Hill Sights
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Cave Hill
The best way to get a feel for Belfast's natural setting is to view it from above. In the absence of a private aircraft, head for Cave Hill (368m) which looms over the northern fringes of the city. The view from its summit takes in the whole sprawl of the city, the docks and the creeping fingers of urbanisation along the shores of Belfast Lough. On a clear day you can even spot Scotland lurking on the horizon.
The hill was originally called Ben Madigan, after the 9th-century Ulster king, Matudhain. Its distinctive, craggy profile, seen from the south, has been known to locals for two centuries as 'Napoleon's Nose' - it supposedly bears some resemblance to Bonaparte's…
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Wayna Picchu
The most famous of several short walks around Machu Picchu, the climb up the steep mountain of Wayna (also spelled Huayna) Picchu is located at the back of the ruins. At first glance, it appears a difficult climb but, despite the steep ascent, it's not technically that hard. The scramble, which takes anything from 45 to 90 minutes, takes you through a short section of Inca tunnel.
The fabulous views from the top are definitely worth the huffing and puffing, even for trekkers just stumbling in off the Inca Trail. Take care in wet weather as the steps get dangerously slippery. Beyond the central plaza between two open-fronted buildings is a registration booth, where you…
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Signal Hill & Noon Gun
Separating Sea Point from the City Bowl, Signal Hill provides magnificent views from its 350m-high summit, especially at night. Once also known as Lion's Rump, as it is attached to Lion's Head by a 'spine' of hills, it is officially part of Table Mountain National Park. To reach the summit head up Kloof Nek Rd from the city and take the first turn-off to the right at the top of the hill.
Signal Hill was the early settlement's lookout point, and it was from here that flags were hoisted when a ship was spotted, giving the citizens below time to prepare their goods for sale and dust off their tankards.
At noon, Monday to Saturday, a cannon known as the Noon Gun is fired from…
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Parque General San Martín
Walking along the lakeshore and snoozing in the shade of the rose garden in this beautiful 420-hectare park is a great way to enjoy one of the city's highlights. Walk along Mitre/Civit out to the park and admire some of Mendoza's finest houses on the way. Pick up a park map at the Centro de Información, just inside the impressive entry gates, shipped over from England and originally forged for the Turkish Sultan Hamid II.
The park was designed by Charles Thays, who designed Parque Sarmiento in Córdoba, in 1897. Its famous Cerro de la Gloria has a monument to San Martín's Ejército de los Andes for their liberation of Argentina, Chile and Perú from the Spaniards. On clear…
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Covered Stairway
From the Piaţa Cetăţii, turn left up Str Şcolii to the 172 steps of the Covered Stairway, which has tunnelled its way up the hill since 1642.
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The Pinnacles
These coloured sand cliffs are a photographer's delight.
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Darya Ajdahar
Five kilometres west of Bamiyan lies Darya Ajdahar, or Valley of the Dragon, where you'll find the petrified remains of a monstrous creature that once terrorised the region. The dragon took up residence in Bamiyan in pagan times, and fed daily on a diet of virgins and camels provided by the browbeaten population. All attempts to slay it ended in a fiery end. Only Ali, the Prophet Mohammed's son-in-law, fresh from creating the Band-e Amir lakes, could manage the task. The dragon's burning breath turned to tulip petals as they licked around the hero, whereupon he drew his great sword Zulfiqar and cleaved the monster in two.
The dragon can clearly be seen and only those…
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Ninini Point
You'll enjoy solitude from other tourists at Ninini Point, where 360-degree vistas show jets swooping in the sky above and waves crashing against the rocks below. Looking east, soaring cliffs cut off rainbows and, closer in, golfers tee off near a beckoning scoop of beach.
These terrific views from Ninini Point are made more so by its 100ft lighthouse marking the northern entrance to Nawiliwili Bay. Here, Hawaiians still fish, pick 'opihi (edible limpet) and gather limu (edible seaweed). The road to the lighthouse begins off Kapule Hwy, just over 0.5 miles south of the intersection with Ahukini Rd and marked with two concrete slabs. You'll pass a guard gate (usually…
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Süllberg Hill
Once, a former fishing village and haven for cut-throats, the suburb Blankenese now boasts some of the finest and most expensive houses in Germany. For visitors, the area's attraction lies in its hillside labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets, with a network of 58 stairways (4864 steps in total!) connecting them.
