Lamia: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Lamia is a working provincial capital and a university town, and its life is concentrated in a chain of squares at the foot of the castle hill. Its name entered history in 323 BC, when the Greek cities rose against Macedon and trapped its general here. This walk links the squares, the place where the hero of 1821 died, a pine hill and the castle on top. Two hours at an easy pace; the last climb is steep.

A short history of Lamia

Lamia lies in the valley of the River Spercheios, on the ancient road from northern to southern Greece. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the Macedonian general Antipater fortified himself here against the Athenians and their allies, and that war is named after the city: the Lamian War. In the Ottoman period the city was called Zitouni. In April 1821, at the start of the War of Independence, Athanasios Diakos was captured in the battle at the nearby Alamana bridge and was tortured and executed in Lamia; he is regarded as a national hero. In 1881 the city was annexed to Greece. On the hill above the city stands a fortress, parts of which were built in ancient times.

The ten best sights in Lamia

1
Lamia Castle
Walls over the town, with a view to the Malian Gulf; best before sunset
2
Archaeological Museum of Lamia
Inside the castle walls; finds from all over Fthiotida
3
Statue of Athanasios Diakos
The hero of 1821 on Diakou Square, where he was executed
4
Museum of National Resistance
The Second World War in the mountains of central Greece
5
Municipal Art Gallery
Greek 20th-century painting, a few steps from the main squares
6
Leonidas Monument
Bronze Spartan king at Thermopylae, 15 km south-east on the old road
7
Thermopylae Historical Centre
A film and displays explain the battle before you climb the hill
8
Kolonos Hill
The last stand of the 300; a short climb across the road from the monument
9
Castle of Ypati
Ruins over a mountain village 17 km west, with a wide view of the valley
10
Castle of Domokos
On the road north to Thessaly, 28 km; a stop on the way, not a destination

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Lamia →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Lamia:

Free walking tours in Lamia

Squares and the castle

Eleftherias Square · 'Eleftheria' means freedom, and the square is the town's formal centre, where parades and rallies gather on national days. It sits at one end of a run of three squares joined by short pedestrian streets.
Laou Square · Laou means 'of the people', and with its tavernas this is where Lamia eats on a summer night. The town's population includes thousands of students, which keeps the squares busy late.
Parkou Square · The 'square of the park' is the shadiest in town: its plane trees make it the coolest place in the centre in July, when the plain around Lamia is one of the hottest parts of Greece.
Statue of Athanasios Diakos · Diakos was captured after the battle at the Alamana bridge over the Spercheios in April 1821 and brought to Lamia. Offered his life if he converted to Islam, he refused and was executed here the next day, which made him one of the first martyrs of the revolution.
Agios Loukas Park · The hill takes its name from the chapel of Saint Luke on top, and its pine woods are where locals walk in the evening cool. From here the castle, the town and the plain running down to the gulf line up in one view.
Lamia Castle · After Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, Athens led a revolt and besieged the Macedonian regent Antipater inside the walls of Lamia through the winter. The war is still called the Lamian War, and the castle stands on the same acropolis.

Thermopylae and the hot gates

South of Lamia the mountains once came down almost to the sea, leaving a pass so narrow that a few thousand men could hold it. Here in 480 BC Leonidas and his Spartans faced the Persian army, and in 1942 a band of saboteurs cut the railway that ran past the same mountains. The route goes from the ancient battlefield to the wartime viaduct and the station that serves the line today. Half a day by car; the hill is a short, rough climb.

Thermopylae Historical Centre · The coastline you see is not the one Leonidas knew: silt from the Spercheios river has pushed the sea several kilometres back, so the narrow pass is now a wide plain. The centre's model shows the ground as it was.
Leonidas Monument · When the Persians demanded the Greeks hand over their weapons, Leonidas is said to have answered 'Molon labe' — 'come and take them'. The two words are carved on the base of the statue, which was put up in 1955.
Kolonos Hill · Herodotus says the last Greeks fell back to this hillock and fought with swords, then hands and teeth, until they were shot down by arrows. Excavation here found many Persian arrowheads, and a plaque carries Simonides' epitaph: 'Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by...'.
Thermopylae Hot Springs · Thermopylae means 'the hot gates', named after these springs at the mouth of the pass. The water comes out at around 40 degrees and smells strongly of sulphur.
Gorgopotamos stop · On the night of 25 November 1942, British commandos and Greek guerrillas of the rival ELAS and EDES bands blew up the Gorgopotamos viaduct beside this stop. It cut the line that carried German supplies south for weeks, and was one of the first great sabotage acts in occupied Europe.
Lianokladi Station · The Athens–Thessaloniki main line runs along the valley floor and never climbed up to Lamia, so the town's station is out here in the plain. A branch line once ran from Lianokladi through Lamia to the port of Stylida.

