The centre of Athens is surrounded by hills and parks, such as Lycabettus hill, Philopappou hill, the Acropolis hill and others. Also it is washed by underground rivers, such as Iridanos, Kifissos and Ilissus. Most of the time, these rivers are dry but in the winter they get filled with the rain water.
Athens has the typical Meditteranean climate, which means hot and dry summers and mild winters. It rarely snows (usually every 3-4 years) and some rainfalls may occur in autumn.
Athens stretches on a large peninsula that is protected by mountains from all sides of the horizon: Mt Egaleo to the west, Mt Parnes to the north, Mt Pentelikon to the north east and Mt Hymettus to the east.