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| Kassandra | ||
| region | Central Macedonia | |
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| Residents | 16.672 (2011) | |
| height | unknown | |
no value for height on Wikidata:  | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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The peninsula Kassandra located in Greece. It is the so-called 'first finger' of the peninsula Chalkidiki, viewing the peninsula as a hand that has only three fingers.
background
Kassandra is known for its endless wonderful sandy beaches, which have made it one of the main tourist areas on the mainland. The proximity to the international airport of Thessaloniki has also promoted the tourist development. In recent years, many tourists from Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia have come to the region by car, so that it can get quite crowded in the high season, even on remote beaches that were previously inaccessible by air tourists. On summer weekends there is an invasion of bathers from Thessaloniki, so that the volume of traffic increases sharply. Those who prefer a lively holiday are in good hands on Kassandra, because the Greeks refer to Kassandra as the "Greek Ballermann". During this time there is a lot going on and there is a good nightlife. For those who like it quieter, the best time to visit is the off-season.
Tourism found its way to Kassandra as early as the 1970s. Accordingly, there are also hotels on Kassandra that date from this time and that are also shaped by the style of that time. These hotels have been renovated many times to a modern standard but are not very nice to look at. The zeitgeist has changed there. What was considered modern and chic back then is perceived as ugly today.
Regions
in the north the peninsula is very narrow. Sometimes you can see the sea on both sides. You can use the small town as an entrance Nea Moudania, about which one can argue whether it already belongs to the Kassandra peninsula. But it is definitely an entrance to Kassandra. In the north of the peninsula you have to distinguish between the east and west coast. On the east coast there are a few hotels and some beaches, but the towns are more geared towards Greeks. On the west coast, on the other hand, the Sani settlement, which was created entirely for tourist use, is a partial and major architectural effort.
In the center the peninsula begins the mountains that stretch to the south. Here, too, a distinction between east and west coast. In the area of the city of Kallithe and south of it are the tourist centers of the peninsula, there are beautiful beaches, which are also occupied accordingly. Mass tourism is a keyword here, mass tourism that began in the 1970s. Accordingly, the hotels are from that period, many of them renovated several times, but you can still tell their age. It is much quieter on the west coast, but the stalls are not that nice and some of them are not managed. One tries to approach tourism more cautiously here.
If you go all the way into the south you get to the really beautiful part of Kassandra. This is where the bathing bays described in the tips of travelers are located, which are of course quite full in summer, but invite you to wonderful bathing stays in the off-season. There are even a couple of lovely beaches that can be reached by bus. The really beautiful beaches can only be reached by car, although the roads here are quite adventurous.
places
There are loads of places to visit. You should really have seen:
- 1 Kassandria
(Κασσάνδρεια). 
The market in Kassandria is definitely worth a visit, always on Tuesdays. The market has retained a lot of its Greek originality, but today it also serves tourists with fake clothes. The stalls for the Greek residents are definitely worth seeing. You can also take a look at the small town, because it is definitely worth a trip. - 2 Afytos (Άφυτος Χαλκιδικής).Afytos is the only one of the coastal villages to have retained and restored much of its old buildings. A walk through the town should not be missed. The beach is below the higher village.
The others are more like tourism centers and also designed for these visitors, they all look pretty much the same, e.g.;
- 3 Kallithea (Halkidiki) (Καλλιθέα Χαλκιδικής).highly touristic place with many shops, taverns and bars and a well-known night life. The place is high above the beach.
- 4 Néa Fókea (Νέα Φώκαια Χαλκιδικής).small beautiful coastal town with its landmarks, the Byzantine tower and the worth seeing Grotto Church of Saint Paul, which is located in a cave where you can sometimes only move on all fours due to the narrow and low ceiling. Because of the narrowness, it can only be visited when there is little crowding.
- 5 Loutra. small beautiful coastal town with a SPA center. The central pool is fed by sulphurous water from the volcanic spring and has a constant temperature of 39 degrees. The SPA center also has saunas and whirlpools. The beach is small, the place is generally steep on the slope.
