Κατηγορία: Festival

Festivals & Events Halkidiki 2023

Festivals & Events Halkidiki 2023

Festivals and Events
Polygyros, Cultural August
Period: August 1-30
Festival of traditional dances and songs. Concerts of bands and artists

Siviri, Kassandra Festival
Period: July – August

Throughout the summer season, theatrical performances and concerts are held in the amphitheater.

The Kassandra Festival, lasting from the beginning of July until almost the end of August, is a summer oasis combining for its thousands of visitors vacations and rest with Art and Culture.
All the major events will take place in the Amphitheater of Siviri, while dozens of other parallel actions (visual interventions, happenings, artistic events, etc.) will unfold in all the local apartments of the municipality of Kassandra so that they can be watched and participated for free, as every year, by thousands residents and visitors of Halkidiki.

Fourka, Agia Marina Festival
Period: July 17

Feast in the village square with traditional music and dance. An organization of the Fourkas Cultural Association.

Sani, Sani Festival
Period: July – August

The artistic events started in 1991 simply out of passion and love for Art with a group painting exhibition, while in 1992 the events were enriched with the organization of the 1st ‘Jazz on the Hill’, a three-day event dedicated to jazz music.

Since 1993, all the events that take place in the area of Sani Beach Holiday Resort in Kassandra, Halkidiki, have taken the name “Sani Festival”. This is how the course of this festival began, which year after year expanded the program by including more and more types of Art, always with the criteria of high quality and innovation in the field. The starting point of all these actions is the perception of the organizers that Tourism must be combined with culture, giving foreign visitors the opportunity to get to know the various types of authentic Greek art as well as alternative entertainment solutions for Greeks and non-Greeks.

In recent years, top Greek and foreign artists have charmed an audience, often exceeding 3,500 people, in concerts and exhibitions that left an era. Part of these events – mainly the musicians and dancers – take place on the Hill of Sani. It is a verdant promontory at the top of which dominates the Tower of Sani, a medieval watchtower between the 14th and 15th centuries. In such an environment where the sea, the sky and the greenery coexist harmoniously, all those conditions are created that are able to stimulate the senses, to give strength to the listening of art, to the visual enjoyment, leaving both the artists and viewers traces of “mystagogy” that allows them to rise above the ordinary and trivial.
The rest of the events, mostly visual, take place at Sani Art Gallery, an elegant space in Sani’s Marina mall.
Today the Sani Festival takes place from the beginning of July and ends by the middle of September.

 

Nea Moudania, Sea Festival
Period: July – August

The top cultural event of the Municipality is the “SEA FESTIVAL”, which monopolizes the nights of locals and visitors as there is the possibility to watch high-level theatrical performances and indulge in the musical evenings that flood the space, a space of 2000 seats , a breath away from the sea. The theater is embraced to the east by the peninsula of Kassandra, while in front of it unfolds the immensity of the Aegean Sea. On its western side, the unique sunset with Mount Olympus in the background. A space that justifiably holds the title of “FESTIVAL OF THE SEA”

Aphytos, Aphytos of Athytos
Period: July – August

It is a series of events that include visual arts, street art, traditional music and dance groups as well as classical and contemporary music

Vavdos, Ai-Lia Festival
Period: July 19-20

It takes place at an altitude of 1050 m. After the church service, the <economy> committee cooks a goat with barley in cauldrons which is distributed to the pilgrims with wine. There is a folk festival all day long with traditional music

Vrastama, Festival of Saints Anargyro
Period: July 1st

Distribution of traditional food and wine to the campers

Ormylia, Saint Apostles’ Festival
Period: June 28-30

Religious-traditional festival. Pilgrims are offered a traditional “qurbani”. There is a feast with traditional music

Arnea, Ten Days of Cultural Events
Period: last week of July

Display of traditional bands, music and dance. The festival of St. is included. Friday, where free food and wine are distributed

Nea Fokaia, Byzantine Tower
Period: July – August
Source:Events and Festivals Summer 2023 Halkidiki

 

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Sights – Monuments in Ouranoupoli

Sights – Monuments in Ouranoupoli

1. Ouranoupoli is a small town of about 800 inhabitants. It is located just before the border to Mount Athos, perhaps the last secular point of its visitors. In its center dominates the tower of Prosfori, while from the port in front of it, the boats that carry pilgrims or simple excursionists depart daily for it. But there are some attractions-monuments in Ouranoupoli that you must see.

