Guide to the 5 best beaches of Kassandra in Chalkidiki
Chalkidiki is the region with three peninsulas that extends east of Thessaloniki and boasts the best beaches of Greece. In fact, with its 94 blue flags (updated to 2020) Chalkidiki is the first Greek destination in terms of variety and quality of beaches.
The greeks like to call the three peninsulas of Chalkidiki “feet”. The first foot name is Kassandra; the second one is Sithonia and the third one is Mount Athos. In this post, I want to talk about some astonishing beaches of the first foot, precisely called Kassandra.
Obviously, a beach can be astonishing or not according to the tastes of each of us … after all, beauty is a relative concept.
Beach typologies on the Kassandra peninsula
If you are a lover of sandy beaches and structured or partygoers beach bars, you will not be disappointed when visiting Kassandra. Here, you will find concentrated the best beach bars for young people, which organize many parties with DJs or live music, especially in July and August.
These are also the best beach bars (for sure in all the northern Greece) from an organisational point of view and equipped with every kind of service to give maximum comfort and perfectly suitable for families, too.
Let us start our exploratory tour starting from the west coast to go all the way around the foot counter-clockwise, identifying, in my opinion, the best beaches. Curiosity note: local people identify and know a beach better with the name of the beach bar rather than with the name of the beach itself.
SANI beach
In Sani, there is absolutely everything. It is a “must” of the first foot. It is the ideal beach for families and all ages. It is the ideal beach to take a walk in the morning. It is the ideal beach to dive in a crystalline sea.
Here you can stay even a week in one of the various resorts of the Sani Club (category from 4 stars upwards) or some tried and tested apartment not far from the sea for a cheaper choice. There is also a beachfront campsite if you love this type of holiday.
The beach divides into two parts: the one with the Sani Resort equipped for the hotel guests; and the one with the ANEMOS beach bar, accessible to everyone, including the one staying at the camping.
The ANEMOS beach bar is one of my favourites. The beach is rigorously sandy and you can walk in the sea for metres and metres before the water reaches your neck. Algae rarely amasses on the shore, but under normal conditions and with a clear sky, the colours are the same as in the Caribbean.
CHELONA beach
You can reach it only by car. You can only get there if you drive a kilometre of an unpaved road through the fields. Thanks to Google sat-nav, it is easy to get there, but without any indications at a certain point, you have a doubt and you can get lost.
The fact that it is a bit isolated is the characteristic that makes it interesting. When you think you are not going to find anything, you come across a modern and elegant beach bar whose name is Chelona (which translated means “turtle”). The sandy beach is small, but it is worth spending half a day there. I recommend that you go around sunset time to see the sun falling in front of you in the sea, sipping a cocktail with background music, perhaps after a day in Sani if you do not have many days to stay there.
PALIOURI beach
If Sani is a necessary step, the beach of Paliouri is no exception. It extends into a bay surrounded by vegetation. The fact that it is inside a bay makes the sea calmer because it is protected. Sandy beach and clean sea with the change of the shades of colour as soon as the sun rises.
There are various beach bars along the bay. The two most popular are Cabana and Lefki Amos (which means “white sand”)
They are the two most crowded beach bars by young clientele, they are modern and well organized.
I recommend consulting the program of events before going to see if there is any particular party or concert by the sea; regardless of the event, it is always better to book your deck chairs a couple of days before you go there.
GLAROKAVOS area
Along the road that leads from Paliouri to Hanioti, you can run into some beaches and beach bars: this is the area of Glarokavos. The sea quality is excellent in all the area and so one point is worth the other.
I can point out some areas of more interest, including:
- Xenia Golden Beach (it is a bit protected bay like Paliouri but less chaotic)
- Lagoon Beach which allows you to see the natural inlet where the port of Glarokavos is located
- The Beach Bar Umbrella: modern, juvenile and festive. Organized with a pool and a garden by the sea. It is worth the visit even for a quick drink.
Hanioti beach
Passing the area of Glarokavos and continuing to Afitos, you find the small village of Hanioti. If you go down to the seafront, you cannot miss a series of signs indicating the direction to Achinos Beach Bar.
The beach is good (I do not say excellent, considering the Chalkidiki’s standards) but the beach bar makes upgrades it because it is a bit chic, well decorated and its clientele is of a certain style. Besides, a restaurant is part of the complex arranged at different decks.
Even in this case, I recommend the afternoon/evening combination after a day at the beach in Paliouri if your vacation has a limited time.
