“You see this soil? This is where the magic happens,” Yiannis declared, gesturing to the rows of vines stretching under the sun. “We’ve been growing grapes organically for generations. No need for fancy labels or stamps to tell us we’re doing it right.” Yiannis, the no-nonsense patriarch and chief winemaker at the Tzikas Family Winery in Halkidiki’s Kassandra region proudly declared.
We were in the northern Greek region of Halkidiki, just 40 miles east of Thessaloniki and its international airport. My wife Vivien and I were on a seven-day road trip exploring this less-known alternative to the country’s famous islands. It was our first time here.
Jutting into the northern Aegean, Halkidiki resembles a downward-extended hand with three fingers. Kassandra, Sithonia, and Athos. They extend from Halkidiki’s mainland section, anchored by the fir, oak, and beech-covered Holomondos mountains. From those mountains to 340 miles of pristine coastline, this region boasts nearly a hundred internationally certified clean and safe Blue Flag beaches.
With its charming villages, historic monasteries, dramatic coastlines, sparkling turquoise waters, warm, inviting beaches, and fabulous fresh food, Halkidiki is where Greeks and in-the-know Europeans take their summer vacations. Given its shape and based on Greek Mythology, Halkidiki is often described as the “Trident of Poseidon.” Each prong of the trident has its own allure.
Kassandra
Being closest to Thessaloniki, the Kassandra peninsula has the most infrastructure. Resorts for all budgets sidle up to beaches, cute villages entice exploration, and the sparkling clear waters of the Aegean invite you in, while the tavernas, cafes and bars offer refreshments and welcoming hospitality. Macedonian and Byzantine history is still present – in historic ruins, coastal watchtowers, and traditional villages.
The Kassandra landscape, with swaying wheat fields and wildflower-filled meadows, is interspersed with olive groves, vineyards, and those Aegean Sea views. Exploring the 55 miles of coastline and the sights is easy.
A Winemaker with Character
Time with vintner Yiannis of Tzikas Family Winery was a delight; yes, he is a forthright character. This and an evident passion for his craft made our visit even more memorable.
Walls adorned with wine competition awards bear out the dedication to the organic process followed in the vineyard and the light-touch winemaking approach. A qualified sommelier, Yiannis’s son, has just joined the operation, extending the business to three generations.
Tzikas’s high-quality wines come from around 13,000 vines and 13 grape types, half indigenous. His Syrah was a standout; sadly, at more than 100 euros a bottle, I had to leave it on the shelf. Nevertheless, some of his other reds joined our journey. If visiting, appointments are a must.
Idyllic Villages
Dating back to the early 19th century and perched atop an imposing hill, Afytos village was a short walk from our resort. It was a delightful pedestrian-friendly village with traditional stone mansions, meandering flower-filled cobbled laneways, and the dome-topped church of Agios Dimitrios in the town square. A café- and restaurant-filled hilltop terrace offered idyllic views of the beach and azure waters of Toroneos Gulf below.
A few miles up Kassandra’s eastern coastline is the small traditional fishing port of Nea Fokea. Overlooking the scenic harbour, busy with fishing and sailing boats, is the Byzantine-era St. Paul’s Tower. The village hosts a festival annually honoring Apostle Paul, who is said to have been hidden in underground rooms and passages to escape his Roman persecutors.
Thanks to advice from a friendly hotel receptionist, we visited the weekly Farmers Market in nearby Kassandreia, the Peninsulas municipal centre. Streets were lined with stalls laden with seasonal fruit, vegetables, and other local produce like olives, honey, and dried herbs. Such was the plump ripeness of those tomatoes, oranges, strawberries and vegetables; they had come straight from local fields.
This was not a for-tourists market. Given that the chatter we heard was only in Greek, this was locals buying from locals and a delightful experience.