It took its name from the city it founded in 315 BC. Alexander, son of Antipater and brother of Cassander. It was built on the ruins of ancient Sani, which was a colony of the inhabitants of Andros and which was completely destroyed by Philip II. Coins have survived that have the inscription “HEAVENLY CITY” and others “HEAVENLY CITY” as well as a representation of Urania Aphrodite, sitting on a globe on one side and a radiant sun with eight rays appearing on the other.

After the Asia Minor disaster and the exchange of populations, refugees from the islands of Marmara in the Propontis came to the current site and settled in the tower, in its nearby buildings and in tents. The first houses of the village were built in 1926 by a German company, some of which are still preserved. Later the inhabitants built the church, the school and a community started to be organized called “Prosphorion”, later it was called “Pyrgos” and around 1960 it finally got its final name as “Uranopolis”.

During your stay, don’t forget to visit some of the sights and monuments in Ouranoupoli:

2. Take a day trip to Mount Athos. The vast Byzantine museum. The Orchard of Panagia. The largest and most important monastic state of the Orthodox East. An overwhelming place, full of mystique, spread across the eastern peninsula of Halkidiki. It is the second most important religious – pilgrimage destination after Jerusalem, for more than 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world. It is a self-governing part of the Greek state, while religiously it belongs to the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

For men there is the possibility to visit it and see it from the inside after following the procedure provided by the rules of the Mount to obtain the permission to enter and stay in a monastery. For women, but not everyone can enter it, there is the possibility to admire it up close with some of the routes that the ships that depart from the port in front of the Tower take every day.

3. Visit the Tower of Ouranoupoli, a Byzantine building which originally belonged to the Vatopedi Monastery along with other buildings from the Prosforion stock of the area. Historical sources mention information about the building from 1344 but according to other reports it is probably older. In 1379, John Paleologos, then despot of Thessaloniki, who lived in Pyrgos, exempted him from taxes. During the earthquake of 1585 the tower was seriously damaged and in 1858 repair work began, resulting in its current form. After 1922 the refugees from Propontida who came to the area inhabited the tower, while in 1928 its tenants were the English-Australian couple Lock who had the care and maintenance of it while at the same time offering social work to the residents of the area. Today the complex of the Tower belongs to the Ministry of Culture of Greece and a museum operates on its premises and exhibitions are organized from time to time.

Walk to the Monastery of Zygos (place also known as Fragokastro). It is an ancient Agioreitiko monastery which was founded in the middle of the 10th century. and was destroyed shortly before 1198. It is located about 2 kilometers east of Ouranoupoli in Halkidiki, just outside the borders of Mount Athos.

It seems that the monastery of Zygos (which was built in a place where there were facilities from the 4th BC to the 6th AD century) already existed before 991, but the first clear evidence of its establishment dates back to 996. Although throughout the 11th century the Monastery was one of the most important Athonian monasteries, in 1199 it was already deserted and was granted, as metochi, by the emperor Alexios III Angelos to the reconstituted monastery of Chelandario. Around 1206 (2 years after the Fourth Crusade and the beginning of the Frankish rule), a Frankish lord settled in the castle of Zygos, who rebuilt the walls and the monastery into a castle and used the castle as a base to plunder Mount Athos , until, around 1211, with the intervention of the Pope of Rome, he was expelled from the region. For this reason, the ruins of the Monastery are known today as “Fragokastro”. During its operation, the monastery was dedicated to the Prophet Elias.

