Halkidiki holidays

Things to do

Explore the Petrolona Cave, with its fascinating stalactites and stalagmites, in the north of the region. Make sure you visit cosmopolitan Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, which offers an enormous variety of restaurants and shops. Take in the archaeological museum on a trip to Polygyros, Halkidiki's capital.

Explore your destination

Here's a little taste of what's on offer: for more excursion ideas, speak to your Rep.

Acropolis of Athens
An opportunity to stay in the vibrant capital city of Greece and the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Visit the famous Parthenon and stay overnight in a central hotel from which you can explore the city's cobbled streets, shops and tavernas.

Thessaloniki
Visiting cosmopolitan Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, you can enjoy a huge range of shops and restaurants, take in some authentic Greek culture and soak up the bustling atmosphere.

Cave of Petrolona
You'll have the opportunity to explore the Cave of Petrolona, with its fascinating canyons and galleries, making this an amazing day out for all.

Highlights

• Discovering Polygyros, Halkidiki's capital city, with its colourful festival culture, fascinating archaeological museum and maze of an old town
• Exploring the prehistoric Petralona Cave, where a 700,000 year old human skull was once found; you can see stalactites and stalagmites in the canyons from an illuminated walkway
• Visiting cosmopolitan Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, to see attractions from Roman and Byzantine ruins to trendy shops, bars and restaurants
• Checking out historic temples, stone staircases and other ruins in Kalithea on your Halkidiki holiday, taking a break from the history on its fantastic beaches
• Seeking out the little seaside village of Afytos on the Kassandra Peninsula, with its cobbled streets, sandy beach and hillside tavernas to ease you into holiday mode
• Hiring a car to tour the beautiful Sithonia Peninsula, with its wide sandy bays, pretty villages and forested hills
• Taking a cruise from Ouranoupolis to mystical Mount Athos, you'll sail along the 'Holy Mountain's west coast seeing the monasteries from the water and hearing stories about this historical place
• Learning how to scuba-dive in your hotel's pool, then setting off for an open water dive in Halkidiki's crystal-clear sea, discovering the colourful underwater world
• Rumbling into Halkidiki's countryside on a jeep safari, you'll head into traditional villages, like pretty Afytos, enjoying lunch and swim stops along the way

Food and drink

You'll find fish a real favourite on your Halkidiki holiday, with seafood tavernas all along the coast. Grilled octopus, red mullet and squid are hot contenders for the region's most popular dishes.

Souzoukakia, a meal of baked meatballs, and Fasolada, a bean soup, are local specialities, and you'll find the usual mouth-watering selection of Greek meze to enjoy, along with olives, crumbly feta cheese and crusty bread to dunk in cooling dips like Tzatziki, made from garlic, yoghurt and cucumber.

For a good glass of wine, look out for Boutari's Naoussa, a dry red from the Macedonia region.

Evening Flavour

Bursting with nightlife, the Kassandra Peninsula's holiday resorts are the hottest place to be, with the liveliest night scene in Kalithea's cocktail bars, pubs and open-air nightclubs. Hanioti is also good for lively bars and bustling tavernas during the summer season.

For a more peaceful evening out, enjoy waterfront dining in the little village of Afytos, where you can watch the sun set and while away the hours with a few glasses of local wine.

Shopping

For a little retail therapy on holiday in Halkidiki, head to Thessaloniki for an impressive variety of top designer labels, jewellery, antiques and quality leather goods.

If you prefer to shop in your resort, Kalithea has a good choice of gift shops and boutiques in its pedestrian-only centre.

For traditional souvenirs, take home paintings, pottery, woodcarvings, olive oil, honey and marmalade, not forgetting some of Greece's fiery liquor, Ouzo.

Local weather

Information

Language: Greek. Currency: Euro. Standard GMT: +2hrs. Greek Tourist Office: 4 Conduit Street, London W1S 2DJ. Tel: 020 7495 9300. www.gnto.co.uk

Travel money

Euro

You can get commission-free foreign exchange on currency notes and travellers cheques at most First Choice Travel Shops and Holiday Hypermarkets.