- 6 Pefkochori (Πευκοχώρι Χαλκιδικής).
Very touristic place with a lot of shops and wonderful restaurants by the sea and a relatively good, extensive beach. Pefkohori is one of the few flat places where you can comfortably go to the beach and therefore also highly recommended for older guests.
The artificial places are interesting for tourists:
- 7 Sani (Σανή). The facility was created on the drawing board in the early 1960s, where a completely new, very luxurious and beautiful holiday area was created. The Tower of Sani is the landmark of the place.
- 8 Siviri (Σίβηρη Χαλκιδικής).a rather inconspicuous tourist place, in which it is quite quiet for the conditions of Kassandra.
language
Unlike a holiday in Spain, you come back to Kassandra with little or no language skills. The foreign language skills of the people are enormous. In every tavern in the last corner you can order food and the mother of the tavern speaks at least enough English to put everything you want on the table. It is not that they speak English or German so well, they can do so much. On Kassandra you can get by with German, English, French, Russian, Bulgarian or Romanian without getting into serious trouble. The disadvantage is that after your vacation you can't even order an ouzo in Greek. Kalimera, kalispera, kalinichta, that's it.
getting there
The nearest major airport is that of Thessaloniki Airport
(IATA: SKG) . It takes a little over an hour to get to Kassandra by bus, the further south you want to go longer. It can be done in 45 minutes by car. Until after Nea Moudania goes the highway from Thessaloniki and then you come to a fairly well-developed road to the south. All villages can be reached from here.
mobility
Kassandra is through Bus routes very well developed. You can get in different directions for little money. there is even an express bus that is supposed to be in Thessaloniki in 40 minutes. The other bus stops in every village, it can take up to two hours to get to Thessaloniki. The buses are often very full. Unfortunately there is no timetable as you know from Germany. You crouch down at the bus stop and wait for the bus to come. Sometimes there is a page with the departure times. You can't just sit at the bus stop when the bus comes, you have to get up and wave, otherwise it won't stop. Of course, you have to know what the bus looks like, because there are also many other buses that are not regular buses. The prices are very low, but you don't get much on offer. The buses are often overcrowded.
Rental car, Mopeds, quads are offered in every place. The main roads on Kassandra are quite well developed, even if you have to get used to many little things. First of all, the offensive driving style of the Greeks, who don't mean anything badly. They like to honk, the flasher is also important, but they don't complain. Signs seem to be only a recommendation here, place-name signs are often not visible at all because they are in impossible places and are often overgrown. On the side streets it gets more problematic. This is often very narrow and not well developed. But even there you can get through with a corresponding defensive driving style. Almost all signs are in Greek and in English. There are no problems in this regard.
With the bicycle one should avoid Kassandra or only use the branch lines. it is unusual to ride a bike here. There are no bike lanes here, you always have to drive on the street and all cars overtake cyclists, including buses, even when there is oncoming traffic and also on a narrow street.
Tourist Attractions
In Kassandra there are no major sights that are worth the journey, but a stop on an island tour.
Monasteries
- 1 St. Johan monastery (ΓΕΝΝΕΣΙΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΥ). beautifully situated monastery well worth seeing.
- 2 Chapel of St. Nicholas (ΑΓΙΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ). Beautiful little church perched on one of the southern capes of Kassandra.
- 3 Panagia Faneromeni Chapel (Παναγίας Φανερωμένης). It is a small church in blue and white, it was built during the Ottoman occupation after the appearance of the Virgin Mary. Besides the story that accompanies it, the photogenic church is located near the sea and the views are amazing.
- 4 Chapel of Ag. Athanasios (ΑΓΙΟΣ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ (ΤΣΑΠΡΑΝΙ)). Nice little orthodox chapel at the highest point of the street with great views. There are 3 other chapels nearby, of which the Ag. Triada is the most worth seeing.
