Macedonia

This region is semi-independent from the rest of Greece and it is divided in 3 smaller regions: Eastern Macedonia, Western Macedonia and central Macedonia. In the last few years the prime ministers of Greece and the Republic of Macedonia have made peace after years of disputes and discussions about the fact that macedonia should or shouldn’t be part of Greece.

In theory the independent region should have changed its name from Macedonia to Republic of Macedonia but this never happen as there weren’t enough people that went to vote. The lush hills and planes of Central and Eastern Macedonia turn into dry planes and beautiful beaches once you get closer to the coast. There are many rivers in this region and most of these start from the mountains in the northern and western part of Macedonia.

These mountains include Mt. Olympus and the mountain chain of Rodopi. The areas close to Kozani, Florina and Kastoria have many lakes, forests and isolated villages.

Tourism in Macedonia

Tourism isn’t as intense as in the south of Greece and those places where millions of tourists travel to every year. In fact most of the tourists that visit this area are people from Greece and other countries nearby. There are many people that come here from Thessaloniki. Most of the touristic areas are located in Thessaloniki, the coasts in Chalkidiki, the Aegean coast around Stavros and Asprovalta, the island of Thassos and the area around Mount Olympus.

Not very many tourists visit the central part of this region and when they do it is often to visit the following historical villages: Pella, Veria, Vergina, Stageira, Amphipolis, Philippi, Dion in Kastoria.

Urban and rural landscapes

There are quite a few rural and urban landscapes. The region’s capital is Thessaloniki, which is also Greece’s second biggest city, and it is a port by the sea that is still very crowded but not as much as Athens. The attractions are often proportionate to the size of the city or village where you are. The second largest city, Kavala, is a wonderful city by the sea that requires at least a stay of two days to fully appreciate it’s beauties.

This island is very popular and can be easily reached contrarily from the nearby island of Samothrace. Edessa and Kastoria are very different one from another but both of them are close to water: in Edessa you will find some beautiful waterfalls while in Kastoria you will find a small beautiful lake. Other cities like Serres and Drama have more of a traditional atmosphere.

The beaches of Macedonia: beautiful and well equipped with every comfort

The geographical characteristics of Macedonia go from high mountains to large rivers, planes and a beautiful coastline. Macedonia’s beaches are very famous and almost all of them are located in Chalkidiki (Sani, Armenistis, Kallithea, Hanioti and Pefkohori. Being so close to Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki it is a popular destination for Greek tourists and people that come from those cities.

Another famous locality by the sea in Macedonia is Pieria. The coast of Pieria is covered in beautiful white beaches surrounded by touristic structures. Paralia, Olympic beach, Leptokaria and Platamonas are the most popular beaches in Pieria. There are also other beaches in the region of Kavala. The most popular beaches are Ammolofoi, Toska, Batis, Kalamitsa and Nea Iraklitsa. Some of the best beaches in Macedonia are also Ammolofoi, Toska, Batis Kalamitsa and Nea Iraklitsa. Some of the most popular beaches are located in Chalkidiki: Sani, Armenistis, Kallithea and Hanioti.

How to reach Macedonia?

The biggest airport in Macedonia is the international airport of Thessaloniki. This airport receives flights from Athens, Crete, Corfù, Chios, Lesbos, Rhodes and other Greek airports. It also receives international flights all year round. The airport of Kavala receives national flights from Athens and even charter flights during the summer. The airports of Alexandropolis, Kozani and Kastoria only receive national flights from Athens.