Tripia Spilia Cave, hidden on the southern slopes of Mount Hymettus above Terpsithea, is one of the best hiking destinations in Athens.
Its sheer size and dramatic entrance make it well worth the effort, while its lovely mountainous surroundings guarantee a pleasant hiking experience
What’s more, the beginning of the trail in Therpsithea is (somewhat) easily accessible from the center of Athens even without a car.
How to get to Terpsithea from the center of Athens
To get to the beginning of the trail in Terpsithea, take the red metro line until its last stop in Elliniko. From here, the bus number 205 will take you to Terpsithea (bus stop 4th Terpsitheas).
Other buses are going up to Terpsithea, too, like the bus number B1 from Neo Faliro or 164 from Agios Dimitrios, so check the Google Maps or the OASA app for the best connection from your location.
On Sunday, the buses were running far apart so instead of waiting we decided to take a taxi. The ride took less than 10 min and cost us 6 euros.
Maps, signposting & difficulty
The loop trail to Tripia Spilia and Tria Vrachia (Three Rocks) has approximately 8 kilometers in length and 600 meters of elevation gain and was only moderately challenging.
We followed clear, even if rocky trails marked by red paint and encountered few wooden signs pointing towards the destination along the way as well.
The only exception was the descent from Trial Vrachia which was unmarked, steep and quite slippery. But more about that later.
The area is covered in the Anavasi Map of Mount Hymettus, but we didn’t really needed a map for this hike. Instead, we followed a Wikiloc recording and the signs and didn’t have any difficulty navigating the trail. You can find our Wikiloc recording HERE.
Hiking to Tripia Spilia from Terpsithea
We started our hike at a sport club at the upper edge of Terpsithea and followed the side of a football field until we reached a dusty parking lot. From here we joined a trail marked by red paint climbing up on the side of a newish-looking fence.
For the next almost 2 kilometers we climbed uphill along a rounded ridge enjoying the beautiful views towards the sea and the summit of Mount Hymettus.
At some point the pine forest became thicker and the trees taller and soon we arrived at a crossroad of paths with a small wooden sign pointing uphill towards Tria Vrachia.
We ignored the sign for now (knowing very well that the steep, slippery-looking trail will be our descent route) and continued along the main path running horizontally across the wooded slopes towards Tripia Spilia.
At one point the path disappeared for a bit and we had to walk across sloped rocks instead. This section required a bit of caution but wasn’t too difficult since the rocks weren’t slippery at all.
Once we come out of the forest, we caught the first glimpses of the cave entrance on the right-hand side. Soon we spotted a narrow trail branching off to the right towards the cave.
The trail was steep and extremely slippery and we needed to use our hands a few times as well. However, it’s worth the trouble as the cave is way more impressive from inside! Be cautious though!
Legend has it that fairies once lived on the natural bridge above the entrance to the cave. Shepherds would hear their songs, and one night, a young shepherd hid to see them. At midnight, the fairies arrived, singing and dancing.
Mesmerized by their beauty, he stepped out of his hiding place. Startled, the fairies vanished, and from that moment, he lost his sanity, spending the rest of his life on the bridge waiting for them.
Tria Vrachia
Originally, we planned for an easy hike and wanted to return to Terpsithea the same way. But once at the cave and seeing its lovely mountainous surroundings, we decided to explore a bit further.
We choose a circular route climbing up towards the top of Mavrovouni and returning to Terpsithea via the rock formation called Tria Vrachia (3 rocks).
So after descending from the cave to the main trail, we turned right and continued in the direction of Stavros Pass. The trail, marked by red and blue signs, ran horizontally at the foot of the cliffs and was easy to follow.
After about half a kilometer we reached a small ruin on the right side of the path and spotted another trail branching off to the right.
We joined this trail and started our climb to Mavrovouni. This was the most challenging part of our climb due to the elevation gain and the rocky nature of the path.
About halfway through the climb, we saw a sign pointing to another cave. We attempted to follow this trail but gave up after about 150 meters because it was overgrown by shrubs and from the photos we saw online there wasn’t much to see anyway.
After returning to our trail we continued uphill until we reached the top of a tree-less ridge. To the left, the trail continued towards the summit of Mavrovouni but we turned right and started our descent towards Tria Vrachia.
For the next one and a half kilometers we followed the ridge downhill enjoying beautiful views towards the southern suburbs of Athens, the sea and the Saronic Islands in front of us.
When we finally arrived at Tria Vrachia, we spent some time exploring the interesting rock towers and enjoying the views before heading down to the main path back to Terpsithea.
The next part was tricky. At first, we followed the red signs at the foot of the rocks, but after a while we realized that we were walking in the wrong direction.
We returned to the rocks and circled underneath them until we found something reminiscent of a faint trail heading downhill. It was steep and slippery and in some places disappeared altogether.
But after about 200 meters of slow and cautious descent we arrived back at the main trail to Tripia Spilia, turned left and returned to Therpsithea the same way we came.