Archaeological sites
All of the archaeological sites listed below are of secondary importance and in a poor state of preservation. Nevertheless, a visit to an island tour is worthwhile.
- 1 Isthmus of Kassandra (Διώρυγα Ποτίδαιας, Potidea Canal).If you drive from Thessaloniki to Kassandra, the Potidea Canal lies in the very north of the peninsula. Kassandra is so narrow here that you can see both sides of the peninsula from the road. On the right you can see the thermal gulf, on the left the Torona gulf. Both seas are connected by a canal. The genesis of the canal is not fully understood, a report mentions the canal in the 1st century AD. In 1407, the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos had the canal again excavated and at the same time fortifications built on its south side. In 1423 the Venetians took over Thessaloniki and the Potidea Canal including Cassandra. Despite the military security measures, the canal with Thessaloniki and the Kassandra peninsula fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1430.
- 2 Justinian Wall. At the western end of the Kassandra Canal remains of the old city wall of Potidea can still be seen. The 6th century structure was once 1200 meters long and protected the island from intruders.
- 3 Gerani. In Gerani are the ruins of the ancient settlement, founded as a colony of Eretria (Euboea). The settlement had specialized in the extraction of sea salt. Only the foundation walls and well-preserved graves near the cliffs have survived.
- 4 Megali Kypsa. On Simantra Beach, west of Kassandria, are the ruins of an ancient Roman estate. In addition to the foundation walls and the columns of the manor house, parts of a mosaic and the remains of the adjoining, former pottery can also be seen. A few centuries later, an early Christian church was built over the ruins of the property.
- 5 Ammon Zeus sanctuary. On the beach of Kallithea are the ruins of the Ammon Zeus Temple, built around 400 BC. Was built. The god Ammon Zeis is a union of the Egyptian god Ammon and the Greek father of gods Zeus and was especially venerated in the Sparta region. A temple in honor of this god in the Kassandra region is a unique feature. The excavations are well signposted and photogenic because of the location on a beautiful beach. It is right next to the Ammon Zeus Hotel. About 3km further south is the ruin of a early Christian church of Solina from the 5th century. It is fenced in and quite inaccessible.Open: closed on Mondays, otherwise 8 am-3pm.
- 6 Poseidon temple. There isn't really much to see as the area is fenced off. You can see a few remains of walls and the temple, which is covered for protection. The oldest part of the temple ruins date back to the 11th century BC. dated. In the course of time, the temple was expanded to include other additions and belonged to the ancient city of Mende. A total of 4 buildings were uncovered: the temple, two buildings on the sides of the temple and a vaulted building in the eastern part. The area around this archaeological site and the extensive beach are very worth seeing.
- 7 Olynthos (Όλυνθος).Ancient Olynthus was founded in the 7th century BC. Built on two hills between the Kassandra peninsula and Sithonia, it played an important role during the Persian Wars and especially during the period before the rise of the Macedonian King Phillip II, who ruled the city in 348 BC. Chr. Destroyed. There is not much to see, only foundation walls and mosaics. The 700 m long ascent to the excavation site can be quite strenuous in midsummer.
Museums: the small museums are a destination for rainy days.
- Kassandria Folklore Museum. The Folklore Museum in Kassandria houses an extensive collection of traditional costumes as well as an exhibition of historical objects and gives the visitor an insight into the history of this region.
- Polychrono Folklore Museum. The Folklore Museum of Polychrono is located in a renovated stone house behind the central church. The exhibition provides an interesting insight into the life and customs of local history.
- Afytos Folklore Museum. The Folklore Museum in Afytos is divided into two floors. The first floor houses a library, the upper floor an interesting collection of historical exhibits.
activities
- beaches: the wonderful beaches are the main attraction of the peninsula
- In addition to the beaches, Kassandra has all the activities that one can expect in a well-developed tourist area, such as all kinds of Water sports, diving, boat tours, hiking, etc. In each of the locations, the offers are displayed on posters along the promenade.
