The Cassandra Peninsula was named by the ancient Greeks in honor of Alexander the Great’s father, Caesar Cassandra. He ruled here before the new era and was the founder of a large trading harbor. Ancient Greek legends say that Cassandra is the home of the Giants. From ancient times there are many sights preserved here.
Tourism in Cassandra
Halkidiki is the northeastern part of Greece. Kassandra, as a small part of Halkidiki, is about 50 km long and not more than 15 km wide. The coast of Cassandra is one of the cleanest in Europe, many local beaches have Blue Flags.
It’s a great place for raucous youth recreation at discos and bars, as well as for parents with children on the beaches and playgrounds. Every visitor to Cassandra has a suitable place to stay.
Climate and weather
High season in Cassandra lasts from April to October. And the best time to relax is all summer. Due to the proximity of the sea, the climate is maritime, thalassotherapy is widely practiced.
In winter, the air temperature during the day fluctuates around +16C. The water temperature in the sea is +3C. In summer the air temperature is about +22C – +25C, and the water in the sea warms up to +23C and above.
Cassandra Resorts
Kassandra is the western tip of Halkidiki in Greece, connected to mainland Greece by a bridge. It is now one of the best places in Europe for archaeological tourism and beach holidays.
Nea Fokea
It is a small resort village, standing on the shore of the Gulf of Termaikos and has a picturesque bay. On the shore of the bay near the village stands an ancient Byzantine tower. According to tradition, St. John the Baptist preached from it. the apostle Paul.
The tower and bay are named after this saint. Not far from it there is an underground spring with healing water and an ancient chapel.
Nea Fokea is the perfect place for honeymooners and couples with babies.
Nea-Potidea
It is a very comfortable and quiet town, which has magnificent sandy beaches with Blue Flags. As a point of interest here are the ruins of an ancient fortress. A great place for beach lovers.
Afitos
Most of the rural houses in this village are built in the traditional Greek architectural style. There is also a museum of ethnography, ancient quarries, healing spring, several Orthodox churches.
Aya Paraskevi
This village is famous throughout Europe for its sulfur springs. People come here to take sulfide baths, which have beneficial effects on the human body.
Sleds
This town is famous for its Byzantine fortress Stavronikita. After relaxing on the excellent local beaches it will be interesting to wander among the ruins. There are also many stores with products at democratic prices.
Pevkohori
This resort seems to be designed for lovers of solitude. Here tourists will enjoy low mountains, pine forests and sea beaches. You can fully enjoy the nature and the absence of a noisy crowd.
Nea Mudanya
It is a modern town with a port from where you can go for a cruise on the Aegean Sea. In mid-summer, Nea Mudanya hosts a festival of the sea, bringing actors and musicians from many countries around the world.
Kalithea
This resort is famous for its ancient monument – the Temple of Zeus. It was erected on the Cassandra Peninsula for the third millennium. And next to it is the sanctuary of Dionysius, where drunken orgies are still held to this day.
Hanioti
This resort town has a lot of greenery and sandy beaches. Excellent tourist infrastructure: many restaurants, bars, cafes, stores, benches. At night there are discos with cool DJs. A great place for youth recreation.
The Beaches of Cassandra
Sandy beaches on this peninsula are famous for their cleanliness and grooming. Their total length – more than 50 km, have all the necessary beach infrastructure. It is known that the waters of the Aegean Sea are among the cleanest and most transparent in Europe.
On the beaches of Nea Fokea there are small bays with warm water, where it will be cozy and safe to bathe young children. Deeper adults can do fashionable nowadays snorkeling.
There are many bars set up on the beaches of Afitos. This is entertainment for adults, as well as young people who like to spend time at night discos in search of extreme entertainment.
Glarokavos beach has boat and yacht parking. From here you can always take a boat trip around Kassandra peninsula, explore the surroundings, or go yachting with a coach, etc.
The golden beaches of Pevkohori are popular with young people and couples with children. It is very fine, soft sand and gentle entrance to the sea. The beaches are perfectly equipped, as are all the others in Cassandra.
Cassandra sights
Temple of Zeus-Amon
In ancient times, the inhabitants of Calithea worshipped the Egyptian sun god Amon and the ancient Greek sky god Zeus. These gods were closely intertwined in their minds. This became known to scientists based on the results of archaeological excavations.
