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April 19, 2016

8 alternative experiences in Halkidiki

The shores of Greece elicit blissful sighs, even from suntan-averse travellers. Halkidiki – the three-pronged region in Greece’s north – is especially rich in sparkling sands. But it would be a crying shame to head straight for the sunlounger in a region that ripples with vineyards, groans with ancient history and has terrain ripe for diving, kayaking and cycling. While it would be amiss to skip the beach entirely, these 10 alternatives will tempt you to explore Halkidiki beyond the sun and sand.

1. Take the plunge on a diving course

Halkidiki's fluttering underwater world. Image by Ivan Bakardjiev / Getty Images Halkidiki’s fluttering underwater world. Image by Ivan Bakardjiev / Getty Images

Why admire the shimmering surface when you can dive straight into it? En route to Halkidiki’s middle peninsula, Sithonia. Located in Nikiti, one of the first stops as you drive into Sithonia, this expert-packed outfit can arrange diving expeditions geared towards first-timers and kids. One-day diving excursions (including transport and refreshments) cost from €75, a small price for the chance to glimpse scorpion fish, sea bass and a sea floor fluttering with anemones.

2. Cycle pine forests and rugged hills

On Kassandra, the westernmost tendril of Halkidiki, there are much more rewarding ways to break a sweat than sunbathing. Feel the heat on a mountain-biking tour: excursions ply the pine-forested interior of the peninsula. The so-called ‘camel’s hump’ of Kassandra is sure to set thigh muscles screaming, but the agony and burnt rubber are well worth it once you catch sight of the glowing Thermaic Gulf. Major roads in Halkidiki hug the coast, so mountain biking the interior offers views that are inaccessible to drivers.

3. Explore a yawning cavern

Tourist path inside Halkidiki's Petralona Cave. Image by Carlstaffanholmer / CC BY-SA 3.0 Tourist path inside Halkidiki’s Petralona Cave. Image by Carlstaffanholmer / CC BY-SA 3.0

In their hurry to reach the coast, travellers tend to skip Halkidiki’s interior, the great bulge of land before the region tapers into three beach-blessed peninsulas. But this area, with roads carved into the rocky substrate and cypress forests clinging to the hills, makes for a dramatic trip by car. Delve deep (literally) into this ancient land by exploring Petralona Cave (petralona-cave.gr), 50km southeast of Greece’s second city Thessaloniki. Excavations of Petralona during the 1960s uncovered Paleolithic tools and weapons, animal skeletons and the Petralona skull, the remains of a hominid as old as 700,000 years (though scientific debate continues to rage)

4. Test your survival skills on Halkidiki’s isles

Small boats in Neos Marmaras port, Sithonia. Image by Aldo Pavan / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images Small boats in Neos Marmaras port, Sithonia. Image by Aldo Pavan / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images

Embark on an odyssey out of your comfort zone. Group sailing and camping excursions will take you to the small islands that glitter between Kassandra and Sithonia. Keep in mind that this is no luxury island hideaway: think survival skills, spear fishing and awe-inducing silence.

5. Kayak into the sunset

If you’ve ever dreamed of sailing into the sunset, you can paddle towards that golden horizon on a kayaking tour. Various tour operators runs guided excursions from the village of Vourvourou on Sithonia; they are perfectly timed to see copper-tinged light dappling the waters of the Aegean.

6. Feast on fresh seafood

Octopus tentacles drying in Kalamitsi, Sithonia. Image by Anita Isalska / Lonely Planet Octopus tentacles drying in Kalamitsi, Sithonia. Image by Anita Isalska / Lonely Planet

Eat like a local by ordering catch of the day at one of Halkidiki’s excellent seafood restaurants; some of the best are in Sithonia.

7. Glamp in a private cove

A private beach doesn’t have to demand a celebrity budget. Down a steep, dusty road on Sithonia’s northern coast lies Porto Elea, a camping spot so glamorous that even tent-phobics will want to settle for a long stay. Embrace your inner A-lister on the private white-sand beach with on-site cocktail bar, feast on quality Greek cuisine in the homely taverna, and be soothed to sleep by a chorus of crickets after dark.

8. Drift through centuries of monastic history

Spectacular Moni Simonos Petras on Mt Athos. Image by Arcaid / UIG / Getty Images Spectacular Moni Simonos Petras on Mt Athos. Image by Arcaid / UIG / Getty Images

Empires have risen and fallen, but despite centuries of cataclysmic change spiritual activity on Mt Athos has continued serenely for more than a millennium. South of Ouranoupoli on the third of Halkidiki’s peninsulas lies the ‘monks’ republic’. If you’re male, spiritually inclined and undeterred by austere lodgings and a bit of paperwork, with a little advance preparation you can immerse yourself in the daily rhythms of monastic life. Fortunately for women travellers (and men who aren’t partial to prayer), curious visitors can get a glimpse of the extraordinary architecture via Athos Sea Cruises.

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