Northern Greece – 5 places you HAVE to visit!

I feel like Northern Greece is way underrated compared to the south and all the islands. Forget about Santorini, Mykonos or even Athens, this part of the country is something else! With a mix of many cultures influenced by the Macedonians, Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs and Ottomans this part offers so many different architectural styles and oh so delicious kinds of food! This is the place you want to visit if you want to enjoy the nature. From hiking to thermal springs to some of the most stunning beaches! The north has it all! I would like to share some of my favourites that I have visited and have fell in love with!

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Kastoria

Let’s start with the beautiful town of Kastoria that just took my breath away! This romantic town stretches to the center of the lake Orestiada and is the cutest place you will ever see! With a beautiful lake, pelicans chilling on the water and little boats rocking, it is the perfect view you want to be looking at while drinking a morning coffee or a cocktail at night!

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The walk around the lake is something you don’t want to miss while here! Every step I took I just wanted to take pictures of it! I visited in spring. I actually got a chance to celebrate Easter there with my friends beautiful Greek family and it was the best Easter ever! There was sooo much food and almost the same amount of dancing! It was a day I will never forget and I am very thankful that I got that opportunity! In the afternoon we went uphill above Kastoria to watch the sunset with an amazing view of the lake before heading back home. 

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Halkidiki

This paradise peninsula is just an hour away from Thessaloniki and if you are visiting in spring or summer it is a MUST!!! When I first saw pictures of it I knew I had to go there and I couldn’t wait! The first time I went there it was the end of April and the sea was cold but I just had to swim! The colours of that place are something else! I have never in my life seen the sea so blue (except maybe in Zakynthos)! And not to mention those sandy beaches are just stunning!

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The Halkidiki Peninsula “Northern Greece paradise” is separated in three “fingers” of which we visited two. Kassandra is the first finger. It is known to be the most built up one with many resorts and great night life in the summer. The second one is Sithonia. It is far more quiet and peaceful and there you can find my favourite beach Sarti! The third one is Athos. Famous for it’s monasteries and very strict rules. Since it is also a mountain you can see it from Sarti beach. Also a fun fact is that women are banned to the mountain of Athos!

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Kavala

Kavala is the second biggest city in northern Greece! It is about an hour and a half drive from Thessaloniki. Just across Kavala is Island Thassos about which I will talk next! Since Kavala is not so far from Thessaloniki you could visit it just for one day, but I would recommend staying for at least a night if you have time! I visited Kavala in the end of April and the weather was beautiful. Even though I didn’t have time to visit the Acropolis of Kavala – Tha Kavala Castle, I have seen it from the city and I wish I could have gone! If you are there make sure to visit!

We made a small roadtrip to Eleftheres where we chilled at the beach. It was still empty beacuse the end of April/beginning of May is still not the tourist season in that part. Our friend actually took us there to try the best Loukoumades in Loukoumades Petros and they were delicious! If you want to try these sweet little fluffy honey balls I would highly recommend this place! Since Kavala is a port city, the best way to explore it is by talking a walk by the sea side and soaking it all in! 

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Thassos

Thassos or Thasos is the gem of the northern Aegean Sea, situated right across the city of Kavala. It is an island famous for it clear blue water and stunning nature! When I was visiting the weather wasn’t on our side so it was pretty cloudy. But that definitely didn’t stop us from making a one day trip to Thasos, only to visit the stunning Giola!

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Giola is a small pool inside rocky seaside cliffs that is only accessible by a dirt road – which means walking. Since this place is situated on the very south of the island we didn’t have a lot of time to explore anything else if we wanted to have enough time there! When we arrived some of the people were in the water, even though it was the 1st of May, cloudy and pretty cold! And others were in long sleeves! Since I was there then and who knows when again I had to go in! It was so cold that my body went numb until I didn’t feel the cold anymore, but it was so worth it! The water is so clear that you don’t need swim goggles to see! If you are visiting this beautiful island make this a priority because it truly is a nature’s wonder!

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Meteora

Meteora is the one place I didn’t visit while I was in Greece and it is my only regret! When I had the opportunity to go the weather was bad. I was hoping that I will go next time when my boyfriend comes to visit. But after having some problems with my foot and getting medicines I just couldn’t go. In the end I was the only one that didn’t visit this stunning place! Even though I didn’t visit it myself I really don’t want anyone else doing the same mistake and not seeing this out of this world UNESCO Heritage Site! I have seen so many pictures of it and I am so sad that I didn’t get to experience it myself. BUT this is the reason why I have to go back to Greece and visit it (Always finding excuses just to travel somewhere!).

Meteora is is a rock formation with one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Second in importance only to Mount Athos which I mentioned before. The word Meteora actually means ‘hovering in the air’ which represents the six monasteries built on natural pillars that dominate the local area.

Where to stay in Northern Greece?

All of the places I have mentioned above can be made into one day trips from Thessaloniki. If you have more time on your hands and want to explore these places more I would definitely suggest visiting them for at least a night! Click here to see all of the accommodation offered in the area of Northern Greece!

Explore more!

I hope that you will get a chance to visit and explore this part of Greece! Even though Northern Greece seems to be neglected in comparison to the Greek islands and Capital of the country. I am glad I had this opportunity to visit most of the places I mentioned above. And I really hope that more people choose to explore this part of Greece as well as the south! If you want to read more about Thessaloniki click here!

If you have visited some of these places feel free to share your experiences and tips in the comments below! SUBSCRIBE to be notified when a new post goes up! For now travel, live, love, laugh, explore, be kind and see you in the next blog post!

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