In the 4th century B.C. near Kalithea in Cassandra, a huge temple to Zeus-Amon was built. Local limestone was used as the base for the foundations and columns (Doric style), which were later covered with a layer of marble or completely replaced by it.
After the Greeks, the ancient Romans took over the land. They did not destroy the temple of Zeus-Amon, but built several amphitheaters near it. In the 4th century AD the Christians came to Greece, they destroyed the temple, today only ruins are left of it.
Temple of Dionysius
The inhabitants of Aphitos, located 2.5 km north of Kalithea, worshipped the ancient Greek god Dionysius. They were in the 5th century B.C. near their village erected a huge altar in honor of their deity.
This altar has been the site of sacrificial rites for centuries. Its existence in the ancient Greek annals was mentioned even by Xenophonte. Our time the altar came to light again, thanks to the efforts of archaeologists.
Today there is an archaeological reserve, which can be freely wandered by tourists, examining the remains of the temple and the altar. The most interesting artifacts from here are on display at the archaeological museum in Polygyros in Halkidiki.
Temple of Poseidon
This temple was mentioned in his writings by Thucydides, who called it the Poseidonion. It is located near Kalandra and is one of the most important historical and archaeological monuments in Kassandra and in the whole of Greece.
Archaeologists during excavations found inscriptions on the ruins of the temple sanctuary that Poseidon is a sea god, worshipped in Greece since the 2nd millennium BC, that is, long before the Roman era.
The temple of Poseidon is also recalled in his manuscript by a monk from St. Athos. In the mid-19th century near its ancient ruins was built lighthouse, perfectly preserved to this day – another local landmark.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. Paraskeva
This Orthodox church stands a few kilometers from Pevkohori in the village of the same name. The village itself is surrounded by a pine forest. You can go to church at any time to be alone with God. The villagers will show you where the key lies.
The temples of Sts. Paraskevahs are also erected in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. In the village of St. John the Baptist. There is also a thermal spring, which has no analogues in Europe, with an amazingly revitalizing, healing water.
The Monastery of the Righteous John
This monastery was founded in the late 1980s in Pevkohori. It contains the relics of John, revered in Greece, who is considered here as the miracle worker and patron of Hellas.
Today there are six monks living in this men’s monastery. The abbot invites Greeks and tourists from other countries to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the monks’ life and to see the inside of the monastery.
The Tower of Sts. Paul
This medieval tower was erected in the early 15th century on Cassandra in Nea Fokea by Byzantine craftsmen. Its height is almost 20 meters. The tower stands on an elevated site next to the bay.
Chapel of Sts. The tower of St. Paul was built much later than the tower, in the 1960s of the 19th century. From it there is a passage to the cave, where a spring with holy water flows. The locals are convinced that it is in the cave of St. John the Baptist. Paul baptized people.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. Demetrius
This Orthodox church stands on the main square of Afitos. It was built in the mid-19th century in the form of a basilica with domes. The Greeks claim it is the only church in this architectural style in Halkidiki.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. The church of St. Demetrius has magnificent interior decoration and a rich iconostasis. It is an active one, and services are regularly held there. Tourists have access to the church, but for this you have to pay a ticket €2.
Polychrono
It is a small village, ideal for families with children. There are great natural attractions: olive groves, the clearest lakes. You can visit the local nature reserve, where rare species of turtles live.
How to get to Cassandra?
From Russia, first of all, you need to get to the airport in Thessaloniki. From Moscow and St. Petersburg there are regular flights to Thessaloniki + charters in high season. It is more difficult and longer to get to Greece by other means.
From Thessaloniki airport to Kassandra you can take a shuttle bus, a cab or a rented car. There is a bus stop near the airport, from where you should go to the bus station and there buy a bus ticket. To Kalithea it costs €9.8.
You can book a cab in advance to go straight from the airport to Kassandra online at Kiwi Taxi. You will definitely be met by a cab driver with a sign with your name on it. The transfer to Kalithea costs at least €150.
You can rent a car, thanks to rental companies are working everywhere. At the airport you are sure to find the offices of several rentals. We recommend taking a car for the whole vacation: it is convenient and cheaper.
Cassandra Peninsula on the map
