Europe · Beach and resort guide
Resort hotels, pine-backed beaches and a mainland setting reached through Thessaloniki.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Hotel-led families and couples.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want island-hopping romance or a lively resort strip, because Halkidiki is the mainland's quiet answer, built around beaches and hotels rather than harbours and nightlife.
What we would want you to know
Transfer length and walkability vary considerably.
Our research-led view
Halkidiki is a region we have researched rather than visited, using maps, hotel checks and enquiry work to choose between three very different peninsulas. The road from Thessaloniki is the first thing we look at, because the hotels are spread out and the drive down Sithonia is a long one.
We have not been here ourselves yet and will never pretend otherwise. This advice comes from the operator, mapping, hotel and transfer research we do for real enquiries.
Map and areas
Two lively resort villages on Kassandra's east coast, with long sandy beaches, pine-shaded hotels and pedestrian streets that fill with families and Greek holidaymakers after dark. Busy and cheerful rather than peaceful.
A stone village on a cliff above the sea near the top of Kassandra, with cobbled lanes, tavernas on the edge and steps down to the beach. It suits couples more than families with buggies.
Sithonia's biggest village, built on hills around a harbour on the west coast, with the most restaurants and bars on the peninsula. Boats leave for coves along the coast, and the hilly lanes mean some hotels are a climb from the beach.
A scatter of villas and small hotels facing a string of islets on Sithonia's east coast, with shallow turquoise water that suits paddling children and small hired boats. There is little nightlife, which is rather the point.
A relaxed village on Sithonia's east coast with a long sandy beach looking straight across the gulf to Mount Athos. It is a long drive from the airport, but evenings in the village are easy-going and the coves nearby are superb.
The last village before the monastic territory of Mount Athos, with a Byzantine tower on the seafront and boats that cruise past the monasteries. Beaches are pleasant rather than special, and it suits a short stay or a day out.
Weather and seasons
Halkidiki sits further north than the islands, so its sea lags behind: May's is only 19°C, and it takes until August to reach 26°C. June and September are the comfortable months, with highs of 31°C and 28°C and quieter beaches. In July and August Thessaloniki empties onto these beaches at weekends, so book beach bars and tavernas ahead on Saturdays. The odd summer thunderstorm rolls in off the hills, and most beach hotels close from mid-October until May.
Worth timing a trip around
Concerts, theatre and dance in the open-air amphitheatre at Siviri on Kassandra's west coast, held every summer since 1993.
A huge fair near Nea Moudania, on the road to Sithonia, with roots in Byzantine times: grills, stalls, folk music and a funfair. Loud, busy and very Greek.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°C | 2°C | 14°C | 30 mm |
| February | 13°C | 4°C | 14°C | 30 mm |
| March | 16°C | 5°C | 14°C | 37 mm |
| April | 21°C | 8°C | 15°C | 17 mm |
| May | 25°C | 13°C | 19°C | 47 mm |
| June | 31°C | 19°C | 23°C | 32 mm |
| July | 33°C | 21°C | 26°C | 30 mm |
| August | 33°C | 21°C | 26°C | 16 mm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 24°C | 35 mm |
| October | 23°C | 12°C | 21°C | 32 mm |
| November | 17°C | 8°C | 18°C | 33 mm |
| December | 13°C | 4°C | 15°C | 35 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Makedonia, 64 km away at 7 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
Small coves of white sand between smooth rocks and pines on Sithonia's east coast, with very clear water. Tiny and crowded in August, so go early.
A shallow bay near Vourvourou framed by pale, wind-carved rocks, where the water stays knee-deep a long way out. Good for small children; bring your own shade.
A sheltered sandy bay near the southern tip of Sithonia, with a couple of tavernas, loungers and a campsite behind. Calm water and room to spread out.
A long sand spit running out to a lighthouse on Kassandra's west coast, with shallow water on one side and a quiet, low-key feel.
Pine trees run right down to the sand on this gently shelving beach on Sithonia's west coast, between Nikiti and Neos Marmaras. Organised at one end, quieter at the other.
Things to do
Boats from Ouranoupoli run down the coast past the monasteries of the Holy Mountain. Only men with a special permit may land, so the cruise, which stays well offshore and is open to everyone, is how most visitors see it.
A cave of stalactites near Nea Moudania where a prehistoric skull was found, with a small museum alongside. A cool outing on a hot day, or when the weather turns.
A hilltop park near Aristotle's birthplace with hands-on instruments built around his ideas on physics and optics. Children enjoy it more than they expect, and the views reach the sea.
A mountain village above Neos Marmaras, abandoned in the 1960s and restored stone house by stone house, with tavernas and views down to the coast at sunset.
A deep natural harbour almost enclosed by cliffs near Sithonia's southern tip, with fish tavernas round the water and swimming off the rocks.
Small motorboats hired without a licence at Vourvourou let you explore Diaporos and its lagoon-like bays. Go in the morning, before the breeze builds.
A small, lived-in island off the Athos peninsula, reached by a short ferry from Tripiti, with sandy beaches and fish tavernas. A slower, simpler day than the big boat trips.
Greece's second city deserves a night at either end of the holiday: the White Tower, a long seafront promenade, Roman and Byzantine monuments and an excellent food scene.
Food and drink
Big, fleshy green olives from the peninsula's groves, eaten as they are or stuffed with almonds, cheese or chilli. Buy a jar from a farm shop.
Dark, not-too-sweet honey made in the pine forests of Kassandra and Sithonia and sold at roadside stands.
Northern Greece's grape spirit, with or without anise, served in small bottles with plates of meze that keep on coming.
Thessaloniki's breakfast: filo pastry filled with custard and dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon, or with cheese or mince. Try it on the way in or out.
Mussels farmed in the gulf off Thessaloniki, steamed, fried or cooked saganaki with tomato and feta, at their best in summer.
Money
Halkidiki plays at the quality end, with a strong stock of self-contained beach hotels, yet it often undercuts equivalent island luxury because the transfer puts some people off. Half board is sensible in the better hotels, as tavernas thin out the further down Sithonia you go. A hire car for a few days opens up the best coves and is money well spent.
Flights and transfers
The route is via Thessaloniki, which takes direct seasonal flights from Manchester and other UK airports, followed by a road transfer of an hour or more depending on which peninsula you are heading down. That transfer is the price of how unspoilt the coast stays.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
2 hours ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Greek
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Varies by village; most visitors drink bottled
Round up, or leave around 10 percent in tavernas
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Kassandra if you want more resorts, livelier evenings and a shorter drive from Thessaloniki. Sithonia if you want pine forest, quieter coves and clearer water, and do not mind a longer transfer and fewer restaurants. Couples usually prefer Sithonia; families with teenagers often enjoy Kassandra's busier villages.
Not on land. The monastic republic has admitted only men for centuries, and even men need a special permit. Women can see the monasteries from the sightseeing cruises out of Ouranoupoli, which keep a set distance offshore.
For Sithonia, we would say yes: villages and beaches are spread out, buses are infrequent and the best coves have no bus stop. On Kassandra you can manage without one in the bigger resorts, using the odd taxi or excursion.
Very, if you choose the hotel well. The beaches are mostly sandy and shallow, the sea is calm on most days, and many hotels are self-contained with kids' clubs and pools. Kassandra's east coast has the most family facilities within walking distance.
Pleasant rather than warm, at around 23°C, and it keeps climbing through the summer, staying warm well into September. May can feel cool for anyone who is not a keen swimmer, so a heated pool helps early in the season.
Photographs
Also worth a look
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