Admiring the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
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Visiting the Olympics’ European Host Cities
By Spencer Carney
Full of thrills and spectacle, the international athletics competition known as the Olympic Games, which headlines the summer calendar of a different host city every four years, is an event unmatched in the world today. But you don’t have to attend the Games to get a taste of the excitement and enjoy the appeal of the cities where the Olympics have taken place. Even after the closing ceremonies, there’s still plenty of Olympics-related stuff to see and do. Eighty-five percent of all permanent Olympic venues since 1896 remain in use, which means visitors have numerous state-of-the-art stadiums, Olympic villages and parks to explore. Below are five European host cities that welcome you to experience where the world came together to compete.
Eiffel Tower Stadium
paris 2024
Paris, France
The 2024 Summer Games will take place in Paris 100 years after the city last hosted the Olympics. Unlike the recent Games in Tokyo and Beijing that had few or no spectators in the stands due to COVID-19, the Paris arenas will be filled with fans. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony will take place in the heart of a city and will be open to the general public. Athletes will float down the Seine River on boats designated for each national delegation. Most of the events will take place in and around the center of Paris, with landmarks as backdrops for the venues (hello, Eiffel Tower!). Bookings in Paris during the Games may not be available since there will be crowds aplenty, so consider a post-Olympics visit to the City of Light after the fans have left.
Paris hotels may be sold out for the Olympics, but there's still plenty to see at other times! Search Paris hotels now.
Big Ben and the Thames River
London, England
When the Summer Games came to London in 2012, it marked the third time the city had hosted the Olympics (previous stints were in 1908 and 1948). Today, you have a variety of ways to experience the world-class sporting facilities that were part of the legacy of London 2012. East London’s Olympic Park has been renamed Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and travelers are allowed to stroll the parklands, playgrounds, waterways and cafes. Visitors to the London Aquatics Centre can swim in the Olympic and Paralympic pools, and Lee Valley VeloPark cyclists can try the road circuit, the velodrome track, or the BMX and mountain bike courses. London Stadium—the site of opening and closing ceremonies and numerous Olympic events—hosts massive sporting and cultural events and is the home turf of West Ham United Football Club. The former Athletes’ Village is now East Village, a residential neighborhood also teeming with great night life and wellness spaces. Member Choice Vacations offers excellent guided vacations in London as well as in other iconic destinations throughout Europe.
Acropolis and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece
Greece has a long history of hosting the Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games ran from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. in Olympia. The modern era of the Olympics began in 1896 when the Games were held in Athens; 2004 marked their return to the city. In 2004, the marathon course was run on the route used for the 1896 Summer Olympics. Today, the Athens Olympic Center hosts major sports events and concerts. Since 2004, several of the venues—such as the paddling center, the hockey center and the softball stadium—have not been used and have fallen into disrepair, but you can get an overview of the Games’ regional history and specific venues at the Athens Olympic Museum.
Olympic Village, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona made numerous improvements prior to hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics. Top attractions include the fabulous beachfronts and the must-visit Olympic Village, which was built to accommodate the athletes. Olympic Park is the location of Barcelona Olympic Stadium (the home stadium of FC Barcelona for the 2023–24 season), the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum (giving a global perspective on all disciplines and methods of sport), Palau Sant Jordi (an impressive concert venue) and the Montjuic Communications Tower (looking more like an oversized modern sculpture than a communications tower). The Barcelona twin towers, also built for the Games, dominate the beachfront skyline and are today home to businesses and the posh five-star Hotel Arts Barcelona.
EUR district of Rome with the majestic dome of the Palazzo dello Sport
Rome, Italy
The 1960 Olympic Games in Rome were the 14th to occur in modern times and the first to be fully covered by television—each day, taped footage was flown to New York City and broadcast on CBS. Designed and constructed for the 1960 Games, the Palazzo dello Sport (Sports Palace) was the venue for basketball and boxing. It’s an architectural gem built with reinforced concrete, a large dome and a continuous “skin” of glass. Also known as PalaEUR (signifying its location in the Universal Exhibition of Rome district), or most recently as the PalaLottomatica, it’s the largest indoor arena for sporting events and music concerts in Rome. Other facilities and green areas were built in preparation for the Games, including Palazzetto dello Sport (smaller than the Palazzo dello Sport but equally impressive), the Olympic Velodrome (demolished in 2008), the Ligini Towers and the Central Lake Park. The EUR district is one of the greenest areas of the whole city and takes on an impressive look at night due to the tasteful lighting of all the main buildings.
Why visit just one Olympic city when you can explore a few in one trip? Enjoy Paris, London, Rome and other destinations on this guided vacation from AAA Member Choice Vacation.