The Lycabettus hill the city mountain of Athens.
According to the myth, Athena brought this mountain to Athens “to build a rampart in front of the Acropolis,” and dropped it there.
With its height of 277 m ]it is the highest elevation in the city centre and thus offers a good view of the sights of Athens. When visibility is good, it offers a view of the entire Athens metropolitan area and its basin location between mountain ranges and the Saronic Gulf to the south.
There are two possibilities to climb the summit: The first is the funicular, which stops at Odós Aristíppou, which you will come across if you follow the ascending Odós Ploutárchou. A much more rewarding, though strenuous, walk to the top via the steps through the forest reforested between 1908 and 1918 by the “Friends of the Forest Association”. The climb offers views of the Acropolis, the ancient stadium rebuilt for the 1896 Olympic Games and the port of Piraeus.
At the top there is a panoramic terrace around the small chapel of Saint George (Ágios Geórgios) with a view of the entire Athens urban area, as well as an upscale restaurant. The Lycabettus Hill , despite its panoramic views, is not as crowded by tourists as other Athens sights.
Further below the top of the mountain, at the northern end, is the open-air theatre designed by Takis Zenetos in 1965, which can also be reached by car. Concerts and theatre performances take place there every year in summer. It holds about 4000 spectators.