Halkidiki
Three fingers of land in the Aegean, an hour from your door. Kassandra for life and beach bars, Sithonia for the bays that have no name.
The drive
Kassandra is the closest and most developed leg: Kallithea, Pefkochori, Sani. Sithonia takes another 30 minutes and pays you back with Kalamitsi, Armenistis and dozens of small coves you can only reach by car. The road around Sithonia twists a lot but the asphalt is excellent.
What to watch out for
- Fill up before the Sithonia ring road — petrol stations thin out
- In August leave before 09:00 to skip the queue at Nea Moudania
- For the dirt tracks down to the small beaches, take the 4x4
Road: A2 Egnatia / Polygyros road
And next?
More drives from Thessaloniki
Mount Olympus & Litochoro
90 km1h 05m
An hour south and you are at the foot of the mountain of the gods — a gorge, plane trees, and the sea fifteen minutes away.
Meteora
235 km2h 45m
Monasteries on 400-metre rocks. The most spectacular day trip you can make from Thessaloniki.
Vergina & the Royal Tombs
75 km1h 00m
The tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great — a UNESCO site, one hour from the city.