“There’s no place like Halkidiki,” the Greek saying goes. The potbellied, three-legged peninsula simply an hour’s drive from Thessaloniki is understood throughout the nation for its glowing waters, pine tree forests that create a scent, and its golden sand seashores.
And whereas most vacationers make a beeline straight to the shore, Halkidiki has way more to supply than simply waves. From monasteries to mountains, villages to islands, there’s one thing right here for nearly each type of traveler. We’re not saying you need to skip the seaside fully – as a result of Greece has a few of Europe’s highest – however these 10 alternate options will tempt you to discover Halkidiki past the solar and sand.
1. Make the leap on a diving course
Why admire the shimmering floor when you possibly can dive straight into it? En path to Halkidiki’s center peninsula, Sithonia, cease off at Atlantis Diving Center. Situated in Nikiti, one of many first stops as you drive into Sithonia, this expert-packed outfit can prepare diving expeditions geared in the direction of first-timers and youngsters. One-day diving excursions (together with transport and refreshments) value from €75, a small value for the prospect to glimpse scorpion fish, sea bass and a sea ground fluttering with anemones.
2. Cycle pine forests and rugged hills
On Kassandra, the westernmost tendril of Halkidiki, there are way more rewarding methods to interrupt a sweat than sunbathing. Really feel the warmth on a mountain-biking tour with Break Free: excursions ply the pine-forested inside of the peninsula. The so-called “camel’s hump” of Kassandra is bound to set thigh muscle tissue screaming, however the agony and burnt rubber are nicely price it when you catch sight of the glowing Thermaic Gulf. Main roads in Halkidiki hug the coast, so mountain biking the inside presents views which are inaccessible to drivers.
3. Hike to the waterfalls
Head to the plush japanese inside of Halkidiki for among the most fascinating wild swimming the peninsula has to supply – and commerce the salty Mediterranean for the cool, crisp pure ponds that kind on the base of a number of hidden waterfalls. Drive out of Olympiada village in the direction of Varvara by dense foliage that reveals one of many space’s most scenic routes. A 4km (2.5 mile) hike by forests will lead you to the Varvara waterfalls, the place you’ll really feel like a fairy for the day.
4. Discover a yawning cavern
Of their hurry to achieve the coast, vacationers are likely to skip Halkidiki’s inside, the nice bulge of land earlier than the area tapers into three beach-blessed peninsulas. However this space, with roads carved into the rocky substrate and cypress forests clinging to the hills, makes for a dramatic journey by automobile. Delve deep (actually) into this historic land by exploring Petralona Cave, 50km southeast of Greece’s second metropolis Thessaloniki. Excavations of Petralona throughout the Sixties uncovered Paleolithic instruments and weapons, animal skeletons and the Petralona cranium, the stays of a hominid as previous as 700,000 years (although scientific debate continues to rage).
5. Check your survival abilities on Halkidiki’s isles
Embark on an odyssey out of your consolation zone by hiring an skilled sea hand. Group crusing and tenting excursions will take you to the small islands that glitter between Kassandra and Sithonia. Remember the fact that that is no luxurious island hideaway: suppose survival abilities, spear fishing and awe-inducing silence.
6. Attempt the very best souvlaki in North Greece
Most individuals will inform you to eat seafood in Halkidiki – and you could find superb grilled anchovies, marinated mackerel, and sun-dried octopus throughout the peninsula. However the best-kept meals secret is souvlaki at Miltiades Taverna in Agios Prodromos (contact quantity +30 2371 096079). This unassuming restaurant has been doling out the area’s greatest meat sticks for many years. The key? The meat is native and minimize in further small items, so every chew is the right mixture of smoke, fats, and char. Come early as they have an inclination to expire by afternoon.
7. Be your personal captain
You don’t want a particular license to lease a small boat and navigate the Caribbean-clear waters between the second and third leg of Halkidiki. In Vourvourou, you’ll discover dozens of shops renting out boats for the day; deliver your personal meals and snacks and set sail for the Diaporas Islands. You’ll have the liberty to drop anchor wherever your coronary heart pleases, and watch the sundown from your personal non-public little boat. Go in with a bunch of associates (the boats maintain as much as six) for a very whole lot.
8. Sleep in a treehouse
Ever needed to sleep suspended within the sky? On the Agramada Treehouse you are able to do precisely that. Perched in oak timber, the treehouse makes an ideal respite from the overdeveloped shoreline of Halkidiki. Get up beneath a cover of sweetly scented leaves to a hearty breakfast of natural eggs, native yogurt with pine tree honey, and freshly baked bread.
9. Drift by centuries of monastic historical past
Empires have risen and fallen, however regardless of centuries of cataclysmic change non secular exercise on Mt Athos has continued serenely for greater than a millennium. South of Ouranoupoli on the third of Halkidiki’s peninsulas lies the “monks’ republic”. For those who’re male (girls are forbidden), spiritually inclined and undeterred by austere lodgings and a little bit of paperwork, with a bit advance preparation you possibly can immerse your self within the day by day rhythms of monastic life. Luckily for girls vacationers (and males who aren’t a fan of prayer), curious guests can get a glimpse of the extraordinary structure by way of Athos Sea Cruises.
10. Go to Aristotle’s Themepark
One of the crucial essential Western philosophers, Aristotle was born within the city of Stagira, on Halkidiki’s japanese peninsula. Little surprise then {that a} “theme park” has been erected in honor of his innumerable achievements. You gained’t discover ferris wheels or curler coasters, however you will discover replicas of many scientific innovations talked about in Aristotle’s textbooks, together with inertia spheres, optical discs, and the pentaphone (which will be performed!). It is a significantly good outing for curious kids.
