Lycabettus Cable Car

Lycabettus Hill is the highest point in the center of Athens. Thousands of Athenians and tourists climb to its top every year to enjoy the view from 277 meters, eat at the café/restaurant that operates there, or visit the chapel of Saint George. Although there is a path to the top, most visitors prefer to take the cable car. The Lycabettus Cable Car was inaugurated on April 18, 1965 and began operating the following day. It was built by the Greek National Tourism Organization, while since 2002 the management of the cable car and the restaurant located on the hill has been entrusted to a group of catering companies. In the same year, the mechanical and electrical installations were completely renovated, while the two cars of the cable car were replaced with others of Greek construction. The starting point is at the end of Ploutarchou Street, at its junction with Aristippou Street, in Kolonaki. (The nearest metro station is Evangelismos). The cable car operates 365 days a year from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. During the winter months, the cable car may close earlier. The line runs every 30 minutes, but during the rush hours the frequency can reach to 10 minutes. The length of the line is 210 meters and the entire route (entirely in a tunnel) takes about 3 minutes. The two cars, each with a capacity of 34 passengers, depart simultaneously from both ends of the line, travel on a single track and cross in the middle of the line. The Lycabettus cableway carries an average of 300,000 passengers per year.