Parts of the great representation of the Annunciation are preserved in the area, there is a full-length representation probably of Agios Nikolaos, there are also marble settings from the 11th century. in satisfactory condition. The archaeological dig has also brought to light many finds, such as three lead bulls from the 11th century, a medal with an engraved representation of Saint Paraskevi, book covers, thimble seals, coins from the 11th and 12th centuries. etc., while the excavation and restoration works are in progress.

5. Visit the Medieval Cemetery at Ierissos a necropolis with more than 600 recently discovered graves, research on which only began in 1973. The cemetery was used from Archaic to Roman times, and then intermittently until the 17th century e.g. It extends in the coastal area of Ierissos with many types of graves in at least two or three layers parallel to the coastline in which adults and children were buried in the same place according to ancient customs. The graves are rectangular, plain or lined, with or without decoration, as well as burials in jars. In the tombs there are findings similar to the burial customs of other cities of Macedonia and Thrace.

6. To see the Grove of Aristotle in Stageira. A unique theme park in which there are interactive instruments that work based on the natural laws mentioned in the writings of this great teacher.

7. Walk to ancient Stageira, the ancient city where Aristotle was born in 384 BC. and who is regarded as the father of Western philosophy. It is probably the most important historical site of Halkidiki, it is located on the Liotopi Peninsula near the current Olympiada. Iones from Andros in 665 BC. they founded the city about which Strabo in the <<Geographies>> gives him a lot of information.

8. Visit the pilgrimage of Megali Panagia about 1.5 km east of the village of Megali Panagia, in a green place where there used to be a chapel dedicated to Constantine the Great, first built in 1863 and rebuilt again after the earthquake of 1932. It has magnificent Catholicos with a wood-carved iconostasis from 1870, the work of two Bulgarian craftsmen who worked for seven years.

According to tradition, the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary was found at this point in 1860 after a vision seen by an old woman named Gerakina. Because of this event, the former community of Revenikia changed its name to Megali Panagia. The miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary no longer exists because it was stolen in 1978 and has not been found since. Outside the precincts of the monastery there is under the temple the area of the Consecration of the Virgin Mary with running water.

9. Pass by the church of Agios Stefanos in Arnaia, a mountain village of Halkidiki with a very strong traditional architectural style. The metropolitan church of Agios Stefanos has something unique. That is to say, while it functions normally for the needs of the faithful, at the same time it is also a visitable area of historical and archaeological interest because it is built on important priceless antiquities which are almost entirely visible to visitors.

The church is a three-aisled basilica dedicated to Agios Stefanos due to some share of the monastery of Konstamonitos of Agioreita (its catholicon is dedicated to Agios Stefanos) that existed in the area. It was built in 1812, while during the revolution of 1821 it burned to the ground like the whole village. Later, after rebuilding the village, the residents also built the church, in which a unique wood-carved iconostasis and icons donated by the Konstamonitou monastery were placed.

10. Go for a walk to the waterfalls of Varvara in a beautiful forest landscape of willows, lindens, alders, hazelnuts, beeches, etc. mixed with rocks, a landscape of earthly paradise. The falls are located on the border of Olympiada Varvara on the road from Olympiada to Varvara, a beautiful forest route that is easily accessible to all.

11. Imagine the canal of Xerxes, perhaps the greatest engineering project in Halkidiki in ancient times. Today it is buried between the villages of Nea Roda and Trypiti, it was 2 km long, 30 m wide and about 15 m deep. According to Herodotus and Thucydides during the Median wars in 480 BC. the king of the Persians, Xerxes, in order to avoid the circumambulation of Mount Athos and not to have the fate of Mardonius 10 years before, ordered the Artachaeus and Buvaros to open a canal to connect the bay of Ierissos with the Syngytikos and thus pass with safety his fleet.