Rebels, dukes and painters

The valley of the Spercheios runs west from Lamia between two mountain walls, Oiti to the south and Othrys to the north. Medieval dukes ruled from its hill towns and guerrillas hid in its mountains in the 1940s. This route starts with two small museums in town, drives up the valley to a castle and a spa, and swings north to the Thessaly road. A full day by car, with lunch in Ypati or Loutra.

Archaeological Museum of Lamia · The museum is housed in army barracks built inside the castle in the 19th century, after Lamia became a frontier town of the new Greek state. Until 1881 the Ottoman border ran only a few kilometres to the north, on Mount Othrys.
Museum of National Resistance · The mountains of Fthiotida and Evrytania were the heartland of the Greek armed resistance in 1942–44. The museum keeps weapons, printing presses and photographs of the bands who lived in the villages above the valley.
Municipal Art Gallery · The gallery is named after Alekos Kontopoulos, a painter born in Lamia in 1904 who became one of the pioneers of abstract art in Greece. Its collection is built around Greek painting of his generation.
Castle of Ypati · Medieval Ypati was Neopatras, and from 1319 it was the capital of the Duchy of Neopatras, held by Catalan mercenaries and then the Crown of Aragon. The kings of Aragon kept 'Duke of Athens and Neopatras' among their titles for centuries.
Loutra Ypatis · The spa grew up around sulphur springs at the foot of Oiti, the mountain where, in myth, Heracles built his own funeral pyre and was carried up to Olympus. Its hotels date mostly from the spa boom of the mid-20th century.
Castle of Domokos · In May 1897 the Greek army made a stand at Domokos against the Ottoman advance from Thessaly in the short Greco-Turkish war. The battle was lost, but the peace that followed cost Greece only small strips of land along its northern frontier.

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Getting to Lamia and getting around

Lianokladi Station · Lamia's main-line station, 5 km west of the centre; take a taxi into town
KTEL Fthiotida bus station · Buses to Athens, Thessaloniki and the villages leave from here, south of the centre
Gorgopotamos stop · A small stop by the famous viaduct, 9 km south-west

Cheap eats in Lamia

Lamia is a student town on the main road between Athens and Thessaloniki, and it eats fast and cheap. Gyros and souvlaki wrapped in pita are the everyday lunch, bakeries sell cheese and spinach pies from early morning, and the squares serve coffee all day. The region raises a lot of lamb and goat, which shows on every grill menu. A full meal on the run costs far less than in Athens.

Posto Gyronostimies · Gyros pita on the main square, about €3.5-4
Nostimoulis · Souvlaki skewers and pita wraps, about €2.5-4
Ziogas Bakery · Tiropita, spanakopita and bougatsa, about €1.5-3
Serraios · Bougatsa with coffee, about €3-5
O Stelios · Neighbourhood grill below the castle, about €3-8
Loukoumi · Freddo and a snack on the squares, about €2.5-5

Museums in Lamia

Archaeological Museum of Lamia · Prehistoric to Roman Fthiotida in the castle barracks
Museum of National Resistance · The occupation years in central Greece
Municipal Art Gallery · Kontopoulos and Greek modern painting
Thermopylae Historical Centre · Film and model of the battle; about an hour

Nature and day trips near Lamia

Agios Loukas Park · Pine hill and walking paths in town
Gorgopotamos river · Plane trees and pools under Mount Oiti
Loutra Ypatis · Spa village and walks into the Oiti foothills
Thermopylae Hot Springs · Warm sulphur stream by the old road

Things to do in Lamia with kids

Thermopylae Historical Centre · The battle film works well for older children
Lamia Castle · Walls to walk and a view over the whole town
Parkou Square · Shade and space while parents have coffee
Agios Loukas Park · Paths, pines and a playground feel

Where to eat in Lamia

Fytilis · Taverna on Laou Square; meze and grills
Odos Oneiron · Popular meze place a step from the main square
To Paradosiako · Traditional cooking, as the name promises
I Rezerva · Neighbourhood taverna north of the castle
To Tavernaki tou Vasili · Small family taverna; grilled lamb and salads
Paranga · Grill house with a local crowd

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Frequently asked questions about Lamia

What is there to see in Lamia?

The top sights in Lamia are Lamia Castle, Archaeological Museum of Lamia and Statue of Athanasios Diakos. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Lamia?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Lamia without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Lamia?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Lamia, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Squares and the castle.

How do you get to Lamia and get around?

The main ways are Lianokladi Station, KTEL Fthiotida bus station and Gorgopotamos stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Lamia, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Lamia that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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