the Prytaneion, seat of the sanctuary’s officials, and the elegant Philippeion, a circular structure commissioned by Philip II of Macedon. 

Beyond the sacred enclosure extended the facilities that supported athletes, officials, and visitors. These included the gymnasium and palaestra for training, bath complexes from both the Greek and Roman periods, workshops such as that of the sculptor Phidias, later converted into a Christian basilica, and impressive guesthouses like the Leonidaion, reserved for distinguished visitors. To the east lay the stadium, where the Olympic Games were held, while nearby once stood the hippodrome, long since lost to the waters of the Alpheios River.