Greece / Thessaloniki, Halkidiki & Zagori / Halkidiki

Halkidiki

Three Pine-Covered Peninsulas and Turquoise Beaches

3 daysIdeal stay₹8,520From / night₹2,880Food / dayFreeEntry

The three-fingered peninsula south-east of Thessaloniki: Kassandra with its resorts and nightlife, greener and quieter Sithonia with its coves (Kavourotripes, Karidi), and Mount Athos, the monastic republic, seen from a boat (only men with a permit may land). Big resort hotels, many of them all-inclusive, and long sandy beaches; an hour to two from Thessaloniki airport by KTEL coach or car. A car is the way to beach-hop. A summer place: the resorts close from late October to April.

Highlights

Kavourotripes coves on Sithonia
Cruise along Mount Athos from Ouranoupoli
Karidi beach rocks
Resort beach days on Kassandra
Neos Marmaras sunset

Things to do

Sithonia beach-hop: Kavourotripes and KaridiMorning · 6h
Boat cruise along the Mount Athos monasteriesMorning · 3h 30m
Kassandra beach and beach-bar dayAfternoon · 4h
Kayak or paddleboard along the covesMorning · 3h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Halkidikivia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Halkidikivia Klook

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When to go

Best time: June – September

Worth knowing

Wildfire Season

From July to September hot, dry winds spread wildfires in Attica, the Peloponnese, Halkidiki and the islands; in 2023 thousands of tourists were evacuated from resorts on Rhodes. Follow the 112 emergency text alerts (sent in English), obey road closures and evacuation orders, never light a fire or barbecue outdoors, and check the fire-risk map before hiking. Travel insurance should cover cancellations.

Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.

Getting there

Fly into Athens (ATH), 250 km away

Then: Flight · 5h 30m (Flight to Thessaloniki + KTEL coach or transfer to Halkidiki)

Search flights to ATH from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹22,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹20,000
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹26,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,590

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Greece centre in India, 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for June to September (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Greece if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). The embassy takes up to 15 working days, longer if other Schengen states are consulted, and summer applications often take 3-5 weeks.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Athens airport.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary, with the ferries or flights between islands; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Greece and every other Schengen country (Italy, France, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, but not Türkiye, which needs its own visa or e-visa. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits and VFS charges vary by centre and season: check visa.vfsglobal.com for your city before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Thessaloniki, Halkidiki & Zagori

🗼 Thessaloniki · Byzantine Churches, a Seafront Promenade and Greece's Best Food
🌉 Zagori & Ioannina · Stone Villages, Arched Bridges and the Vikos Gorge

Plan a trip to Halkidiki

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Athens (ATH)