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Lycabettus Hill: the climb to the whole city

Up Lykavittos by foot or funicular to the white chapel, the all-Athens view, and pine paths down.

Photo: Eusebius / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Drafted by Claude — the editor hasn’t walked this one yet. We’ll update this notice once it’s been verified on the ground.

Distance

3 km

Time

~ 90 min

Difficulty

Strenuous

Start

Evangelismos (Metro M3)

End

Evangelismos (Metro M3)

Best at

evening

Right now

33°C· Clear

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

Lycabettus is the rock that won. It rears up over Kolonaki to the highest point in central Athens, and from the top the city does the thing it does nowhere else — lies completely flat and open, the Acropolis reduced to one pale outcrop among many, the sea beyond. Go in the evening, for the lights.

Start at Dexameni Square with a coffee, because everything after it climbs. Where the streets give out you choose: the switchbacking pine path on foot, or the teleferik (funicular) that tunnels up from Aristippou. There's no virtue lost in the cable car — the view at the top is identical.

The summit is capped by the whitewashed chapel of Agios Georgios, bells and all, worth a cool minute inside. Then the terrace, and the oh-my-god: all of Athens at your feet, the rock of the Acropolis in the middle, sunset turning the lot gold. Stay for the lights. Come down a quieter pine path on the far side, back into Kolonaki, and walk the gentle slope to Evangelismos.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 469 m·↓ 500 m·146–236 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Dexameni Square, Kolonaki
Start at the leafy square where *Kolonaki* hands you over to the hill. Coffee here before the climb is the sensible move — what follows is all uphill. Get the funicular ticket in your head now: foot or *teleferik*, decide at the top of the streets.
01
Dexameni Square, Kolonaki
Start at the leafy square where *Kolonaki* hands you over to the hill. Coffee here before the climb is the sensible move — what follows is all uphill. Get the funicular ticket in your head now: foot or *teleferik*, decide at the top of the streets.
02
2
The pine path / the funicular base
Where the streets end, the path begins — a switchbacking climb through pines, or the *teleferik* (funicular) that tunnels up from Aristippou if your legs say no. No shame in the cable car; the view is the same either way.
02
The pine path / the funicular base
Where the streets end, the path begins — a switchbacking climb through pines, or the *teleferik* (funicular) that tunnels up from Aristippou if your legs say no. No shame in the cable car; the view is the same either way.
03
3
Chapel of Agios Georgios
The little whitewashed chapel that caps the summit, bells and all, lit gold in the evening. Step inside for a moment of cool quiet, then back out to the parapet. This is the highest point in central Athens.
03
Chapel of Agios Georgios
The little whitewashed chapel that caps the summit, bells and all, lit gold in the evening. Step inside for a moment of cool quiet, then back out to the parapet. This is the highest point in central Athens.
04
4
The summit terrace
The oh-my-god: the whole city laid flat below, the Acropolis a pale rock in the middle distance, the sea and the mountains beyond. Come for sunset and stay through the lights coming on. Bring water; there's a café but the queue is long at dusk.
04
The summit terrace
The oh-my-god: the whole city laid flat below, the Acropolis a pale rock in the middle distance, the sea and the mountains beyond. Come for sunset and stay through the lights coming on. Bring water; there's a café but the queue is long at dusk.
05
5
The pine paths down
Take a different path down through the trees — quieter, shaded, the city reappearing in gaps between the pines. Let gravity do the work and resist the urge to hurry.
05
The pine paths down
Take a different path down through the trees — quieter, shaded, the city reappearing in gaps between the pines. Let gravity do the work and resist the urge to hurry.
06
6
Aristippou / back into Kolonaki
Land back among the streets on Aristippou and let *Kolonaki* gather you in for a drink. Evangelismos Metro is a gentle walk downhill from here.
06
Aristippou / back into Kolonaki
Land back among the streets on Aristippou and let *Kolonaki* gather you in for a drink. Evangelismos Metro is a gentle walk downhill from here.

Lycabettus Hill: the climb to the whole city

On the map.

Things to notice.

Dexameni Square, Kolonaki

Dexameni Square, Kolonaki

The pine path / the funicular base

The pine path / the funicular base

Chapel of Agios Georgios

Chapel of Agios Georgios

The summit terrace

The summit terrace

The pine paths down

The pine paths down

Aristippou / back into Kolonaki

Aristippou / back into Kolonaki

Two more, on similar days.

The Hill of the Nymphs and the Observatory

Filopappou Hill and the Pnyx