Olbia

Olbia was founded by settlers from Miletus in the sixth century BC on the Buh estuary and traded with the steppe peoples for six centuries, minting its own coinage and, at its height, covering a large area with an upper and lower town. Herodotus visited. What is exposed is street lines, house foundations, a agora, a temple precinct and defensive walls, with a site museum holding the finds and much of the lower town now under the estuary water.

What you actually see

• The street grid - the excavated plan of the Greek town.
• The agora and temple precinct - the civic and religious centre of the colony.
• The city walls - defensive lines on the landward side.
• The site museum - pottery, coins and inscriptions from the excavations.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season; the site is exposed and hot in midsummer. Museum hours are limited and close on some weekdays. Mornings are best.

Honest expectations

What is visible is foundations rather than standing building, and interpretation on the ground is thin. Part of the ancient city is submerged and inaccessible. There is little shade.

Nearby

Mykolaiv is north, and the Black Sea coast is south.