Mount Lykabettos
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the
best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to
the top.
Mount Lykabettos Seen from the Acropolis
The highest hill in Athens at 277 meters (908 feet), Mount Lykabettos dominates the city almost as much as the Acropolis, of which there is an excellent view from the top.
Lykabettos was once well outside the city boundaries,
because, as recently as the 19th century, Athens was merely a small cluster of
houses around the Acropolis. It’s hard to imagine that today, as you gaze out
from the hilltop and see the modern metropolis sprawling before you, all the
way to Piraeus on the coast.
Some of the offshore islands in the Saronic Gulf can also be
seen, including Salamis and, on a clear day, even Aegina. To the north you can
see Mount Parnes.
The View from Mount Lykabettos
Climbing Mount
Lykabettos
It's a stiff climb to get to the top of this chalk outcrop,
but a very pleasant one through pine-scented woods, often filled with
butterflies and birds, and even a few wild tortoises. There are several routes
up, plenty of benches on which to take a breather, a café half-way up, and a
restaurant at the very top, naturally with wonderful views, day and night.
Church of Agios
Georgios
Here, too, is the small, whitewashed 19th-century chapel of
Agios Georgios (St George), whose feast is celebrated on 23 April, so be sure
to go to the top of Mount Lykabettos if you’re in Athens on that date.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Mount Lykabettos Funicular
It’s also possible to take a funicular to the top and back,
and currently this operates every day of the year from 9am-3am, reflecting the popularity of the hill
at night. The address for the funicular station is Aristippou 1.
Mount Lykabettos is the perfect place for a late-night coffee or brandy, with the illuminated city spread out at your feet.
A few other Athens pages
The Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
Piraeus is the port of Athens from where many ferries to the Greek islands depart, and it also has an Archaeological Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
The Greece Travel Secrets website looks at the Athens weather, the chance of rain, the climate in summer and winter and the best time to visit Athens.
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
Amusing children in Athens is easy as there is lots to do including a children’s museum, planetarium, beaches, and easy excursions to the nearest islands.
Athens in the rain isn’t something you’re likely to experience but here are suggestions for things to do in the rain in Athens including museums and shopping
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
The best things to do in Athens, Greece, include top archaeological sites like the Acropolis and must-see attractions such as the National Archaeological Museum
Two of the best cocktail bars in Athens, MoMix Kerameikos and The Clumsies, are making creative cocktails using that most Greek of Greek spirits, Metaxa.
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
Athens culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.
This walk around the Kolonaki neighbourhood of Athens starts and ends in Syntagma Square and takes you to several museums, Kolonaki Square and Mount Lykabettos.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
Syntagma Square or Constitution Square is the main square in Athens and has a metro station, the Greek Parliament building, hotels, cafes, and a post office.
The Athens War Museum is a fascinating look at Greek history through the lens of warfare from ancient battles to the Greek War of Independence and World War II.
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
-
The international Matala Beach Festival on Crete will transport attendees back to the famous hippie era with live music events, sports, and art activities for children. From July 5 to 7, people of all…
Read More
-
For keen birdwatchers, birdwatching on Lesbos offers a chance to see over 300 species in diverse habitats on a key migratory route between Europe and Africa.
Read More
-
The Greek capital continues to celebrate spring with the 3rd This is Athens – City Festival, presenting a diverse program of events and activities, all with free admission. Throughout the weekend, the…
Read More
-
British travelers seeking value for money in Europe this year will find it in Athens, according to the annual Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer. The Greek capital is once again among the T…
Read More
-
UK tour operator Jet2holidays and leisure airline Jet2.com have expanded their summer 2025 program by adding 35,000 seats to various destinations, including two Greek islands.
Read More
-
Greek authorities have once again decided to keep one of the country’s most-visited beaches, Navagio on the island of Zakynthos, closed to the public due to safety risk.
Read More
-
Kalymnos, Thassos, Lefkada and Skopelos have been identified as some of the most affordable destinations for British travelers booking package holidays this summer, according to a recent analysis by W…
Read More
-
The 3rd This is Athens – City Festival is currently underway, showcasing a diverse array of entertainment events and creative activities suitable for families and adults. An initiative of the Athens D…
Read More
-
A new beer festival is coming to Athens and for three days will quench the thirst of beer lovers with well-known and rare labels from around the world as well as from Greek microbreweries. Lager? Pils…
Read More
-
Athens is ranked as one of the top European cities for family science trips, according to a report by Ubuy, a global e-commerce platform. Ubuy’s new report reveals Europe’s top 20 cities where familie…
Read More