The Beaches
Kassandra’s beaches, all with crystal water – yes, I was infatuated by it — offered abundant choice. At crescent-shaped Paliouri Beach, we could grab a stretch of sand or hire a set-up umbrella-shaded beach chair.
More laid-back, pebbled Siviri Beach on Kassandra’s west coast featured sun loungers, umbrellas, and welcoming beachside tavernas. The beetroot and feta salad we enjoyed at Siviri reacquainted me with the beet’s sweet, earthy deliciousness.
Several beaches we visited also had stylish Beach Clubs, ideal for those wanting a more sophisticated seaside experience.
Kandylakia
Stopping when something catches our attention is a real bonus to road-tripping. As we coasted along northern Greece’s regional roads, we saw small pedestaled shrines, usually topped with a cross.
Kandylakia (as they’re called) can be simple metal or wooden boxes or elaborate models of Greek churches with tiny doors. They often house a holy icon and mark the sites of fatal accidents. However, we saw one placed on the oceanside, in a very scenic spot overlooking another sublime beach.
Chatting with two Greek ladies and marvelling at the vista, we learned that a Kandylakia is an invitation to rest on your journey and perhaps offer a thankful prayer that you are here to enjoy the beauty of the place.
Sithonia
The middle and largest of the peninsulas, Sithonia, also has appealing villages, scenic harbors, and glorious sandy and safe beaches. Moreover, this “finger” has a great selection of natural and outdoor adventure offerings thanks to an E.U. Natura 2000 biodiversity protection status extending from Mt Itamos. Think hiking, mountain bike trails and water-based activities, from kayaking to sailing.
Accommodation options range from camping and up, with Sithonia boasting a selection of high-end resorts for those combining nature with discreet luxury.
Porto Carras
In our ramblings, we stumbled upon the large, highly professional vineyard and winery Domaine Porto Carras. In 1963, Greek shipping tycoon Yiannis Carras caught sight of the verdant slopes of Mt. Meliton stretching to Toroneo Bay while cruising around Halkidiki with other well-known Athenians.
After acquiring the site and with the professional input of Greek agronomists and French viticulturists, Carras planted 450 hectares of vines along with accompanying olive groves on the amphitheatre-like hills of the property.
Today, Domaine Porto Carras is Greece’s largest organic vineyard and one of the largest in Europe, with its own Protected Designation of Origin (P.D.O.). The winery’s tasting rooms are open year-round and are highly recommended.
Porto Koufo
At the bottom southwest corner of the Sithonia peninsula is Porto Koufo. It’s the most peaceful, picturesque port and harbour we encountered on this trip, and it is the antithesis to some of its more sinister past. Protected by towering rocky hills and looking more like a lake than a harbour, Porto Koufo is Greece’s deepest and safest natural harbour.
In medieval times, Turkish pirates used it as a base while attacking the villages of the peninsulas, particularly the treasure-rich monasteries of neighboring Mt Athos. Thanks to its strategic location in the Aegean, the German Navy’s submarines also occupied it during the Second World War, delivering their particular destructive malice.
A long, slim beach runs along one side, ideal for swimming and sunning, while the local fishing boats moor at the top of harbor piers. A small selection of traditional tavernas line the harborfront street.
Game fishing enthusiasts might want to note the annual Tuna Fishing Festival in mid-September on their calendar.
Nikiti Old Settlement
Located at the top of the peninsula, the beachside community of Nikiti is a popular holiday spot. Just a mile and a half inland is the Nikiti Old Settlement, which we greatly enjoyed visiting.
A monastic estate built towards the end of medieval times, the village grew with the influx of villagers escaping coastal pirate raids. During Ottoman rule, Nikiti became one of the largest villages in Halkidiki. After the 1912 liberation of Greece from the Turks, villagers started moving back to coastal communities, and over time, the village declined.
Fascinated by the beauty and the authenticity of the place, foreign visitors, especially Germans and other north-Europeans, started buying and renovating old houses in their original late 19th-century northern Greek architectural style. Visitors can now appreciate the quaint village, wandering the cobbled streets and admiring the restorations.
