Thessaloniki & Chalkidiki together
Combined itineraries for anyone who wants both the city and the sea in one trip.
Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki are about an hour apart, and almost nobody visits one without thinking about the other. Yet most guides treat them as two separate destinations.
Here are three ready-made plans that bridge them: for three, five or seven days. Each day links into the guide's detailed pages, and the Chalkidiki half is covered in depth by our sister site.
Driving times are indicative. Kassandra takes about an hour and Sithonia about an hour and a half, but on summer weekends getting out of the city can add a good deal. You'll need a car for the Chalkidiki days.
Three days: the city and one swim
Two days in the city on foot and by metro, and one day at the sea.
- 1
Thessaloniki
The historic centre
Start with a bougatsa, then the Roman route: Forum, Kamara, Rotunda. Afternoon on Aristotelous and a walk along the seafront to the White Tower.
- 2
Thessaloniki
Ano Poli and the markets
Morning in the Modiano and Kapani markets, midday tsipouro with mezedes. Afternoon climb to Ano Poli for sunset from the Heptapyrgion.
- 3
Chalkidiki
Kassandra, a day trip
An hour's drive to the first 'leg'. Organised beaches, lunch at a fish taverna and back in the evening. Ideal if you'd rather not change accommodation.
Five days: city plus Sithonia
Three days in the city, two nights in Sithonia. The combination locals themselves make.
- 1
Thessaloniki
Centre and monuments
Hagia Sophia, Agios Dimitrios with its crypt, the Rotunda. Evening in Ladadika.
- 2
Thessaloniki
Museums and the seafront
The Archaeological and Byzantine Culture museums in the morning, the five kilometres of the Nea Paralia in the afternoon to the Umbrellas.
- 3
Transfer
On to Sithonia
Leave early, roughly an hour and a half. Stop for a swim on the way and settle into your base. Spend the afternoon in one of the small coves.
- 4
Chalkidiki
Sithonia's beaches
The sea day. Sithonia has dozens of small bays, one after another along the coast road.
- 5
Return
Back to the city
A morning swim and back around midday. If there's time, a last stop for a pastry in Panorama with the city below.
Seven days: history and sea
The full version: city, royal tombs, Mount Olympus and Chalkidiki in one week.
- 1
Thessaloniki
First impressions
The centre on foot, Aristotelous, the seafront, the White Tower. Tsipouro in the evening.
- 2
Thessaloniki
The Byzantine city
The UNESCO monuments and Ano Poli. The metro makes getting around easy.
- 3
Vergina
The royal tombs
A day trip to ancient Aigai and the tomb of Philip II. A UNESCO site about an hour west.
- 4
Mount Olympus
The mountain of the gods
Litochoro and the Enipeas gorge, or simply the view from below. South of the city, about an hour and a half.
- 5
Transfer
On to Chalkidiki
Pick a peninsula: Kassandra for organised beaches and nightlife, Sithonia for wilder scenery and small coves.
- 6
Chalkidiki
Sea
A whole day in the water, with no plan. Fish in a seaside village in the evening.
- 7
Return
Last day
Back to Thessaloniki. If your flight is late, the metro takes you to Mikra and bus X3 continues to the airport.
For the Chalkidiki half
chalkidikihub.gr is ThessalonikiHub's sister site, dedicated entirely to Chalkidiki: beaches by peninsula, places to stay, villages and practical information.
chalkidikihub.gr