Sithonia - even in autumn and winter still beautiful

Sithonia - even in the late autumn still beautiful

Once again we were on the way to Sithonia, the still lovely sunshine in mid-November had led us to visit the middle finger of the Halkidiki peninsula again.

And even if we did not feel like taking a bath, we should still be surprised by some "courageous" bathers who seemed to like the cooler water temperatures.

Sithonia was opened much later as a tourist area than Kassandra, the first finger, on which partly massive hotels for human masses in summer were built. The main reasons for the late development mainly was the lack of infrastructure. Today there is certainly good structure, but the tourism on Sithonia is not as massive as it was on Kassandra in the 1970s.

Sithonia - rich landscape and lovely villages

Local people learned, it is important to have smaller hotel facilities, which fit into the landscape. Sithonia is considered the quieter finger, so Sithonia stands for the long-term family vacation in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere, lonely bays invite for bathing but there are also paths for hiking in a wonderful environment.

The main town on Sithonia is Nikiti. It is not located directly at the coast, it is more a place to supply the population and the administration. On the coast near Nikiti with its beach there is a completely new district with hotels and shops for the tourists.

Nèos Marmaras - touristical boats to lonely beaches

The second important place is Nèos Marmaras, also located on the west coast of Sithonia. Here a tourist town has been developed, which is almost urban in character. There is a port from which the excursion boats go to the tiny bays, but there is large area with shops and taverns too.

In the north, the third most important town is Agios Nikolaos. Similar to Maramaras in the west, Sarti has developed into an acceptable tourist destination on the east coast. The most traditional village still is Sykia, which is rarely inhabited by tourism.

Toroni - silent places for campers and ancient ruins

To the south, on the west coast, there is the small village of Toroni. It is a bit off the tourist trails, but you can find it in one or the other guide book. Here you will find a nice sandy beach, which is not so overflowed and you can also have nice meals in the local restaurants.

One should definitely visit the south of the peninsula. Along the coast road you will always find small parking lots with beautiful views of the sea, on solitary, beautiful sandy beaches, rugged rocks and beautiful surf. Some solitary sand beaches can also be reached by car. The roads are often very adventurous, there is only space for a car, guard rails or road markings are looked for in vain. But the ride is definitely worth it.

Ouranoupoli, the city in the north of the third finger Athos

By car, it is not far to Ouranoupoli, the city in the north of the third finger Athos, which is on the border with the monks' republic of the same name. From here you can visit the monasteries of the peninsula by boat, but you cannot enter the country. For that you will need a special permission. A trip to Polygyros is worthwhile if you are interested in the life of the Greeks here. Here you will find a typical small town with the appropriate culture.

In addition to tourism, agriculture is important. Many Greeks are working in. There are plantations on which vegetables are grown, there are lots of the typical olive groves. The further you go to the south, the less agriculture you will find. There are many forest areas, which have also been spared by devastating forest fires. This is also because the population density decreases further, the further one goes south.

Please read as well:

Olynth - once the political centre of Halkidiki
Sithonia - sandy beaches on the second finger of Halkidiki

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