Make your way to the church of Agios Nikitas (dated 1870), standing at the top of a hill for great village and district views. Just below is Nikiti’s Historical and Folklore Museum, the original elementary school.
Stop at the compact town square café or taverna for refreshments or lunch. I’m still cherishing the spiralized zucchini noodle salad from that day. It’s yet another example of an outstanding Mediterranean dish we tried for the first time.
Athos
Athos, the third and most eastern of the peninsulas, is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and their associated cloisters, plus the imposing Mount Athos at 6,670 feet above sea level. Officially established in 963, this is the oldest monastic republic.
Extending for most of this “finger” (31 miles), it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As it is dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, no female may set foot on the peninsula, while visiting male pilgrims may be permitted after an extended approval process. The only way for most to visit is on organized day cruises that hug the coastline, providing informative commentary, which we highly recommend.
Mainland Halkidiki
Petralona and the first European
Anthropologists suggest that civilization in the area dates back some 200,000 to 400,000 years, thanks to a skull found by locals in a cave while searching for new water sources. Discovered in Petralona Cave, this fossilized skull and bones are said to be of Europe’s Archanthrope (first human).
The cave complex has undergone a 1.3-million Euro upgrade over five years, and our visit came just after its re-opening. We were lucky to have our guide and the cave totally to ourselves. With its stunning stalactite and stalagmite decorations, highly effective lighting, easy-to-navigate suspended metal walkways, and stories of the original anthropological digs, our Petralona Cave outing was memorable.
The onsite museum was still in the final stages of redevelopment, so we did not get to experience that.
Arnea
Arnea, built at the foot of Mount Holomontas in a lush landscape of forests and flowing waters, is in the northeast of mainland Halkidiki. Now listed as a “Historic Site,” it comprises 60 village houses, combining stone, wood, and colourful facades, all fine examples of Macedonian architecture. Most date back to the early 1800s. These preserved homes continue to be occupied.
Visiting Arnea shows how the traditional past combines effortlessly with the vibrant present. The main square, with its centuries-old sycamore tree and a fountain with pure mountain drinking water, sits opposite lively taverns and local stores selling the prized organic honey, cheese, and wine the region is known for. For more of the village, amble along the cobbled streets that radiate from the square, creating smaller squares and neighborhoods.
In the town center, the three-aisled Cathedral of Saint Stephanos boasts a belfry dating back to 1889. Step inside, head to the center of the basilica and look through the glass floor to see the remains of a Christian basilica from the 4th century, another from the 10th century, and other archaeological finds.
The Weaving and Folklore Museums are also must-visits if you want to understand more about the people and stories of Arnea.
If You Go
When to visit
Halkidiki’s summers are hot, dry, and mostly clear. Across the year, temperature variation is typically from 38°F to 90°F with limited rainfall. July and August are the warmest, while May and June, plus September through mid-October, are enjoyable times to visit. Since Halkidiki enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine, it’s agreeable during most months of the year.
Where to stay
Across Halkidiki, various accommodation options exist, from camping and traditional guest houses to quality Greek-branded hotels. Blue Bay Resort on Kassandra and Sithonia’s Acrotel Athena Pallas Resort proved perfectly suitable for our needs.
Getting there
Thessaloniki International Airport receives flights from across Europe plus domestic flights from Athens and other Greek ports. Once here, a car is essential, and we found the Greek car rental company Avance outstanding for vehicle offerings and customer service.
More traveler information on Thessaloniki can be found here and here.
Thessaloniki’s Pass Partout Tourism Marketing assisted with some of my travel in northern Greece.
You might also like:
- Greece’s City of Gastronomy: The Food of Thessaloniki
- Scenic Walking Tour of Thessaloniki, Greece
- In Greece, a Byzantine Monastery with a Mission for Today
Read more of Michael Cullen’s writing.
