Kalamitsi is a small town located in Halkidiki on the mainland of Greece, in the northern region of Central Macedonia. This charming town is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece. The beaches in Kalamitsi are blue flag certified, meaning they meet the highest standards for cleanliness and safety. The calm water has a gorgeous turquoise color, and with soft white sand, Kalamitsi’s beaches are definitely worth a visit. Not to mention, one of the beaches is a nudist beach! Which we promise to tell you more about later.
You are about to explore the region of Halkidiki, in northern Greece, known for its three distinct legs (peninsulas). The first, Kassandra, is a popular spot for tourists due to its many resorts and party scene. Sithonia, the second leg, is largely undeveloped with a wilder feel-perfect for nature lovers like us. If you entered this post, you would like it as well. While the third leg, Athos, is a world all to itself, home to 20 monasteries and only accessible to men. Kalamitsi sits on the southern edge of Sithonia and can be easily reached by car or bus from any of the three legs, making it a great spot to explore all that Halkidiki offers.
Best Time to Visit Kalamitsi and Greece
The best time to visit Kalamitsi is the months of May and June, and September. If you wish to avoid the crowds, skip July and August. In the winter months, Kalamitsi is a bit of a ghost town as the locals live up in the town of Sykia.
What to Do in Kalamitsi, Halkidiki
Go to the beach!
Let’s be honest, you came all the way to Halkidiki and Kalamitsi for its pristine beaches, and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Kalamitsi is fortunate to have three mushroom-shaped beaches in its surroundings.
The first and most popular is the main beach and called Kalamitsa beach. It has a long stretch of soft white sand, with no pebbles, beautiful waveless water, and great views of Mount Athos in the distance. The atmosphere is lively with trendy beach bars and water sport activities like canoe rentals and scuba-diving. There are sunbeds for rent and umbrellas to help you stay out of the sun. There’s also plenty of space if you prefer to lay on the sand with your towel.
The second beach is another beautiful mushroom-shaped beach. But annoyingly, to enjoy it, you’ll have to pay a small fee as it’s privately owned by ‘Thalatta Camping.’ But even though we hate it when places charge for what is supposed to be accessible for all, it can be a great option if you arrive in July or August and want to avoid the crowds.
Head on Over to Kalamitsi Nudist Beach
The third beach and in our eyes the best one is Vatya Gonia beach. It’s a small beach with no facilities whatsoever, and what makes this beach unique is that it’s an organized nudist beach. So if you’re brave enough to bare all in Kalamitsi, this is the place for you! Walk for 10 min up the hill on the east part of Kalamitsi’s main beach to reach it.
On the beach, you’ll find a small tight community of nudists coming back here for the last 10, 20, or 30 years, depends whom you ask. Most of them set their tents on the beach during July&August. Usually, those kinds of communities are a bit close and not welcoming for new guests, but we didn’t feel that way at all. We didn’t feel like guests but instead, felt like the beach was for everyone who wanted to enjoy it.
Some build temporal homes decorated with flowers for even longer than these two touristic months. Camping in Vatia gonia beach is easy because drinking water, restaurants, and bars are only 10 min walk. You don’t have to overthink about what to bring to your camping days.
The nudist beach is isolated and feels far away but very close to civilization.
The hill in-between “nude land” and “textile land” creates a mystical separation that allows all people to live by their convicaions.
Visit the Market of Sykia
Kalamitsi is a predominantly touristic town which means all shops, restaurants and groceries stores are oriented towards summer visitors. so if you’re looking to take part in greek daily life you should visit the authentic town of Sykia. It’s just a 20 min drive away from Kalamitsi up the mountains. The town of Sykia is not the charming little greek village with white houses you picture in your head. Instead, it is a real-life greek fisherman village.
The town has a small central square and few streets with some bakeries, cafes, and excellent tavernas. The best part is its vibrant market that comes to life every Saturday morning, starting around nine o’clock. Sykia’s market is the perfect place to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, and homemade honey.
Furthermore, if you’re looking for the best fish restaurants in the area, the taverns in Sykia offer huge portions at local prices. If you’re lucky enough to arrive during market hours don’t skip the chance to sit among the locals, eat a plat of sardines, and enjoy some good quality Ouzo or Tsipouro.
Where to Eat- The Only Downside of Kalamitsi
The area by the beach is not packed with businesses. On the contrary, it has only a few greek restaurants, a souvlaki restaurant, a veggie one, a bar, and a supermarket. From our experience restaurants along the shore usually cater to tourists which means they are more expensive and not that tasty. We tried one of the fish restaurants and it was average. So we mostly cooked for ourselves and ate in the decent souvlaki restaurant. When we wanted to spoil ourselves we splurged in one of the great tavernas at Sykia.
Where to Stay in Kalamitsi
Kalamitsi in the peninsula of Halkidiki is a bit off the beaten path and not many tourists venture out here, but there are still several accommodations to choose from if you would like to stay here.
Tsitreli Camping
Tsitreli camping site offers you mobile homes, family tents, trailers, spaces to park your caravan, and spaces to set your tents. The prices change throughout the year. The place has its own minimarket with fair prices, a bar, and even an area for kids to play on. Tsitreli Camping is sparkling clean, and every day the employees and the owners run around making sure you have the best stay in Kalamitsi.
A few years ago Tsitreli was just a camping site but now it’s more like a village.
Camping on Kalamitsi Nudist Beach
If you want a liberating vacation or if you didn’t book in advance and got stuck without a room, camping in Kalamitsi nudist beach is the perfect solution. The beach is not an official camping site, but you can still stay here for a few days or even the whole summer. There are no permanent facilities in Kalamitsi naturists beach so you will have to bring your own toiletries and cooking equipment.
What to Pack
Here are the essentials you need to pack to have a great time in Kalamitsi:
Backpack | Daypack | Sandals for Him & for Her | Swimsuit for Him & for Her | Sunscreen | Water bottle | GoPro | Kindle | Quick dry beach towel
How to Get to Kalamitsi
As mentioned, Kalamitsi is located on the Sithonia leg of Greece. The easiest way to get there is by car. Just take highway E75 and follow the signs for Kalamitsi. If you’re not planning on renting a car, there are buses that run from Thessaloniki and Athens.
From Thessaloniki to Kalamitsi by Bus
All buses to Halkidiki leave from KTEL Halkidiki bus station, located around 10 km from Thessaloniki’s city center. This is not the main bus station of Thessaloniki called KTEL Macedonia so don’t get confused. you can take bus 45 from KTEL Macedonia (Thessaloniki main bus station) to KTEL Halkidiki.
During the high season, the buses tend to get full quickly so it’s better to get the tickets online. To check the timetable and book your ticket in advance: https://ktel-chalkidikis.gr/en/index.html
From Athens:
In order to visit Halkidiki from Athens, you first need to reach Thessaloniki by plane, train, or bus. The fastest way is to do it with a flight, there are multiple direct flights leaving Athens every day. From Thessaloniki airport take bus 79A or 79B to KTEL Halkidiki. The buses go every 30 min from 6:00 am-9:30 pm.
Final Thoughts
With three marvelous beaches, each distinct in its character, and diverse visitors, Kalamitsi is the perfect destination for families and adventurists alike. We spent two weeks in Kalamitsi and immediately formed a chilled-out routine. We loved visiting the main beach in the morning, and in the afternoon, we could wear our birthday suit and reach a nudist haven after a 10 min walk.
Kalamitsi manages to stay humble and off the radar even though its beaches are of the most beautiful we have seen.
Looking for another alternative destination and want to step it up a level? Check out our post about The Hippie Island of Samothraki.
