Holidays to Halkidiki

On Halkidiki holidays, you’ll stay on one of three mesmerising peninsulas brimming with pine forests, sandy shores, ancient history and impossibly clear waters. Lucky you!

Cool Kassandra vibes

Greece’s three legs: that’s Halkidiki. And Kassandra is the biggest of the three peninsulas. Here, Ancient Greek temples and lush greenery brush shoulders with sunbeds and banging beach bars. Cruise its charming villages before hitting up the tavernas in Afytos Central Square. And visit the Petralona Cave for a million-year-old spectacle of stalactites, stalagmites and fascinating fossils!

Explore nature’s ancient playground

The UNESCO-crowned Athos peninsula is calm, quiet and spiritual, with 20 monasteries and many, many monks. And only men can visit. So men can swim under its secluded waterfalls and walk its stunning holy-mountain trails. Women can see it all from a boat tour. Toroni in Sithonia – Halkidiki’s central peninsula – with its ancient port and legendary prettiness, welcomes everyone.

Slow the pace in Sithonia

Sithonia is a beachy dream, from the arcing southern bay of Kalamitsi, backed by lush green hills, to the tranquillity of Irini Beach, hidden in the north. With fewer full-on resorts, Sithonia is perfect for picture-postcard picnics, floating the day away in shimmering blue waters or taking it steady on scenic trails to ancient villages like Neos Marmaras and Nikiti.

Wine and dine

As you’d expect, fresh, locally-sourced Mediterranean dishes are the star of the show in Halkidiki. Think seafood extravaganzas incorporating fresh fish, lobster, mussels and scallops; slow-cooked lamb dishes; and traditional pastries like sweet bugata, which comes filled with vanilla custard and topped with cinnamon. You’re never too far from a platter of local cheeses and olive oils either. For a crisp local tipple, check out the lush vineyards of Domaine Porto Carras.