Athens winters are mild, and a cool, clear day is the time to get the kids out on a trail. Summer heat turns these hills and forests into hard work; from November to March they're at their best for walking, biking and picnics. Here's what we checked, from the pine paths of Philopappos Hill to the fortress rock of Acrocorinth.
Philopappos Hill, the ancient Hill of the Muses, rises southwest of the Acropolis under pines, olives and cypresses. Stone paths and resting terraces laid by architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s climb to the Philopappos Monument, the 2nd-century mausoleum of a Roman consul.
On the way, kids can look into the rock-cut caves known as the "Prison of Socrates" and stop at the small church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris.
Lycabettus is a limestone hill rising 277 meters over central Athens, the highest point in the city center, with pine trees around its base. A funicular runs up inside a 210-meter tunnel from Kolonaki in about 3 minutes, or families can climb the trail. At the top sit the Chapel of St. George, a café-restaurant, an open-air theater and views across the city to the Acropolis.
A protected pine and cypress forest on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, crossed by footpaths, cycling routes and viewpoints, most of them north of the monastery.
At its center is Kaisariani Monastery, whose church dates to around 1100 and is painted inside with frescoes from 1682. Plane trees, poplars and an olive grove surround it, along with the old refectory and a Byzantine bath house.
Parnitha is the highest mountain in Attica, rising to 1,413 m at its Karavola summit, and much of it has been a national park since 1961. A network of trails and forest roads runs through Greek fir and pine forest, past springs, streams and rocky cliffs.
It is the only place in southern Greece where red deer still live wild, and over 1,000 plant species grow here.
Once the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, Tatoi is a protected forest of Aleppo pines, cypresses and plane trees, with 40 historic buildings spread across the grounds.
Kids can walk, bike or picnic on the trails, see the palace from outside, visit the royal cemetery, or head to the artificial Kithara lake for a view over the whole Attica basin.
Syngrou Estate spans about 95 hectares, most of it the Syngrou Forest: Aleppo pine and cypress, and one of the last natural forests in Attica. Tracks for running, rollerblading and cycling include a 6 km perimeter trail, alongside a football pitch, a playground and picnic spots.
Ernst Ziller designed the Syngros tower and the Gothic-style chapel of St Andrew. A Beekeeping Museum shows rare hives.
Founded in 1961 and run with the University of Athens, the Diomedes Botanical Garden holds about 3,000 kinds of plants and is a protected wildlife refuge for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Paths wind through cultivated and wild planting and past water features.
It is a garden for walking and looking rather than a park: kids play only in the areas set aside for it.
Lake Marathon is a reservoir built in 1931 to supply Athens with water. Its 285-meter dam is faced with the same Pentelic marble used on the Parthenon, and a replica of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi stands at its base.
Reeds, plane trees and eucalyptus line the banks. A visit pairs well with Schinias Marathon National Park and the Tomb and Archaeological Museum of Marathon.
The flat land between Anavyssos town and the sea was a salt works from at least 1520 until 1968. Canals fed seawater into pans, where it dried into big white crystals each summer.
Refugees from Palea Phocaea in Asia Minor worked the pans in the early 20th century. Today it is still wetland, a short stop for kids curious about where salt comes from.
Acrocorinth is the fortress on the steep 575 m hill above Ancient Corinth. About 3,000 meters of walls, three defensive enclosures and gate towers ring a hilltop full of ruins from many centuries: a mosque, churches, the Frankish tower, a Byzantine cistern and the Upper Peirene fountain, tied to the winged horse Pegasus. The Sanctuary of Aphrodite sits at the top, with views over the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs.
Athens winters are mild, and a cool, clear day is the time to get the kids out on a trail. Summer heat turns these hills and forests into hard work; from November to March they're at their best for walking, biking and picnics. Here's what we checked, from the pine paths of Philopappos Hill to the fortress rock of Acrocorinth.
Philopappos Hill, the ancient Hill of the Muses, rises southwest of the Acropolis under pines, olives and cypresses. Stone paths and resting terraces laid by architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s climb to the Philopappos Monument, the 2nd-century mausoleum of a Roman consul.
On the way, kids can look into the rock-cut caves known as the "Prison of Socrates" and stop at the small church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris.
Lycabettus is a limestone hill rising 277 meters over central Athens, the highest point in the city center, with pine trees around its base. A funicular runs up inside a 210-meter tunnel from Kolonaki in about 3 minutes, or families can climb the trail. At the top sit the Chapel of St. George, a café-restaurant, an open-air theater and views across the city to the Acropolis.
A protected pine and cypress forest on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, crossed by footpaths, cycling routes and viewpoints, most of them north of the monastery.
At its center is Kaisariani Monastery, whose church dates to around 1100 and is painted inside with frescoes from 1682. Plane trees, poplars and an olive grove surround it, along with the old refectory and a Byzantine bath house.
Parnitha is the highest mountain in Attica, rising to 1,413 m at its Karavola summit, and much of it has been a national park since 1961. A network of trails and forest roads runs through Greek fir and pine forest, past springs, streams and rocky cliffs.
It is the only place in southern Greece where red deer still live wild, and over 1,000 plant species grow here.
Once the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, Tatoi is a protected forest of Aleppo pines, cypresses and plane trees, with 40 historic buildings spread across the grounds.
Kids can walk, bike or picnic on the trails, see the palace from outside, visit the royal cemetery, or head to the artificial Kithara lake for a view over the whole Attica basin.
Syngrou Estate spans about 95 hectares, most of it the Syngrou Forest: Aleppo pine and cypress, and one of the last natural forests in Attica. Tracks for running, rollerblading and cycling include a 6 km perimeter trail, alongside a football pitch, a playground and picnic spots.
Ernst Ziller designed the Syngros tower and the Gothic-style chapel of St Andrew. A Beekeeping Museum shows rare hives.
Founded in 1961 and run with the University of Athens, the Diomedes Botanical Garden holds about 3,000 kinds of plants and is a protected wildlife refuge for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Paths wind through cultivated and wild planting and past water features.
It is a garden for walking and looking rather than a park: kids play only in the areas set aside for it.
Lake Marathon is a reservoir built in 1931 to supply Athens with water. Its 285-meter dam is faced with the same Pentelic marble used on the Parthenon, and a replica of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi stands at its base.
Reeds, plane trees and eucalyptus line the banks. A visit pairs well with Schinias Marathon National Park and the Tomb and Archaeological Museum of Marathon.
The flat land between Anavyssos town and the sea was a salt works from at least 1520 until 1968. Canals fed seawater into pans, where it dried into big white crystals each summer.
Refugees from Palea Phocaea in Asia Minor worked the pans in the early 20th century. Today it is still wetland, a short stop for kids curious about where salt comes from.
Acrocorinth is the fortress on the steep 575 m hill above Ancient Corinth. About 3,000 meters of walls, three defensive enclosures and gate towers ring a hilltop full of ruins from many centuries: a mosque, churches, the Frankish tower, a Byzantine cistern and the Upper Peirene fountain, tied to the winged horse Pegasus. The Sanctuary of Aphrodite sits at the top, with views over the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs.
