10 of the best things to do in Greece's Halkidiki

“There’s no place like Halkidiki,” the Greek saying goes. The potbellied, three-legged peninsula just an hour’s drive from Thessaloniki is known across the country for its sparkling waters, pine tree forests that create a heady scent, and its golden sand beaches.

And while most travelers make a beeline straight to the shore, Halkidiki has much more to offer than just waves. From monasteries to mountains, villages to islands, there’s something here for just about every kind of traveler. We’re not saying you should skip the beach entirely – because Greece has some of Europe's very best – but these 10 alternatives will tempt you to explore Halkidiki beyond the sun and sand.