Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch

Ολυμπιείο – Πύλη του Αδριανού

Seven centuries to build, fifteen columns left

Hours

Seasonal (into the evening in summer, early afternoon in winter); check officially

Tickets

Adults €20 (2026; no combined ticket); free for EU under 25, non-EU under 18

Address

Corner of Vasilissis Olgas and Amalias avenues, right behind Hadrian's Arch

This was the biggest temple in Greece and took close to 700 years to finish. There were over a hundred columns; fifteen still stand, and one blown down in an 1852 storm lies where it fell in neat drums. Each column is about 17m tall, so standing at the base you crane your neck a long way back. Hadrian's Arch out front marked the line between old Athens and the Roman new town, and you can see it from the street for free.