In 2008, research by Greek and English engineers showed the exact location of the canal, which is visible from a great height since several points inside it have suffered subsidence. Also in the local community there is the name “trouble” for the beach at Nea Roda where the canal started, as well as walls in the sea.

Source : Sights-Monuments in Ouranoupoli

 

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What is the Best Halkidiki Leg for a Holiday?

What is the Best Halkidiki Leg for a Holiday?

Halkidiki is definitely one of the most beautiful and special destinations for the summer! Of course, you have to keep in mind that the Halkidiki Peninsula covers a fairly large area, therefore it offers many different options, as far as your summer holidays are concerned. More specifically, in Halkidiki you can find destinations suitable for family holidays, wonderful luxury hotels, but also more alternative proposals, such as camping.

So it is not at all surprising that if you have decided to visit Halkidiki one of the main questions that will concern you is “Which is the best leg of Halkidiki?”

To give you a clear answer, all three legs of Halkidiki are beautiful! However, each of them has distinct features, which cover specific tastes and needs. In this article we will present you the beauties that each leg of Halkidiki offers, so that you can decide for yourself which is the best leg of Halkidiki for your own taste!

Cassandra
Kassandra is the westernmost of the three small peninsulas of Halkidiki, or otherwise “the first leg”! Due to its proximity to Thessaloniki, it is one of the most popular destinations for the city’s residents! Kassandra is an area that knows particular tourist development, therefore it provides a wide range of options, in terms of entertainment as well as your accommodation!

On almost every beach of Kassandra, you will find plenty of beach bars, taverns and restaurants. One of the most popular destinations of the first leg is Pefkohori! There you will find a wonderful sandy beach with turquoise waters and one of the most famous beach bar restaurants of Halkidiki, which is none other than the famous Mamalouka, which not only serves amazing dishes, but also has a unique boho chic aesthetic that suits absolutely with summer. Other equally popular destinations are Afitos and Poseidi.

Nea Potidea Halkidikis Greece. Rental villa halkidiki.gr

Potidea Channel

The first stop worth making when going down the first leg is in Potidea. What will catch your attention there is the Nea Potidea canal that connects Toroneos with Thermaikos gulf. So it is worth sitting in a tavern and enjoying fresh fish while enjoying the view.

Descending the leg from the side of Thermaikos, it is worth making a stop at Sani, which is known for its organized hotel complexes. It is the perfect place for families because it is quiet, with shallow seas. But it remains a cosmopolitan place. Besides, every year the Sani Festival is organized on the hill with many events.

The next stop should be Poseidi which is located on the nose that forms towards Thermaikos. The result is a wonderful unorganized beach where you can enjoy a wonderful sunset. Aegeopelagitika is also a popular beach in the area, mainly for families.

Sani- Posidi rental-villa-halkidiki.gr

Posidi

On the other side of the leg that “sees” the second leg, make a stop at Nea Fokaia, which is a picturesque village, with a beautiful harbor and the impressive tower of Agios Pavlos. So you have to stay to try the fresh fish in a traditional tavern.

A little further down you will find Athyto or Afyto, the traditional stone-built village that will transport you elsewhere thanks to its unique view of the Toroneo Gulf. Its architecture will delight you and it is worth staying for a meal or a drink.

Afytos Halkidik Greece. rental-villa-halkidiki.gr

Afytos Halkidiki

And after you have visited the picturesque and more traditional villages it is time to move on to the cosmopolitan part of the leg. First stop is Kallithea, with its famous nightlife that you must experience at least once. From quiet, picturesque bars to clubs that you don’t leave until dawn.

Continue to Pefkohori which is also one of the most touristic parts of the first leg. Beyond its nightlife, however, you will also find the most popular beach bars that mainly attract the young crowd.

Your last stop on the first leg should be Paliouri, which is the southernmost end of the leg and has a traditional character. Nearby is Chrousso beach, which you must visit. Its deep blue waters, golden sand and dense pine vegetation will enchant you!

pefkochori2-rental-villa-halkidiki.gr Greece Halkidiki summer holidays.