The best views of the Elbe (nearly 3km wide here) and the container ships putting out to sea are enjoyed from the 75m-high Süllberg hill (head through the restaurant at the summit). Getting off bus 48 at Weseberg - having passed the clutch of beachfront restaurants and cafés and reached the summit of the following hill - you'll see a sign pointing to the nearby…
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Canada Hill
Canada Hill, on the low ridge behind the town centre, is the site of Malaysia's first oil well, the Grand Old Lady. Bored in 1910, the well produced around seven barrels a day until it was abandoned in 1972. The hill is a popular exercise spot with a handful of refreshment kiosks, and it's worth walking up here at sunset just for the views across Miri to the South China Sea. The new Petroleum Museum on the hill has a few interesting displays on the source of the city's wealth.
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Gianicolo
It was here in 1849 that Giuseppe Garibaldi and his makeshift army fought pope-backing French troops in one of the fiercest battles in the struggle for Italian unification. Although a cannon is still fired from it every day at noon, Rome's highest hill is now better known for great views, pony rides and Neapolitan puppet shows at weekends.
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Funicular
Heading around the left of St Michael's Gold-Domed Monastery to the rear, you'll find the quaint funicular that runs down a steep hillside to the river terminal in the mercantile district of Podil. Although in the summer trees partially obscure your view, this is still the most fun public-transport ride in town.
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Pueblito Paisa
On top of the 80m-tall hill known as Cerro Nutibara, 2km southwest of the city center, sits the kitschy Pueblito Paisa, a miniature version of typical Antioquian township. Views from an adjacent platform across the city are stunning.
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Chasovnya
For great city views climb Karaulnaya Hill to the pointy little Chasovnya which features on the Russian 10-rouble banknote. At midday there’s a deafening one-gun salute here.
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Varberg
Fine views over the town centre are to be had for those who climb to the summit of Varberg, the hill with the prominent TV mast. The path to the top takes about 20 minutes from the centre of town.
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Buda Hills
With 'peaks' reaching over 500m, a comprehensive system of trails and no lack of unusual conveyances, the Buda Hills make up what is the city's playground, and they're a welcome respite from hot, dusty Pest in the warmer months. Indeed, some well-heeled Budapest families have summer homes here. If you're planning to ramble, take along a copy of Cartographia's 1: 30,000 A Budai-hegység map (No 6), available from bookshops and newsstands throughout the city.
Apart from the Béla Bartók Memorial House, there are very few sights per se, though you might want to poke your head into one of the Buda Hills' several caves.
With all the unusual transport options, heading for the…
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Sand Dunes
Legend has it that motherly sea giantess Neringa created the spit, lovingly carrying armfuls of sand in her apron to form a protected harbour for the local fishing folk. The truth is as enchanting. The waves and winds of the Baltic Sea let sand accumulate in its shallow waters near the coast 5000 or 6000 years ago to create an original beauty found nowhere else.
Massive deforestation in the 16th century started the sands shifting. Trees were felled for timber, leaving the sands free to roam unhindered at the wish of the strong coastal winds. At a pace of 20m a year, the sands swallowed 14 villages in the space of three centuries.
Dubbed the 'Sahara of Lithuania' due to its…
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Cidade Alta
Salvador's Cidade Alta (High City) lives up to its name, being in the elevated part of town, with - depending where you're standing - sweeping views over the bay. Many of the city's main landmarks are located here, including the famous Elevador Lacerda, the Praça Municipal, the Terreiro de Jesus and the charming colonial Pelourinho district. Nowhere else will you experience Salvador's unique vibrancy and alegria to such an inspiring degree.
The Praça Municipal was the political seat of colonial Brazil for more than 200 years. Now it's a fantastic place to have an icecream and enjoy a panoramic view of the bay. The stunning Palácio Rio Branco is here too, as well as the…
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Ascensores
It's possible to spend hours riding the 15 ascensores (also known as funicular elevators), built between 1883 and 1916, that lead up into the hills and meandering back alleys of Valparaíso. Some of the ascensores are remarkable feats of engineering. From the flat city center the ascensores creak at an improbable angle up to the tumbling chaotic cerros (hills), with their steep labyrinthine roads, crumbling mansions and kaleidoscopic rooftops.
