Northern Greece

Holidays in Northern Greece

Many tourists visit the Aegean Islands, but also continental Greece deserves a journey. In the north of the country the main destinations are the meteors, Mount Olympus and the long coasts, in particular those of Thessaly and those of Lefkada and its surroundings (Lefkada is actually an island, but connected to the mainland from the road). From the Ionian coast it is easy to reach Islands like Corfu and Kefalonia, while in the south of Continental Greece there is the beautiful Peloponnese, of which we will talk about on another page.

Below you can find our itinerary, original and beautiful (at least in our eyes!), Various photos, information and goodies on costs, destinations, what to eat and whatever.

Travel information

La Greece can be reached from Italy by ferry or by plane. For a couple of weeks, it may be worth bringing your car with a navigation night on a Ferry departing from Ancona or Bari direct to Igoumenitsa. Who has little time or anyway does not want to lose it, can instead opt more comfortably for a flight on Athens or Salonnicco and rent a car: find the auto to the best prices here .

We actually flew over Sofia, in , to save both on the airfare and car rental: an option to consider if you want to join the visit of these two countries And if you don't sorry to do a few hours more car throughout the holiday.

For a trip to Greece the summer allows you to enjoy the beaches; Greece on the coasts is ventilated but in the interior, for example in the area of the meteors, the heat in July and August can be exaggerated. July and August in Greece are also the months of the Meltemi, an intense wind and potentially harassing on the beach, but in reality the Calcid Peninsula and the Ionian Coast are not affected.

Prices in northern Greece are low in the interior: there are double rooms at 30-40 euros per night even in August; On the sea instead the prices are similar to the Italian ones.
Idem for restaurants: ultra-economic taverns in the interior, also in Kalambaka which is the starting point to visit for the meteors, while higher prices, but still convenient, Along the coasts.

Our journey to Northern Greece

We arrive by car from Bulgaria, at the Borderpart of Promachonas, in northern Greece. The famous PLF module asks us to the Greek customs, which we have compiled with a random information, since as usual we do not know where we go to stay overnight. Typically, we choose our accommodation in the late afternoon for the same evening. However, we pass without problems.

Our goal is the Calcid Peninsula, which is formed by three "fingers" that stretch south. We believe the middle finger, that of Sithonia. The west finger is in fact more flat and cement, while the east, Mount Athos, is a "monastic monastic state", where they live only the monks who are self-employed independently. The monks allow access to a few men a day, upon advance formal request. Women are banned from the Monte Athos peninsula, a sexist policy that solves a lot of problems, like to leave the toilet tablet.

That touches the middle finger seems a bad face, but in reality the Sithonia peninsula is full of spectacular sandy bays, such as those of Kalamitsi and tourkolimniosas, names that are easy to remember: d. The water of the sea is very hot, so that we would never want to go out. There are numerous tourists, especially Greeks, some of which are completely naked.

The southern part of Sithonia is more brullar and wild and we have fun traveling downstairs until we eat a rubber. While I quarrel with the Cric, a goat looks at me by shaking his head, but between one hammering and a blasphemy everything is resolved for the best and without stress.
we leave and see along the way the beautiful natural harbor of Koufo. We arrive at the hotel in Neos Marmaras, a pleasant tourist location, with suggestive sunsets and splendid restaurants on the sea.

The next day we decide to visit some beach of Sithonia, take a couple of bathrooms and then circumnavigate in stand up paddle a random islet. We never travel without our sup inflatable ones, which allow us to enjoy the sea in freedom away from the crowds. Let us load clothes, towels, food and lots of wine and we leave for our garage from Karydi beach, in the north-east of the Sithonia peninsula.

Very low and crystalline water, all the shades of the heavenly, three tiny islets wide thirty meters, then finally the island of diaporos, with a thousand beaches of clear sand between the rocks, a marvel! The Greeks in the boat is not lacking, nor the wild campers, but among the many beats we find several quiet places where to swim in solitude and play as children growth.

After about six km of sup and 450 dives, we find a corner of paradise where to camp on the sand. We drunk heavily, eat feta and rice stuffed vine leaves, look at an amazing sunset and the rise of stars. A fox approaches to browse, then runs away. The slight lapping of the sea clates us while we fall asleep. Thus, 4893 mosquitoes start to buzz around. What a romance!

We wake up so on a beach of Sithonia, the middle finger of the Calcid Peninsula, admiring the clear Greek sea: a great way to start the day! Before other gypsies arrive, let's start paying, so as to complete the diet in stand up paddle of the island of diaporos.

Yesterday we walked the inside of the island, more sheltered, while on the outside side we find a bit of wind instead. The Calcid Peninsula is not affected by the Meltemi like the Aegean Islands, but all Greece is ventilated. My girlfriend rightly fears the air pushes her sup to unknown places, or maybe towards Mount Athos, with great offense of local monks. Fortunately, we will soon arrive at the shelter of the tiny island of Sant'Isidoro.

The lagoon between the two small uninhabited lands is amazing! We have a white beach all for us and snorkeling we see yellow corals and lots of colored jellyfish: it is a question of specimens of Cassiopea medusa, not urticant.

After another thousand bathrooms back to Karydi beach, from where we left yesterday. What about: a spectacular and surprising sup circumnavigation (before starting I didn't know anything about the island of Diaporos, not even the name)!

After lunch we defeat the sup, we load our bulgear rental car and leave the calcid peninsula. We drive for three and a half hours to the meteors, in the interior of continental Greece. Here welcomes us wonderful landscapes, with senseless rocks born from who knows what immense cataclysm. Let us stay in Kalambaka, which is a pleasant and pleasant tourist town where we eat of the delicious Moussaka, digested thanks to a generous portion of Ouzo, the local superalcolico (40 degrees) flavored with anise.