Pefkohori

Right in front of the popular settlement of Halkidiki, the beach of Pefkohori is buzzing with life in July and August, but also every weekend from spring onwards until October.

You will surely find everything you need here, since there are dozens of restaurants, cafes and bars in the area, but note that if crowds are not your weakness then you may have to turn to another option.

However, the coast is wonderful, covered with soft sand and a crystal clear, calm sea that invites you to dive. Also, the beach is suitable for families with children, as it is not very deep. Still, the only thing certain here is that they will find good company since the area is full of other families with children taking their bath.

Summer Holidays Halkidiki Greece. rental-villa-Halkidiki.gr

Seagull

One of the most exciting beaches of Halkidiki, and possibly the whole of northern Greece, the exotic Glarokavos is lush green, idyllic and beyond photogenic. A breath away from Pefkohori, its blue-green waters attract a lot of people, especially on weekends, with the beach bars in the area filling up with patrons from early in the morning. There is no charge for sunbeds, but you will need to pay a minimum consumption for snacks and coffees.

Alternatively, if you have your own equipment, you can head to the unorganized parts of the beach, set up your umbrella and cooler and enjoy the beautiful coast in peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle. Glarokavos is a really long beach, paved with sand and fine pebbles in its largest part, so you will definitely find a relatively secluded spot to relax.

Thessalonians also call it the “Blue Lake” of Halkidiki, due to its special formation that makes it absolutely Instagrammable and enchanting, especially if you look at it from above.

 

Chrousso

It is also called Xenia Beach because it is located right in front of one of the most historic and emblematic hotels in Halkidiki. The impressive building of Xenia dominated the field of Greek tourism for decades, being a wonderful example of architecture of that period. Now, for 20 years, it remains abandoned and empty, surrendered to the passing of time, however, the beautiful beach directly in front continues to attract people to the enchanting Chrosso Bay. There are also some of the most popular beach bars of Halkidiki, where the party starts in the early afternoon and continues until very late at night.

However, this lovely bay with crystal clear waters has plenty of room for everyone, so you can go a little further to sit alone with your towel under your own private shade. With Xenia as a background somewhere in the background, a beautiful example of modernism that marked its time.

Sithonia

If you want something different from the classic holiday model, then Sithonia is the ideal destination. The second leg of Halkidiki, for many the best, hides many treasures that you cannot imagine and combines everything. One week will be enough for you to discover them all. And if you have money to spare for two, even better.

Here you will find the bustling beach of Kalogria on the south side, with the turtle-shaped islet opposite waiting for you, to be reached either by swimming or by sea bike that you can rent. You will also find the famous Kavorotripes beach with its turquoise waters, which you think is on some exotic island. Karydi beach, on the other hand, is a lot of fun. It is perhaps the shallowest sea in the world, as you have to wade many meters into the water before it finally begins to deepen. The locals joke that the whole of Northern Greece learned to swim here. That is, everything you need for families with small children.

Amazzing Summer Holdays Greece. Sithonia rental-villa-halkidiki.gr

The second leg of Halkidiki, for many the best, hides many treasures that you can’t imagine and combines everything. One week will be enough for you to discover them all

 

If you want to combine adventure and swimming, you can reach low, at the tip of the peninsula, where Kalamitsi and Kriaritsi are located, two beaches where, honestly, you think you are in the paradise of Greece or, better, of the whole Mediterranean! The mesmerizing crystal clear waters and coarse sand make you want to camp there all day. They cover a large area that accommodates all visitors. A cooler with the essentials for the day and a good umbrella are needed, and you’re in charge.

