Katakolon (Olympia, Greece)
Cruise Port schedule, live map, terminals, news
Region
Mediterranean - Black Sea
Local Time
2023-12-11 10:43
14.1°C
4.5 m/s
49 °F / 10 °C
Katakolon (aka Katakolo) is a port town in Pyrgos municipality (Elis region, Greece), with population of around 500. The port is on Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean), approx 11 km (7 ml) west of region's capital Pyrgos. The town is connected with Pyrgos and Olympia (archaeological site) via railway.
As cruise port, Katakolon is a popular stop for cruise ships as the gateway to Olympia (45-min drive distance), where in ancient Greece were held the famous Olympic Games (every four years for around 12 centuries - from 8th BC to 4th AD). The site was dedicated to the thunder god Zeus and attracted visitors from all over the world. The small port town is surrounded by low hills with forests. Also nearby (within walking distance) is the sunken ancient city Pheia.
Other popular tourist attractions inlude Lighthouse (built in 1865), Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, Mythology Park (labyrinth-shaped, established in 2017), the Byzantine fortress Pontikokastro's ruins (northeast of the port).
Season 2019 had estimated ~421,000 cruiseship passengers.
Katakolon cruise terminal
Katakolon cruise terminal is very close to downtown (within 10 min walking distance). The closest international airports are Zakynthos Airport (on Zakynthos Island, 2 hours away) and Kalamata Airport (mainland Greece).
The cruise port has capacity to handle larger ships at a dedicated pier. The terminal building is 2-story and has security and administrative facilities. A duty-free shop is also available at the pier. The closest beach is Plakes (aka Renata Beach). Can rental office is also located close to the cruise terminal, as well as taxis. The train station is 15-min away from the port.
Katakolon tours, shore excursions, hotels
City Tours and Shore Excursions
- Katakolon: the town is small, you can relax really well. There are good places to eat, to buy some souvenirs or jewelery. You can also visit the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology. It is always open when a cruise ship arrives.
- Beaches: the town has several nice beaches. They all are within walking distance from the cruise port. Other famous in the area are Aghios Andreas Beach (3 km from Katakolon cruise port), Kourouta Beach (20 km from Katakolon cruise port) and Zacharo Beach (42 km from Katakolon cruise port).
- Olympia: located 34 km from Katakolon cruise port. The place is the most famous site that tells the history of the Greeks. This is the place, where the Olympic games began (back in 776 BCE). Most of the site was built during the Classical period (5th-4th centuries BCE). The attraction with top popularity is the Temple of Zeus.
- Mercouri Estate Winery: located 4 km from Katakolon cruise port. It works for the last 150 years. The wines produces there are among the most renowned in Greece. Popular are the red Ktima Mercouri (dominates the Refosco blend) and the white Foloi.
Port Katakolon cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Katakolon, Olympia, Greece. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.
Day | Ship | Arrival | Departure |
---|---|---|---|
12 December, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 17:00 |
- Accidents
MSC Cruises adjusts Musica's summer itinerary amid Middle East geopolitical landscape
In response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, MSC Cruises made changes to MSC Musica's summer 2024 itinerary program. The ship's canceled sailings...
December 9, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Celestyal Cruises expands offerings with 3 new Adriatic countries (Croatia, Montenegro, Italy)
The Greek travel brand Celestyal Cruises is set to expand its offerings, introducing 3 new countries in Southern Europe/Adriatic Sea - Croatia...
November 23, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Seabourn announces 2025 Mediterranean & Northern Europe itineraries
Seabourn has unveiled its 2025 Europe season, offering a diverse range of itineraries encompassing the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Canary...
September 10, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Costa Cruises celebrates 75th Anniversary with 75 voyages in the Mediterranean/Northern Europe
On March 31st, 2023, Costa Cruises celebrates its 75th anniversary. 75 years ago, on that day in 1948, the first passenger ship of the fleet &ldquo...
March 19, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Greece welcomed 4+ million cruise passengers in 2022
Last year, 48 Greek ports welcomed a total of 4,614 cruise ships and 4.38M passengers, the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME) announced this week...
February 11, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Costa Cruises opens bookings for 2024 itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe
Costa Cruises announced its itineraries for 2024. The newest edition of the Around the World voyage (December 2024) will also be available in the...
February 2, 2023 - Cruise Industry
MSC Cruises to deploy MSC Lirica to the Eastern Mediterranean in summer 2022
MSC Cruises announced it would deploy MSC Lirica to the Eastern Mediterranean in summer 2022. The liner will homeport in Piraeus-Athens during the...
December 21, 2021 - Cruise Industry
Fred. Olsen's guests to relive record-breaking Corinth Canal experience in 2023
Fred. Olsen is giving its guests the chance to relive history via joining small ship Braemar for the repeat of her record-breaking Corinth Canal...
December 19, 2021 - Cruise Industry
MSC Lirica ship to be homeported in Piraeus-Athens (Greece) in summer 2022 summer
MSC Cruises announced it would deploy MSC Lirica to the Eastern Mediterranean for the 2022 summer season, homeporting at Piraeus-Athens (Greece) for...
December 13, 2021 - Cruise Industry
2 more NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line ships restart in the Mediterranean
NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line marked another milestone in the company's Great Cruise Comeback via the redeployment of the Norwegian Epic and Norwegian...
September 13, 2021 - show more news