The next day we wake up early, eager to visit the famous monasteries of the meteors, one of the pearls of northern Greece. Today there are 6 open and visited monasteries perched on rock pillars, more varied others practically collapsed. A road of about fifteen kilometers allows you to easily reach the six monasteries. We thought that at the meteors we would have had to climb ourselves in the company of smelly mules on steep stairs excavated in the rock - a really idyllic square - but we actually find everything easy and tourist. We always have to go up a little step, but nothing of that.

That being said, the monasteries are spectacular and along the road there are also some amazing panoramic points, so the meteors like to go crazy. They go calmly, although a hurried tourist might also satisfy in a couple of hours.

In the morning the clouds make the photos Cupe, but after lunch the sun gives spectacular views, making us even burst. We do not give up and with a challenging climb (in fact we are there!) We reach a wonderful natural scenery, the "center" of the meteors, where a funny rocky plume is surrounded by majestic walls.

We still have time to see two picturesque monasteries set in the rock that are not part of the typical sightseeing tour. We do the shopping for the next day (we have very adventurous intentions) and have dinner with succulents "MEZE" (typical mix of Greek appetizers, with vegetables, sauces and other porced delicacies).

At 7 we are already awake and ready to go towards the Greek sea with our Bulgarian car. At 11am we were parked in Mytikas, picturesque and very quiet location on the Ionian Sea, and we are excited by our crazy program. It's all a little tourist, but we find a sheet in Greek with the ferry timetables to the island of Kalamos. We decrypt it, we prepare the bags of the inflatable Supes with the necessary to bivac and at 12. Let's start. The village of Kalamos is quiet and characteristic, with an enchanting marina. At 13:30 we start to what is the first circumnavigation in stand up paddle of the island of Kalamos (or at least so I believe). There are almost 30 kilometers of pay!

The sea is warm and crystalline, coniferous trees arrive on the sea, tourists are very few, while on the island the goats and ruins of old windmills.

The latter should have made us guess that, beyond the forecasts, in Kalamos the wind blows often! And, by combination, always against us. However, we arrive in the wonderful abandoned village of Porto Leone. Here there is a small church, a restored house, a couple of piers from which it is inviting dive and the ruins of buildings destroyed by an old earthquake.

We continue along the splendid coast. The contrary wind becomes exaggerated, so we head towards a beach, from which we have to hunt away the goats. We deflate the sup that will be our bed, we apply with Greek red wine, feta and other local delights and bare in that little paradise.

We wake up on a beach on the island of Kalamos under the doubtful gaze of some goats. The sea is calm, the idyllic landscape: after a brief breakfast we resume our circumnavigation in stand-up paddle. There are still almost 20 km, so it is not at all granted that we will be able to meet this company.

Kalamos, besides being wonderful and almost uninhabited, also presents a 700 meter high mountain, which in some places makes us a pleasant shadow. While we pay, we admire the beautiful landscapes, fish farms, the usual goats, crystal clear water and hidden beaches.

Late morning we arrive at Episkopi, a pretty marina with a few houses. After a brief pause we continue long incredible coniferous woods. What idyll! At one point it pulls up an annoying wind, as usual spitefully opposite.

While we are off Mirtia Beach, an incredible surprise. First I see a gray ass, then a tail, so a nice muzzle. Wonderful! It seems only 700 nuns seals in the Mediterranean and seeing one is not at all discounted.

We arrive at the village of Kalamos in the afternoon. A bit of relaxation in the picturesque village, we deflate the sup, ferret to mytikas, so an hour's drive up to Nikiana, on the island of Lefkada - which is conveniently connected by a bridge to the mainland. In Nikiana a dinner as always delicious in a tavern on the sea and an overnight stay with the flakes!
When we wake up we don't know yet, but this is our last day of vacation in northern Greece. Bulgaria, rustic and quiet, awaits us.

In fact, we wake up in Nikiana on the marvelous island of Lefkada, in the Ionian Sea. We turn it by car stopping in some panoramic points and bathing on the wonderful beach of Porto Katsiki.

While the couple behind us suffers pretending to have fun (she sunbathing wrapped in the towel, he tambourella nervously feet, bored to death), we leave and lunch with a panoramic Greek salad.

The whole west coast of Lefkada, which gives on the open Ionian Sea, has wonderful white rocky walls over long sandy beaches. They would deserve all a visit, but there is too much tourism, and to be lying downstairs we fear to get bored as the aforementioned couple, so we decide to leave for Bulgaria. We stop for an ice cream on the beach of Agios Ioannis, with old windmills, and then drives for 6 hours, the longest journey of our vacation.

We cross all the northern Greece and we arrive like this in the picturesque village of Melnik, Bulgaria, shortly after the border with Greece ... you can on our page dedicated to Holidays in Bulgaria !

To close a few comments:
- Northern Greece has no great beauties in the interior, apart from the impressive and highly recommended meteors, but the coasts are long and pleasing.
- The Calcid Peninsula, in particular, can offer Great joys to those who love sandy beaches, especially walking a little to get away from crowded traits (where the Greeks practically park on the beach).
- On the Ionian Sea, Italian tourists abound, but coming out of the main islands meet by the Authentic pearls like Kalamos.
- We ate well, we have always been treated with kindness, and none of the goats, foxes or seals have killed us (and we have not harassed them).
- With the Green Pass you travel Conveniently in Europe, even in times of Covid, it is enough to pay a minimum of attention to the bureaucracy.
- Travel so, at random, without booking anything, sleeping on the beach when needed, it's cool!

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