Greece › Athens › Best Things to Do › Mount Lycabettus
By Santorini Dave
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- Best Things to Do in Athens
- Complete Athens Travel Guide
Mount Lycabettus, as seen from the Acropolis, with the rooftops of Athens’ Plaka neighborhood in the foreground.
Best Athens Tours and Tickets:
• Athens Pass Combo Ticket (7 archaeological sites + Acropolis Museum. No tour.)Lycabettus Hill in Athens
Mount Lycabettus, also known as Lycabettus Hill, is located in the Kolonaki district of central Athens, just north and east of Syntagma Square. The most central and highest point in Athens, this limestone landform rises 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level, almost twice as high as the Acropolis. Visitors ascend Lycabettus primarily to enjoy the beautiful 360° views of the city, to watch the sunset, and to enjoy the views of the Acropolis, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Ancient Agora and Panathenaic Olympic Stadium as they light up at night.
Aside from the incredible views at the top, other points of interest here include the 19th-century Church of St. George (Agios Georgios), which dates back to 1870 and contains some interesting frescoes; and a large open-air theater that hosts Greek and international concerts. Among the artists that have performed at the Lycabettus amphitheater are Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, BB King, Moby, Peter Gabriel, and Black Sabbath to name. The amphitheater has been closed since 2008, but plans to reopen soon, following some structural renovation. Also on the hill is a cafe offering snacks, coffee, breakfast, and lunch, and a popular fine-dining restaurant called Orizontes, which is open for dinner (reservations recommended).
View from Mount Lycabettus over the Acropolis to Piraeus and the Saronic Gulf.
How to Get to the Top of Mount Lycabettus
Visitors can walk, drive, taxi or take a cable car (teleferik) to the top of Mount Lycabettus. Unless you take the cable car, some steep-ish climbing will be involved. Note that the cable car has no views, as it travels through a steep tunnel.
- Cable Car: Located at the intersection of Aristippou and Plutarchiou Streets in Kolonaki. Fare us 10€ for a round trip ticket, 7€ for one way; there is a discount for children aged 3-10, and children under 3 ride free. The cable car runs every half hour from 8:30am to around 2am. Ask on the way up when the last car will be heading down if you’re planning a late night at the restaurant. The ride takes about a 3 minutes.
- On Foot: Walking up the hill can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on your starting point, pace, and number of stops along the way. The entire perimeter of the hill is dotted with trail access points; the most popular path from Athens’ tourist center is from Plutarchiou St: at the end of street’s vehicle access at Spefsippou Street, climb several blocks of pedestrian-only stairway and turn left at the cable car station at the top; here you will find the entrance of the path up the hill. Also convenient to the tourist center are access points leading through the trees along the south and west sides of the hill on Melina Mercouri and Ilia Rogkakou Streets. The closest metro stations to the southern trailheads are Evangelismos and Megaro Moussikis, each about half a kilometer away.
- By Car: Traveling north on Ilia Rogkakou Street, just after it turns into Sarantapichou, follow the “Theater” signs to Mount Lycabettus Road. Take this up (continuing to follow the “Theater” signs) to the large parking area near the amphitheater. From here, ascend the staircases and paved pathway to the top. To catch a ride up the hill, use Uber or download an app called Beat; Beat is similar to Uber, but it’s government regulated and most taxis in Greece are registered with this company, making it a better option.
To get to Mount Lycabettus, the cable car (teleferik) station and hiking trails can be accessed by climbing the series of stairways at the top of Spefsippou Street.
The hiking trail can also be accessed from many points along Ilia Rogkakou Street.
From this point, it’s a pleasant hike through the trees, on a slight uphill slope.
The path offers some shade in summer, and lush greenery in the winter and spring. This photo was taken in February.
To drive up, take the Mount Lycabettus road up from Ilia Rogkakou Street.
Near the top, there is a large parking lot…
…next to the colorful Mount Lycabettus Amphitheater, which seats 3,000 and dates back to the 1960’s.
If you’ve ascended via car or on foot, the last section of the journey to the top of Lycabettus hill involves some steep stairways.
Even if you have a taxi or ride-share drop you off, there are still many stairs involved.
The only way to skip the stairs altogether is to take the cable car up. (The cable car offers no views, however, because it travels through a mountain tunnel.) This is the station at the top of the hill.
The cable car has frequent daily routes from 8:30am until around 2:30am. Schedules are posted at the station.
Whatever method you use to ascend Mount Lycabettus, you’re guaranteed amazing views from the top.
From here, it’s possible to look south over Athens all the way to the Piraeus ferry port on the Saronic Gulf. See the Acropolis on the right side of this shot, and the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium on the left.
View looking east.
Also at the top of Mount Lycabettus is the pretty 19th-century church of St. George (Agios Giorgios).
Some of the mountain’s best views are found below the church’s bell tower.
Also at the top of Mount Lycabettus is an all-day cafe that serves coffee, beer, wine, cocktails, light meals, and snacks.
Almost all tables at the cafe enjoy wonderful views over Athens. In the evening, diners can watch the famous landmarks of Athens light up at the fine-dining restaurant Orizontes.
Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the views on the walk back down.
Looking north.
Looking east.
Looking back up to the top.
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