- For Nudism-Friends it is rather difficult to find a suitable beach in the high season, in the off-season you have more chances.
kitchen
In the tourist-oriented towns on Kassandra there is the Greek cuisine known from Germany, so there is gyros and the souvlaki with french fries, which we know. You can also eat pizza as far as the eye can see. The big fast food chains have not yet found their way into the market. Hamburgers are still made by themselves. Nice Greek restaurants can be found in the hinterland. There is still the simple, Mediterranean Greek cuisine.
nightlife
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Known for the night life Kallithea (Halkidiki). Not only known, almost notorious. In the south of the city there are numerous nightlife facilities, including the "Stigma" disco. It is known as far as Thessaloniki and many young people from there go to this disco on weekends. It is then open until six in the morning. But there are other options here as well. You can play bowling or go-karting and much more.
accommodation
There is an unmanageable number of accommodations that are listed in the well-known Internet booking portals with prices and ratings. Lately construction activity has increased again and new hotel complexes are being built, but for the most part in unfavorable locations. Therefore, it is essential to check the location of the accommodation before booking Google Earth watch to avoid disappointment. Many accommodations are so far away from the nearest town that you can neither get to the beach without a vehicle nor enjoy the nightlife. In addition, it should be noted that only a few places on Kassandra are flat and so the way to the beach is often difficult without a vehicle in the places on the hillside.
security
The crime is more or less imported. Crime is negligible among the Greek population. With the tourists came theft and robbery offenses. But it is kept within very narrow limits. The police make every effort to show a large presence, there is a tourist police, which, as the name suggests, is responsible for the tourists and also has special training. You have knowledge of foreign languages, some of which speak German and several speak English.
climate
The whole of Halkidiki actually only has two seasons. Summer and rainy season, because it won't really be winter here. From the beginning of May to the end of September it is always sunny here, very hot in midsummer, and always above 20 degrees in the off-season. But 2009, for example, also showed that there are exceptions. It rained in late summer for several days, which is completely unknown here. The humidity is not that extreme. It is always there, but rarely so high that it is bothersome. After a summer rain it is of course extreme, but they rarely, almost never, occur.
In the rainy season there is plenty of precipitation, but it never gets cold, so temperatures never drop below freezing point. Snow is unknown here.
Other goals
- Sithonia. If you want to go on a quieter vacation, you should rent a car from the airport and drive to the Sithonia Finger. There are still some secluded beaches and bays there. You can also find very quiet and affordable accommodation close to the beach on Sithonia. In the town of Sarti at the end of the Sirhonia finger there are many cheap apartments to rent. The beach there is very clean and if you drive out of Sarti you will find great, little-visited bays and stalls for swimming.
- Athos. The boat trip to the monasteries on Athos is also a nice excursion. You take the bus to the port of Ouranopolis and then the ship goes to the monasteries on the peninsula, one more beautiful than the other. You are not allowed to enter the peninsula.
- Thessaloniki. In any case, you should go to Thessaloniki drive, preferably with a bus ride. It's quick and easy, you get shown something and you also get time to look around on your own. You can get a ride like this from 35 euros. It is better not to venture into Thessaloniki by car.
- Ammouliani : Small island near Athos with a lot of tourism
- 8 Petralona Caves. The Petralona Caves are worth a visit. The oldest European was found in this stalactite cave, which we are very proud of. In addition to the beautiful cave, you can also visit a small museum.
- 9 Polygyros. You should do it in the morning or in the afternoon, at noon is siesta and everything is dead. There is life in the pedestrian zone, it is very beautiful, here is the life of Greece, only a few tourists get lost here. But you shouldn't just go to the pedestrian zone and explore the small town, you will see a lot, everyone has different experiences, it's warm, but there are also many parallels to the German small towns. And you should eat here. You choose the place where most people sit and eat. This is best done in the evening.
literature
Web links
- http://www.kassandra.gr/ - Official website of Kassandra
- Beaches in Kassandra
- Beach guide Kassandra
- Nudist beaches
- lots of information about Kassanda
