Birthplace of Aristotle, historic Chalkidiki consists of three lush and fertile peninsulas — Kassandra, Sithonia, and Athos — that extend into the northwestern Aegean sea like beckoning fingers.
Polygyros, Chalkidiki’s capital, is a small city of great charm and beauty about 40 miles from Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece and a good jumping-off point to visit any of the peninsulas.
Westernmost Kassandra is dotted with pretty little villages that are ringed by seemingly endless stretches of beach and pine forests beyond. There’s a good selection of hotels among the woods and beside the sea.
The village of Petralona is known for its cave of the same name and museum at the foot of Mount Katsika. Discovered in 1959, the cave reveals a mesmerizing underground world of stalactites and stalagmites. The oldest skull found in Greece — dated by paleontologists to be from 200,000 years BC—was uncovered here.
Fishing villages at the tip of Kassandra, such as Nea Skioni, Possidi, and Siviri, feature pristine beaches and the freshest of seafood served with good wine and warm hospitality at small seaside tavernas.
The middle finger of Chalkidiki, Sithonia is rimmed with charming little ports, vast beaches, woodlands, and seaside villages. At Porto Koufo visitors can travel back in history to see ruins of forts dating from ancient to Byzantine times and the remains of Early Christian basilicas. Porto Karras the west coast has fine hotels and the largest private vineyards in Europe.
A World Heritage site, Mount Athos is located on the easternmost finger of Chalkidiki. A self-governed area, the peninsula is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries that house nearly two thousand monks. Residents have followed the same rules of life and religion for more than 1,000 years.
While Mount Athos, which possesses a trove of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art, is only open to male pilgrims who are Greek citizens, two beach towns on the northern end of peninsula — Ouranoupolis and Tripiti — are open to all in search of an off-the-beaten-track, blessed-by-the-sun Greek vacation.
Also see:
Athens, Greece