On the north side you will find the wonderful coast of Trani Ammouda, where, due to its large area, you can enjoy its wonderful beauty, either from a beach bar accompanied by a cool drink or with your mat beyond. The coarse, again, sand and its deep blue waters are what characterize it, while, if you like to collect by searching on the beach, there you will find pumice stones and white petrules that weigh 1/10 of a normal stone.

Beach-Kalogria-Nikiti Halkidiki Greece rental-villa-halkidiki.gr

However, apart from blue waters, in Sithonia you will also find wonderful beaches surrounded by pine trees in many parts of the foot, where you can lie down under the shade of a pine tree, such as Askamnia beach on the road to Nikiti. It is certain that you will find something that suits you, as there are beaches for all tastes within a short distance.
However, apart from the nice beaches for swimming, there are also many beaches for fishing lovers, such as the beach of Tristinika and others that stretch the whole leg, while lovers of mountain routes it is worth visiting by car the semi-mountainous picturesque village Parthenon and enjoy the sunset drinking coffee at Paul. For hiking enthusiasts there are many routes on the Itamos mountain which is located in the center of the foot. There are many places where you can stop to eat your snack and quench your thirst, such as the forest site of Psarras, where it also has a spring with cold water. This mountain takes its name from a rare tree in Greece, the itamos, which grows mainly in mountainous areas in Europe and North Africa. Plus, if you’re lucky and it’s quiet, you might be pleasantly surprised to see a deer pass by!

For camping enthusiasts, there are many organized sites around the foot. One of the biggest is the camping of Armenistis, where nice concerts are organized every year with music groups from all over the world and the evenings attract a lot of people from all over Halkidiki!

Camping-Beach-Armenistis-Halkidiki-Greece. rental-villa-halkidiki.gr

For entertainment, it is also worth going one day to the village of Nikiti, the capital of the Municipality of Sithonia. An afternoon to walk in the mountainous Nikiti, in the picturesque alleys of the historic settlement, and in the evening in Kato Nikiti, for a wonderful crepe at “Archaeo” or a drink at one of the bars on the beach. If you want to do tourism, there is the secular Neos Marmaras for shopping and an ice cream machine overlooking the sea.

Also, a lunch at a fish restaurant in the bay of Porto-Koufos is worth it, especially if it is combined with a short walk to its harbor for digestion! Its closed bay is unique, as the opening that forms the port to the sea is only 620 meters! So it looks like a lake by the sea – except it’s not.

It is certain that you will also enjoy Sithonia for its delicious food, in amazing fish taverns, such as Vassilis in Metamorfosi, in good butcher’s taverns with a specialty of lamb ribs in the semi-mountainous village of Metagitsio and in the pastry shops of Nikiti with its many delicacies. Favorite eatery, Pizzeria Obelix, with a boss who lives up to the name, serving, without exaggeration, the biggest pizza and biggest salads in the world. In moderation, they say, but you can’t imagine the size.

But the absolute local product that you should definitely take when leaving is honey, to sweeten things up even more. You constantly find shops on the street that sell it, either from local producers or from the cooperative of Nikita “Sithon”, and they have local varieties, such as those of pine honey or susoura, but also from other parts of Greece, such as light orange honey .

And let’s not forget that it takes an hour or so to go around the whole leg, so don’t worry too much about where to stay – the distances are relatively short. But you can choose Metamorfosi or Nikiti as a starting point at the beginning of the leg and, depending on the direction of the wind, move at distances of 10 minutes, to beaches on the upper or lower side of the peninsula.

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Thank you very much for all for all the information from the sites

Source : The best sights on the first leg of Halkidiki!

Source : Pefkohori: The popular seaside settlement of Halkidiki with an aroma from yesterday

Source : Sithonia: Pine trees, deep blue waters and the biggest pizza in the world

Source :What is the Best Halkidiki Leg for a Holiday?

Source :Unforgettable tour in Halkidiki.

 

rental-villa-halkidiki 2 Comments on What is the Best Halkidiki Leg for a Holiday? Festival, Summer villa Tags , , , , , , ,