Chalkidiki

The imposing Chalkidiki offers its visitors a plethora of pictures and senses, with each one of its three peninsulas constituting a completely separate entity. Its coasts have a length of 500 km with beautiful beaches, its hills and mountains are green with dense forests. Although Chalkidiki is just one hour away from Thessaloniki, the second bigger town in Greece, it is a natural paradise, untouched from the damaging consequences of modern technology. It is a place of oppositions, where the big sandy beaches success picturesque small gulfs surrounded with rocks. The air is perfumed with the pine forests that reach the sea.

Kassandra
Its white coasts, its rocky full of firs capes, the intense night life and the big variety of entertainment installations, specifically in the sea sports attract each year thousands of tourists who come here to enjoy the beaches and the hospitality of the people of Chalkidiki.

Sithonia
Riding in the fir forests is a unique experience, while the rough and impressive landscape of the intermediate peninsula carries away the lovers of nature and the visitors who are looking for holidays away from the traps of modern ccivilization. The blue of the sea and the green of the land are in perfect harmony and the hospitality coexists with the modern enjoyments.

Athos
Civilization hasn’t managed to invade Holy Mountain (Athos) the place of monks and prayer. The landscapes are worthy of the divine greatness that is glorified here in the third peninsula of Chalkidiki since 963.
In the 15th century there were 40 monasteries and about 40.000 monks but now active are only 20 monasteries with 1.700 monks. Only men after taking an access license can visit these monasteries since women are not allowed to walk on Athos. Women unfortunately can only see Athos from the cruise-ships that make tours around the peninsula, and take a short glance of the paradise of Athos.

Capital of Chalkidiki prefecture is Polygyros, a beautiful town built on the slope of mountain Cholomontas.

• The Holy Mountain Athos
• The ancient Stagira, birth-town of Aristotle in Olympiada
• the archaeological site of Olynthos
• in Ierissos the archaeological site of Akanthos
• Olympiada a picturesque village
• Nea Roda, the narrowest point between Athos and the rest of Chalkidiki. This is the place where the Persian king Xerxis made a canal in 480 B.C. in his effort to invade Greece.
• The villages Gomati and Megali Panagia in a route of fantastic landscapes.
• The early Christian basilica churches in Nikiti, Agios Georgios and Elia beach.
• The Medieval walls in Potidaia.
• Ruins of the sanctum of Ammonas Zeus in Kallithea.
• The cave of Petralona with stalagmites and stalactites. In the cave was discovered a petrified skull of a man aged 700.000 old.
• in Poseidi, the ancienter sanctum of Neptune.
• the Museum in Polygyros.
• the Byzantine castles in Oyranoupoli, Sani, Nea Fokaia and Toroni.
• the canal of Potidea.