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.
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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
