Chalkidiki Χαλκιδική Overview

The three fingers of Chalkidiki peninsula—Mt. Athos, Sithonia, and Kassandra—point southeast into the Aegean, boasting spectacular scenery and amazing beaches. Central and Eastern Europeans and urban Thessalonians spread their bodies out on Sithonia and Kassandra to sunbathe with the backdrop of Agion Oros, “The Holy Mountain,” which continues its thousand-year tradition of Orthodox asceticism. Visits to Mt. Athos are strictly regulated, and reservations for pilgrimages should be made a few months in advance. Visitors to Sithonia and Kassandra will find no barriers of entry, other than the Chalkidiki public transportation system. Frequent buses run between the Chalkidiki station in Thessaloniki (☎23103 16 575) and the three peninsulas, but bus service does not run from finger to finger; you have to return to Thessaloniki. Kassandra is the most developed; some of the largest nightclubs in Greece are located there in Kalithea. Sithonia, still heavily forested and rural in atmosphere, has managed to resist most of the deleterious effects of tourism and offers visitors plenty of relatively unchartered territory perfect for relaxing and exploring.

• Sithonia

Explore more of Sithonia by renting a moped or taking the bus that goes around the peninsula. Swim to a small island off the long, white beach of Kalogrias, or head to Linerake on the eastern coast for ...more