Athens From Above: Discover the Views From Lycabettus Hill

Lycabettus elevation arsenic seen from Acropolis of Athens. Credit: Flickr/ Wally Gobetz CC BY 2.0

Located successful the bosom of Athens, Mount Lycabettus provides a serene, picturesque flight from the sound and hubbub of Greece’s capital.

At the highest elevation successful each of hilly Athens, Mt. Lycabettus provides stunning views that agelong from the Athenian Riviera on the Saronic Gulf each the mode to the mountains that situation the Greek capital.

The casual hike up to the apical of the elevation begins astatine the basal of the mountain, located adjacent the chic Athenian vicinity of Kolonaki. If you’re not up for the jaunt, you tin usage a funicular to scope the apical which runs astir each fractional hour.

You tin commencement from Plateia Dexamenis, oregon Dexameni Square, wherever you tin halt for a java oregon foodstuff earlier you commencement your travel to the acme of the hill.

The mode up to the apical of Lycabettus is lined with lush trees and countless fruit-bearing cacti, which supply a invited greenish oasis successful the halfway of Athens.

Acropolis and Saronic Gulf arsenic seen from Mt. Lycabettus. Credit: George E. Koronaios /Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Stunning views of Athens from the apical of Mt. Lycabettus

Once astatine the top, visitors tin marvel astatine the stunning, unsocial panoramic presumption of the city, featuring the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the larboard of Piraeus, the mountains surrounding the city, and adjacent the land of Aegina connected a wide day.

Those with immoderate cognition of the metropolis tin easy constituent retired circumstantial neighborhoods and landmarks from the summit, including Syntagma Square and Plaka.

St. George Church connected Mt. Lycabettus. Credit: OrthoArchitectDU/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0

The small, white-washed religion dedicated to St. George, built successful the nineteenth century, is located astatine the precise acme of the hill. Inside the picturesque religion are important paintings and spiritual artifacts dating backmost hundreds of years.

Visitors tin besides halt astatine the edifice adjacent by, which boasts the champion views of the city, for a meal, cocktail, oregon that indispensable Greek coffee.

Mount Lycabettus is simply a peculiarly fashionable destination successful the evening during the summertime erstwhile the sunset blankets the metropolis successful lukewarm tones of orange, purple, and pink, but it provides beauteous views astatine immoderate clip of the time and astatine each season.

View of Athens arsenic seen from Lycabettus hill. Credit: Flickr/ Milos Golubovic CC BY 2.0

Visitors and residents of Athens passim past person commented connected the hill’s absorbing signifier and placement successful the city, arsenic though it had been dropped determination conscionable for the intent of providing panoramic views of the city’s galore landmarks.

According to Greek mythology, the goddess Athena, aft receiving atrocious news, dropped a ample chunk of limestone successful the mediate of Athens portion constructing the Acropolis, frankincense creating Mount Lycabettus.

Although the etymology of the hill’s sanction is contested, the astir apt mentation is thought to stem from the Greek enactment lykos, oregon wolf, arsenic wolves were thought to person roamed the elevation during past times. This is astatine slightest the mentation that Hesychius of Alexandria proposed.

Hesychius was a Greek grammarian who, astir apt successful the 5th oregon 6th period AD, compiled the richest lexicon of antithetic and obscure Greek words that has survived, astir apt by absorbing the works of earlier lexicographers.

Although determination are nary longer immoderate wolves connected the hill, Mount Lycabettus is inactive a earthy flight amidst the bustle of modern Athens.