Lycabettus hill
Athens has a couple of vantage points besides the Acropolis,
from which you can get superb views of the city. Lycabettus
Hill is really a limestone rock reaching almost 1,000 feet
into the once-crystalline Athenian sky. In the evening, the top half
is floodlit, and from the Acropolis it looks something like a giant
souffle. By day, it's a green-and-white hill toppoed by a tiny, flaringly
white church, Agios Georgios. It’s a nagging
challenge, and sooner or later you’re to want to climb it. Don’t
try to walk up (pilgrims used to, but it’s an Everest for the
faithless), and don’t try to take a cab, because it only goes
half-way and you still have quite a hike to get to the top. Take the
two-minute funicular up the southeast flank. To get there, follow
the “telepherique” signs to the corner of Kleomenous and
Ploutarchou Streets, between Kolonaki Square and
the Athens Hilton. The panorama from the top is priceless –
all the way to Mount Parnes in the north, west to Piraeus and the
Saronic Gulf, with the Acropolis siiting like a ruminative lion half
way to the sea. There's also a cafe/restaurant up there.
The view from the top of Lycabettus Hill
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sightseeings
See also: museums,
nightlife, Athens
transportation
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