Karydi, Porto Koufo & Sartorius Wreck (Chalkidiki – Sithonia)

Mount Athos Wall (Chalkidiki – Athos)

Possidi Reef & Nea Fokaia Caves (Chalkidiki – Kassandra)

Thasos – Kastro Reef & Blue Cave

White Tower Reef (Thessaloniki)

Thasos – Wreck of the Thetis

Northern Greece is known for bougatsa, souvlaki, and excellent seafood in Chalkidiki and Thasos, with the wines of Naoussa and Drama. Thessaloniki’s markets and tavernas are a food highlight. Across Mainland – Northern Greece (Macedonia & Thrace), the table leans on olive oil, lemon, herbs and the day's catch, with grilled fish, horiatiki salad and slow-cooked stews appearing everywhere. Mezedes — small shared plates — are the social heart of an evening, best washed down with a chilled local white or ouzo. Vegetarians are well served by dishes built on wild greens, pulses and cheese, and bakeries turn out savoury pies through the day.

Makedonia Palace

Sithonia Beach Hotel

Kassandra Palace Hotel

Thasos Hotel

Ouranoupoli Hotel

Northern Greece spans the Thessaloniki coast, the three fingers of Chalkidiki and the island of Thasos, offering urban diving, walls and pristine monastic-coast walls. Thessaloniki’s White Tower Reef is a convenient city dive with morays and octopus. Chalkidiki’s Kassandra has Possidi Reef and Nea Fokaia caves, Sithonia adds Karydi walls, Porto Koufo and the Sartorius wreck, and the restricted Athos coast holds pristine walls with dolphins and seals (permit only). Thasos, near the Macedonian coast, offers the Blue Cave, Kastro Reef and the scattered remains of the Thetis. With a long season, good infrastructure and a mix of culture and clear water, northern Greece is a diverse, accessible region.

Mainland – Northern Greece (Macedonia & Thrace)