Sithonia

Sithonia is the middle of Halkidiki's three peninsulas, and for many the most beautiful. Where Kassandra to the west is busy and developed, Sithonia is greener, wilder and more spread out — a spine of pine-covered hills falling to a coastline scalloped with small bays and coves. A single loop road of roughly 100 kilometres traces the whole finger, and much of the pleasure here is simply following it, stopping at a new beach every few kilometres.

The east coast holds the peninsula's most famous swimming. Kavourotrypes, also known as Orange Beach, is a lace of tiny white coves and natural pools set among pines between Vourvourou and Sarti, its clear water often ranked the finest in all Halkidiki. Further north, Vourvourou spreads around a sheltered bay dotted with islets, with the pine-covered island of Diaporos just offshore, reached by small boat and ringed by shallow lagoons.

The villages are low-key. Neos Marmaras is the largest resort and the peninsula's hub for shopping, boat trips and evening life, while Nikiti, near the neck, keeps a handsome old quarter of stone houses above a long beach. Down at the southern tip lies Porto Koufo, a near-enclosed natural harbour said to be the deepest in Greece, and the surf-facing sands of Sarti and Kalamitsi. Rising over the water to the east is the pyramid of Mount Athos, a constant presence on the horizon.

Sithonia rewards a slower, more independent trip than its neighbour. A car is close to essential for reaching the best coves and completing the loop, and accommodation leans towards smaller hotels, campsites and villas rather than big resort complexes. It suits swimmers, walkers and anyone happy to trade nightlife for pine shade and empty water.

As with the rest of Halkidiki, access is by road from Thessaloniki, around two hours to the nearer villages and longer to the southern capes. July and August bring the warmest sea and the busiest coves; June and September are ideal, still and warm but far less crowded. Allow four to six days to make the most of the coast and its beaches.