HALKIDIKI is the three-legged peninsula that lies on the north-east coast of mainland Greece. The Halkidiki region is served by the airport at Thessaloniki and the characteristic three legs are Kassandra, Sithonia and Athos.
Halkidiki is noted for its long, sandy beaches, deep bays and fast-developing tourist resorts. Kassandra, to the west and nearest the airport, has seen the heaviest influx of tourism with purpose-built resorts all around the coast.
The middle leg of Halkidiki is Sithonia - more hilly and wilder than neighbouring Kassandra and popular with campers, although luxury hotel resorts can be found.
The third leg of Halkidiki is Mount Athos, or Holy Mountain. Athos is wilder still and almost wholly given over to Christian Greek Orthodox monasteries, established there since the 9th century, with tourism confined to the north. Women are banned in the south of Athos and male visitors need a special permit to step ashore. Most tourists are reduced to skirting the peninsula on boat trips.
Halkidiki's peculiar geography gives the province the longest stretch of coastline in Greece at around 500km of sandy beaches and bays, most of them easily reached thanks to a well maintained road system.
