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 in AthensMount 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 in AthensThe 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

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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.

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