Kassandra

Kassandra is the first and busiest of the three narrow peninsulas — the so-called legs or fingers — that reach south from Halkidiki into the north Aegean. Cut off from the mainland by the small Potidea Canal, dug in 1935, it runs roughly 50 kilometres from the isthmus down to Cape Kanistro, never much more than 15 kilometres wide. Of the three legs it is the most built-up and the easiest to reach, which makes it Thessaloniki's favourite summer coast.

The draw is the shoreline. Gently shelving, blue-flag beaches line both sides of the peninsula, from the family sands of Kallithea and Pefkohori to the quieter coves near Paliouri and the long spit at Possidi. Resorts such as Hanioti, Polychrono and Nea Fokea string along the coast, well supplied with tavernas, beach bars and hotels of every grade. Kallithea in particular is the peninsula's nightlife capital, its seafront clubs busy from June to September.

Kassandra is not only sunloungers. Above the eastern coast sits Afytos, one of the loveliest villages in northern Greece, its stone houses and flower-hung lanes spread along a low cliff with wide views over the Toroneos Gulf. Nearby, on the shore below Kallithea, stand the remains of the ancient Sanctuary of Ammon Zeus, a reminder that this coast was settled and worshipped at long before the resorts arrived.

The peninsula suits travellers who want the sea within a short drive of nightlife, shops and services rather than a remote hideaway. A hire car helps in reaching the older villages and the emptier southern beaches, though the main resorts are walkable and well connected by bus. Sani, on the north-west coast, adds an upmarket note with its marina, luxury hotels and summer arts festival.

There is no airport in Halkidiki; almost everyone arrives by road from Thessaloniki, around 90 minutes away. High summer is hot, crowded and at its liveliest, while June and September offer the same warm sea with a calmer mood. Three to five days is enough to settle into a beach, sample the villages and taste the peninsula's easygoing rhythm.