Halkidiki offers a varied choice of holidays from its beach resorts to the busy life of the city of Thessaloniki (also known as Salonica) and soft touring adventures around the fertile countryside.The Halkidiki region of Greece is on the mainland and is characterized by three peninsulas, Kasandra, Sithonia and Mount Athos. They jut out into the warm clear waters of the Aegean. The two most popular peninsulas for holidays in Halkidiki are Sithonia and Kallithea. Sithonia is the largest of the three with picture postcard beaches and a thickly wooded interior. Kassandra has equally good beaches but those around the area of Sani on the west coast and Kallithea are particularly fine. The inland area of Halkidiki just north of the three peninsulas is quiet and hilly with small villages and dramatic caves.
Beach holidays
Families with children of all ages
Boat trips
Well-equipped beach resorts
Exploring little known Greek towns.
The peninsula of Mount Athos with its many monasteries ruled by monks. Women and children are banned from setting foot on it. You can at least look at the area if you take a boat trip.
Greece is a full member of the EU (European Union). British passport holders do not require any special visa for stays of up to three months. Non-EC passport holders are required to have three months to run on their passports after their date of departure.
Summers are hot with ten hours of sunshine a day and average temperatures of 38°C/98°F. Autumn is warm (28°C/82°F) with some rain.
The flight time to Thessaloniki from the UK is approximately three hours. The onward transfer takes around ninety minutes.
Driving is on the right but some holidaymakers prefer to hire a motorbike.