Petralona: tavernas, Filopappou and an evening walk

Petralona spreads out on the back side of Filopappou Hill, ten minutes from the Acropolis but a world away. Athenians come here for the tavernas: lamb chops, house wine, tables on the pavement. The best evening starts on the hill at sunset and ends at a table in Ano Petralona. And to get back, Line 1 takes you straight to Victoria.

At a glance

🚇 Petralona

Line 1, four stops from Victoria, no change.

🌅 Filopappou

The hill above the neighbourhood, for the sunset.

🍷 Tavernas

They fill up after 21:00.

🎬 Zefyros

Open-air cinema, in summer.

Stone threshing floors and a railway line

The name comes from the “petrina alonia”, the stone threshing floors where wheat was threshed before the city was built. The railway, now Line 1 of the metro, cuts the neighbourhood in two: Ano Petralona (Upper), between the hill and the tracks, and Kato Petralona (Lower), down to Pireos Street.

Ano Petralona is the part you’ll like: low houses, a few neoclassical ones, streets climbing towards the hill, pedestrian lanes with tables. The neighbourhood has changed in recent years, with new cafés and bars, but the old tavernas and the residents have stayed.

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A sloping street in Ano Petralona with low stone houses and pine trees — The “Petrina”
Low stone houses in Ano Petralona.

The metro tracks between apartment blocks and trees in Petralona, from a footbridge — The tracks
Line 1 separates Upper from Lower Petralona.

A black cat on the step of an old wooden door in Petralona — A doorway
Cats and old doors on every corner.

Photos: Texniths (CC BY-SA 4.0), philip.mallis (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons

🗺️ The walk: over the hill, down to the tavernas

Start an hour before sunset. The climb comes first, then everything goes downhill towards dinner.

Akropoli station. Walk west along Dionysiou Areopagitou.
Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris. The chapel on the stone-paved path.
Philopappos Monument. The summit, with views of the Acropolis and all the way to the sea.
Merkouri Square. Walk down the other side, into Ano Petralona.
Cine Zefyros. The neighbourhood’s open-air cinema, on Troon Street.
Petralona station. Line 1 to Victoria, once you’ve finished dinner.

🗺️ The walk from Filopappou to Petralona, stop by stop

From Akropoli station, over Filopappou Hill, to the tavernas of Ano Petralona and Petralona station: about 3.4 kilometres, 55 minutes on foot including the climb, without stops. Tap each number to see what it is.

Start · Akropoli Filopappou Hill Tavernas and cinema End · Petralona

Philopappos Hill

The hill above Petralona is one of the best places in Athens for the sunset. You climb on stone-paved paths designed by the architect Dimitris Pikionis in the 1950s, using stones from old houses that had been demolished. Halfway up is the chapel of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris.

On the summit stands the Philopappos Monument, built by the Athenians in AD 114–116 for the Roman consul Philopappos, a benefactor of the city. From here you see the Acropolis at eye level and, to the west, the sea of the Saronic Gulf. The hill is open and free.

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The stone chapel of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris with its wooden roof, among trees — Loumbardiaris
The chapel on Pikionis’s stone-paved path.

The marble Philopappos Monument on top of the hill, under a blue sky — The Philopappos Monument
On the summit, since AD 114–116.

The rocky Filopappou Hill with shrubs and the monument in the distance, under clouds — The hill
Rocks, pines and sky, above Petralona.

Photos: philip.mallis (CC BY-SA 2.0), George E. Koronaios (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons

Tavernas and food

Petralona has some of the tavernas Athenians love most. Not all are cheap or all good, but here you more often find simple food, house wine and tables outside, without tourist menus with photos.

Grill houses: lamb chops and burgers over charcoal, often at tables on the pavement.
Mageiria: old tavernas with dishes of the day, for lunch.
Meze places: for a group, with lots of small plates in the middle.
Quick bites: souvlaki places and bakeries near the station.

Athenians eat late: tables fill up after 21:00, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. That’s when you should book.

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A pedestrian street next to Petralona station with tables, plants and pergolas — Next to the station
Tables on the pedestrian street, a few steps from the metro.

Petralona station on Line 1 with a train at the platform — Petralona station
Line 1, straight to Victoria.

Photos: philip.mallis (CC BY-SA 2.0), kallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Practical tips

Best time: the hill at sunset, the taverna afterwards.
Shoes: the hill paths are slippery. No flip-flops.
Water: in summer bring some with you, there’s no kiosk on the hill.
Wheelchair: the hill is difficult. Go straight to Petralona by metro.

🚇 How to get there from Ioulianou 50

Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
Line 1 (green), towards Piraeus: four stops to Petralona, no change.
Petralona: you come out in Ano Petralona.

For the walk over the hill: Line 1 to Omonia and Line 2 to Akropoli. To get back: Line 1 from Petralona stops around midnight. Later, a taxi to Ioulianou takes about 15 minutes.

🚇 Ioulianou 50 → Petralona by metro

Line 1 from Victoria, four stops to Petralona, no change. You come out in Ano Petralona.

Ioulianou 50 · on foot Line 1 Ano Petralona

Where it is in relation to the apartment

📍 From Angels Athens to the «Petralona» neighbourhood

See at a glance how to get from the apartment at Ioulianou 50 to the heart of the neighbourhood. Drag the map and zoom in for details.

Angels Athens · Ioulianou 50 Petralona

Frequently asked questions

Is the Petralona cave here?

No. The famous cave with the skull of the “Archanthropus” is in Halkidiki. Petralona in Athens is a city neighbourhood.

Is Petralona safe in the evening?

Yes, it’s a quiet residential neighbourhood, with people in the tavernas until late. Do the hill in daylight.

Where should I go next?

Fifteen minutes north, across the tracks, Gazi has bars open until morning.

— Kathy