Take Ascensor Concepción, the city's oldest elevator, to the beautiful Cerro Concepción, or take Ascensor El Peral to the Museo de Bellas Artes in Cerro Alegre, or ride the Ascensor Cordillera to the Museo del Mar Lord Cochrane in…
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Hon Chong Promontory
The narrow granite promontory of Hon Chong Promontory offers views of the mountainous coastline north of Nha Trang and the nearby islands. The beach here has a more local flavour than Nha Trang Beach, but the accompanying refuse makes it a less attractive option for swimming or sunbathing. There's a gargantuan handprint on the massive boulder balanced at the tip of the promontory. According to local legend, a drunken giant male fairy made it when he fell while spying a female fairy bathing nude at Bai Tien (Fairy Beach), the point of land closest to Hon Rua. They fell in love but the gods intervened, sending the male fairy away. The lovesick female fairy waited patiently…
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Petřín
Most attractions atop this lookout point were built in the late 19th to early 20th century, creating a slightly innocent, fun-fair atmosphere. The huge stone fortifications that run from Újezd to Strahov, cutting across Petřín's peak, are different. This so-called Hunger Wall was built in 1362 under Charles IV, constructed by the city's poor in return for food under an early job-creation scheme.
Once upon a time the hill was draped with vineyards, and you can still see the quarry that provided stone for most of Prague's Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Just south of the cable car terminus is Stefanik Observatory, where anyone can enjoy an enhanced view of a clear and…
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Mirador La Piedra Degetau
This nest of boulders lies on a hilltop and was once the 'thinking place' of Ponce-born writer Federico Degetau y González, who became the island's first resident commissioner in Washington DC, from 1900 to 1904. This must have been a truly sublime place in its day, with views of the mountains, the Atlantic and the Caribbean. On a clear evening, you can actually see cruise ships leaving San Juan more than 20 miles to the north and the lights of Ponce beginning to glow to the south.
Sadly, the natural beauty of the site has been marred by an architecturally horrific park and lookout tower that dwarf the actual rocks, which huddle like small pebbles to the side. Myriad…
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Darakeh & Darband
On a sunny day few things could be nicer than fleeing the traffic fumes for the foothills of the Alborz Mountains and the walking trails of Darakeh and Darband. Both the trails strike north, passing waterfalls and crossing streams. They are crowded on Thursday afternoon and Friday and make a great place to meet Tehranis in a relaxed, social atmosphere.
The lower reaches of both trails are lined with teahouses and stalls selling food and drinks, which are hugely popular in the evenings - some close mid-week and in winter. A dish of dizi, a kabab or two, a cold drink or a huff and a puff on a qalyan by the stream will soon help you forget the Tehran traffic. Among other…
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Constitution Hill
At the northern end of North Beach is Aberystwyth's headland, 430ft Constitution Hill . From the wind-blown balding hilltop there are tremendous, long coastal views - 60 miles from the Llŷn to Strumble Head - and you can spot 26 mountain peaks including Snowdon. The site has been redeveloped in recent years with new children's attractions, including gold panning and go-karts. The erstwhile Victorian tearooms have been rebuilt in line with environmental considerations and the resulting Consti Café is a café by day and licensed steakhouse three nights per week. It also features displays of the wildlife you can spot on a, ahem, constitutional around the hill. One relic of…
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Monte de Santa Luzia
There are two good reasons to visit Viana's 228m, eucalyptus-clad hill, Monte de Santa Luzia. One is the god's-eye view down the coast and up the Lima valley. The other is the Templo do Sagrado Coração de Jesus.
There's an over-the-top Pousada de Portugal (Pousada do Monte de Santa Luzia) up here, too, behind and above the basilica. Behind that is another attraction, the poorly maintained ruins of a Celtiberian citânia from around the 4th century BC, though these remained closed for redevelopment at the time of writing. You can also make the short walk onwards to the summit.
You can get up the mountain by car or taxi (3.5km) or on foot - an often steep, 2km climb only…
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