Nature And Outdoors in Athens

Athens lies in a basin ringed by mountains, and nature here begins right past the city limit. Nearest is Parnitha, a national park above a thousand metres reached by cable car: pine forest, trails, deer and ten degrees cooler than the centre. It is the one place where Athenians escape the July heat without going to the sea.

The sea, meanwhile, is close by. The Athens Riviera stretches south from the city to Cape Sounion, and catamarans run along it, with the whole city visible from the water. From there too depart cruises to the three islands of the Saronic Gulf — Hydra, Poros, Aegina: on Hydra cars are banned, and all transport is donkeys and boats.

The longer trips are Meteora, reached by train, and Delphi on the slope of Parnassus. A tandem skydive near the city stands apart: two and a half thousand metres, free fall and the whole of Attica underfoot. Practical notes: Parnitha still needs water and a hat in summer, and in winter there is snow up there. Sea departures are cancelled on wind with money returned. The jump depends on the weather and has a weight limit — check in advance.