Mount Lycabettus

Mount Lycabettus is the limestone hill that rises above Kolonaki, and at 277 metres it is the highest point in central Athens. Its lower slopes are covered with pine trees, and from the summit the whole city spreads out below you: the Acropolis, the grid of white apartment blocks running to the mountains, and on clear days the sea at Piraeus and the islands of the Saronic Gulf beyond.

Greek myth explains the hill as a slip of the goddess Athena, who was carrying a mountain to build up the Acropolis and dropped it here. The name may come from the Greek word for wolf, though it may be older still. On one of its two peaks stands the 19th-century Chapel of Saint George, whitewashed in island style, and just below the top is the Lycabettus Theatre, an open-air amphitheatre that has hosted concerts by artists from Ray Charles to Radiohead. It closed in 2008 over safety concerns and reopened in September 2023, so it is once again a summer concert venue.

There are two ways up. The Lycabettus funicular climbs the hill from its lower station on Aristippou Street in Kolonaki, and is the easy option for anyone with limited mobility or small children. The alternative is to walk: footpaths and steps wind up through the pines from the upper streets of Kolonaki, and the climb takes around 30 to 45 minutes depending on your pace. It is steep in places and very hot on summer afternoons, so take water and go early or towards sunset.

Sunset is the classic time to be on top, when the light turns the city gold and the Acropolis lights come on, but it is also when the viewing terraces are busiest. Morning visits are usually quieter.

The walk to the funicular from Evangelismos metro station takes about 15 minutes uphill, or you can take a taxi to the lower station. Combine the hill with a morning in Kolonaki's museums, such as the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Benaki Museum, and a coffee in Kolonaki Square. The hill is formed of Cretaceous limestone, and the pine trees that cover its base give welcome shade on the lower paths.