Kalives (Halkidiki)

Big beaches and a laid-back feel are the cornerstones of holidays to Kalives. Plus, the town is bookended by two peninsulas packed with wild walking trails and stylish port towns.

Quiet Kalives

Kalives occupies a spot on a wide-mouthed bay that swoops between the westernmost peninsulas of Halkidiki. And while it lays claim to some of the longest beaches in mainland Greece, it’s only recently started to sidle on to tourist radar. The town itself is mostly villas and family homes, with a handful of shops thrown in for good measure. A quilt of fields surrounds the tiny town, stretching out towards the neighbouring peninsulas – lively Kassandra and back-to-nature Sithonia.

Long beaches

If it’s king-size beaches you’re after, Kalives is your place. Long sweeps of sand and pebbles brush the mammoth bay. Fresh-from-the-packaging hotels are beginning to spring up along the coast too, bringing loungers and parasols with them. Largely, though, the beaches have been left untouched – the only facilities are the sand-side benches that locals while away the day on.

Daytrips to Kassandra and Sithonia

Hiring a car brings the two peninsulas bookending Kalives within easy reach. Most people flock to Kassandra and its pick ‘n’ mix of down-to-earth villages, party towns and modern marinas. The other peninsula, Sithonia, is for nature-lovers. Most of it has barely changed in centuries, so it’s threaded with pine-perfumed walking trails and micro-sized fishing villages. Virgin beaches are also a dime a dozen around here.