Best Spots For Counting The Stars In Athens
- by XpatAthens
- Monday, 25 January 2016
The particular geography of Athens has endowed it with great vantage points from which to admire the city from above, not to mention the distinctive blue tones of Attica's sky and sea. Athenians place the city’s hills and Attica’s sandy beaches at the top of the list for best spots for a first date. Whether or not you're enjoying the scenery with someone else, you are surely going to fall in love with the view from these incredible spots around Athens!
Ardittou Hill
Verdant Ardittou Hill lies in the centre of Athens just above Kallimarmaron Stadium. Of enormous archaeological value due to its position, Ardittou Hill is a favorite spot among Athenians for romantic strolls as well as a great spot for jogging. It probably has the best views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, and the Columns of Olympian Zeus. A night walk along its cool paths reveals many charming secrets, both ancient and modern. Continuing along these paths brings you to Mets, an area with a growing reputation for fun and entertainment. What better way, in fact, to end your meander down lovers’ lane than with a drink in-hand soaking up the atmosphere with other Athenian fun-seekers!
Verdant Ardittou Hill lies in the centre of Athens just above Kallimarmaron Stadium. Of enormous archaeological value due to its position, Ardittou Hill is a favorite spot among Athenians for romantic strolls as well as a great spot for jogging. It probably has the best views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, and the Columns of Olympian Zeus. A night walk along its cool paths reveals many charming secrets, both ancient and modern. Continuing along these paths brings you to Mets, an area with a growing reputation for fun and entertainment. What better way, in fact, to end your meander down lovers’ lane than with a drink in-hand soaking up the atmosphere with other Athenian fun-seekers!
Strefi Hill
Climbing up the picturesque steps of Kallidromiou Street in Exarhia, picking your way through the playfully cunning cats who’ve made this place their domain and admiring neoclassical buildings of exceptional beauty, you will find yourself on Strefi Hill. This particular hill is one of the favourite haunts of the Athenian young, and it’s not uncommon for parties to be held there, just below the little stone theatre. The night, as we all know, is made for romance, but if you prefer something less intimate, during the summer months you have the option of “Exostrefis”, one of the best known restaurants in Athens which serves excellent food and wine. The panoramic view of the city from the hill is invigorating, its trees, shrubs and flowers offer a breath of cool fresh air.
Climbing up the picturesque steps of Kallidromiou Street in Exarhia, picking your way through the playfully cunning cats who’ve made this place their domain and admiring neoclassical buildings of exceptional beauty, you will find yourself on Strefi Hill. This particular hill is one of the favourite haunts of the Athenian young, and it’s not uncommon for parties to be held there, just below the little stone theatre. The night, as we all know, is made for romance, but if you prefer something less intimate, during the summer months you have the option of “Exostrefis”, one of the best known restaurants in Athens which serves excellent food and wine. The panoramic view of the city from the hill is invigorating, its trees, shrubs and flowers offer a breath of cool fresh air.
Lycabettus Hill
Perhaps the most iconic hill in Athens, second only to the Acropolis, Lycabettus is the highest point of the Athens basin, standing at 227 metres above the city. Access to this wonderful hill can be on foot but the most popular way is the picturesque cable car. Romanticism without the weariness of the climb and the whole of Athens at your feet! Atop the hill of Lycabettus sits St. George’s chapel in its whitewashed splendor, as if on permanent loan from the Cyclades. Before you decide to visit the hill, check if there is a concert on that day, as the theatre of Lycabettus is one of the most popular open air venues, and its stage has hosted top acts from the international music scene. However, even without musical accompaniment the climb to the top of Lycabettus is well worth it because of the unrivalled view when you get there. Sprawling Athens is at once tiny and vast, its myriad of lights is a starscape to match the heavens.
Perhaps the most iconic hill in Athens, second only to the Acropolis, Lycabettus is the highest point of the Athens basin, standing at 227 metres above the city. Access to this wonderful hill can be on foot but the most popular way is the picturesque cable car. Romanticism without the weariness of the climb and the whole of Athens at your feet! Atop the hill of Lycabettus sits St. George’s chapel in its whitewashed splendor, as if on permanent loan from the Cyclades. Before you decide to visit the hill, check if there is a concert on that day, as the theatre of Lycabettus is one of the most popular open air venues, and its stage has hosted top acts from the international music scene. However, even without musical accompaniment the climb to the top of Lycabettus is well worth it because of the unrivalled view when you get there. Sprawling Athens is at once tiny and vast, its myriad of lights is a starscape to match the heavens.
Philopappou Hill
Named after the monument discovered there, Philopappou Hill is one of the most beautiful spots in Athens. With a strong flavour of ancient Greece, full of olive trees and in full view of the Parthenon, Philopappou Hill seems to encapsulate huge swathes of Greek history, ancient and modern, in a single image. Besides the Parthenon, you can cast your eyes down on the Acropolis Museum, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the whole of Apostolou Pavlou Avenue and the Observatory. On a clear day you can see the sea. Especially at night Philopappou Hill is transformed into an Athenian beacon, its monument bathed in a single orange spotlight. After a romantic walk on Philopappou, there are many districts resting in its shade to discover. Theseion, Monastiraki, Koukaki, Petralona. Pick one and have fun until the stars disappear from the sky.
Named after the monument discovered there, Philopappou Hill is one of the most beautiful spots in Athens. With a strong flavour of ancient Greece, full of olive trees and in full view of the Parthenon, Philopappou Hill seems to encapsulate huge swathes of Greek history, ancient and modern, in a single image. Besides the Parthenon, you can cast your eyes down on the Acropolis Museum, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the whole of Apostolou Pavlou Avenue and the Observatory. On a clear day you can see the sea. Especially at night Philopappou Hill is transformed into an Athenian beacon, its monument bathed in a single orange spotlight. After a romantic walk on Philopappou, there are many districts resting in its shade to discover. Theseion, Monastiraki, Koukaki, Petralona. Pick one and have fun until the stars disappear from the sky.
Temple of Poseidon, Sounion
On the southernmost tip of Greater Athens lies the headland of Sounion, with its iconic Temple of Poseidon, which adorns the clifftop 60 metres above the sea. Sunsets at Sounion are cinematic to say the least and have served many a passionate liaison with a sumptuous mauve and orange backdrop. So if you are in Athens, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Sounion at dusk so you too can marvel at the sun’s majestic descent into the Saronikos gulf and – if you are lucky – perhaps a bright full moon rising a little later on. In the summer months don’t miss out on a night dip on one of the nearby beaches. The sea, an ancient floodlit temple and you. A leisurely jaunt down the coast from the city and this paradise can be yours.
On the southernmost tip of Greater Athens lies the headland of Sounion, with its iconic Temple of Poseidon, which adorns the clifftop 60 metres above the sea. Sunsets at Sounion are cinematic to say the least and have served many a passionate liaison with a sumptuous mauve and orange backdrop. So if you are in Athens, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Sounion at dusk so you too can marvel at the sun’s majestic descent into the Saronikos gulf and – if you are lucky – perhaps a bright full moon rising a little later on. In the summer months don’t miss out on a night dip on one of the nearby beaches. The sea, an ancient floodlit temple and you. A leisurely jaunt down the coast from the city and this paradise can be yours.
To learn about more great spots around Athens, please visit: Discover Greece