Region & History

Toroni & the region of Sithonia

The ultimate destination

Halkidiki is the ultimate vacation destination, both in the summer and the winter. It is located relatively close to Thessaloniki, which is the second major city of Greece – Capital of North Greece and the Balkans. Thessaloniki has an International airport connected with major European and other destinations. Thessaloniki has also a major Port to depart in other Greek Island destinations and road access to Halkidiki and major highway roads to other parts of Greece and other neighboring countries.

Toroni - Sithonia - Halkidiki

Modern Toroni from a fishing and agro farm village, with few local natives and houses, has start being the summer resort for people from Thessaloniki mainly. In the recent years is being transforming into a must to visit leisure resort.

The long beach with the blue turquoise clean waters, with the thick sand is from the most desirable beaches to be and swim. The green hills with the deep green of the pine trees and the long seashore, is creating a paradise atmosphere and an excellent dry climate that provides you the best conditions to live in.

Must visit leisure resort

Apart of few small to medium size hotel facilities the majority of the housing is smaller enterprises with rooms, apartments and villas to rent. This has promoted Toroni to a must visit and stay place due to this nature of leisure, where you may enjoy your privacy but also easy to contact with people and create new friendships.

There are romantic traditional fish taverns and local souvlaki, gyros and pizza restaurants, but you can also find restaurants with fine gourmet cuisine. Café bars to enjoy breakfast, coffee and your evening drink. Small individual beach bars for swimming and your indolent beach leisure and relaxation. In nearby places you may find isolated beach bars with music, drinks and snacks.

Indolent beach leisure and relaxation

Beaches

Blue flag awarded beaches

Kalamitsi

Kalamitsi beach is a beautiful coved beach about 500 meters long. The village of Kalamitsi has been developed just behind the beach. With beautiful soft sand and calm waters, this is a delight for water sports. One of the best spots for diving in Halkidiki is found here. Kalamitsi has everything to offer from restaurants, beach bars to mini markets and water activities.

Toroni beach

The 3,5 km long sandy beach of Toroni combines the blue waters with the amazingly green forested countryside filled with pine trees and olive groves. The beach offers spectacular views of the Toroneos bay and the vast Aegean Sea. The beach is sandy with fine gravel, which makes it ideal of families. Its blue crystalline waters have righteously made it one of Greece’s finest beaches and a must visit beach of Halkidiki and now it becomes a preference to tourists from worldwide parts. It is awarded with a blue flag and has a lifeguard at all times.

Tristinika

Tristinika is a sandy beach near Toroni in Sithonia Halkidiki. The beach is more than 1 km long with sand and crystal clear waters. Access might be a bit tricky without a 4×4 car.

Porto Koufo

The beach of Porto Koufo is small, but beautiful set in a natural surroundings of dense vegetation. Porto Koufo is one of the biggest and safest natural port in Greece, which is referred by Thucydides as ‘’kofos limin’’, which means ‘’deaf port’’. Many yachts are visiting the Porto Koufo for harboring or try the ports fish taverns. It is the center of the fishing trade in Sithonia. It is very close to Toroni and away 80 km south east of Polygyros city, the capital of Halkidiki prefecture. You can find boats departing from Porto Koufo port to some of the most popular Halkidiki sights and beaches. The area around the village is ideal for trekking. Every year, in September, Porto Koufo hosts the Festival of the Tuna.

Kavourotripes

This is not a single beach. It is a long rocky coastline on the east side of Sithonia, interrupted by small enclaves of well hidden sandy beaches thus creating an astonishing natural environment especially when explored by boat. Kavourotrypes are famous as a remote and not well-known place. It is said to be a hidden paradise. Nevertheless you should give emphasis on the word “famous”. This means not so “not well-known” anymore. Expect to find a lot of people enjoying the turquoise water and the white rocks, especially during high season. However, the place is magnificent one way or another. And it is not so crowded as some other popular beaches in Sithonia.

Sightseeing

Sightseeing in Sithonia is not just limited to the beaches. In Sithonia and Halkidiki are several points of interest that will make your Holidays unforgetable!

Lecythus Castle

The Lecythus Castle (or Castle of Toroni) is located in a small rocky peninsula to the southern end of the beach. Today one can see a part of the wall and a scaffolding with a length of 60 m. and a width of around 2 m., which is now in the sea. Signs of residence from the Bronze age (3.000 BC) have been found in the peninsula and remaining of houses from the early Iron Age (1.100 – 800 BC). One of the two citadels of Toroni, with a strong wall, could be found there during the ancient times. The famous Greek historian Thoukidides mentions details about the fortifications of the Spartans at Lecythus and mentions that a temple of Athens was located there.

Early Christian Era Church of St. Athanasios

The Early Christian Era church of Saint Athanasios was built in 5th century BC and is a Basilica. It was destroyed by fire in 6th century BC and another church, which was also destroyed, was built on its rubble. Today, the church’s nave mosaic is maintained in a good state. By visiting the church of Saint Athanasios you will get the chance to admire one of the most beautiful sunsets in the whole world.

Prehistoric settlement at «Koukos»

On the west of Sykia there is a hill named “Koukos”. It is a steep, rocky and high hill, who dominates at Sykia and its area. The flat top of the peak is surrounded by a castle, where an important prehistoric settlement existed. The excavations from the archeologists showed that the area is resided since the 11th century BC and this is most probably due to the rich sources of bronze that started being used from the Early Age of Bronze.

Prehistoric mound in Kriaritsi

At the area of Kriaritsi, Sykia, a prehistoric mound was revealed. It ages back to the late phase of the Early Bronze Age (2.300 – 1.900 BC). That manmade mound used to cover 30 tombs with circular enclosures, each of which contained jars with ashes of the dead. The importance of that finding is great since it enriches our knowledge on burial habits and the construction methods of burial mound in the Bronze Age.

Touring

Some places worth visiting during your stay at Toroni are marked on the map below:

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Nikiti

Nikiti (Greek: Νικήτη) is a village located 40 kilometers (24 miles) north-west from Toroni on the Halkidiki peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. It is the seat of the municipal unit of Sithonia. The old part of Nikiti is located on the hilly area a few hundred meters from the sea, with a church at the highest point of the village. There existing beautiful stone made houses with interesting architecture. In the 1950s the village started to expand downwards to the coast significantly. In the 1970s the coastal plain was included into plans for village's development and many new buildings were built there. The most important economic sector in Nikiti is tourism. Other important economic activities in Nikiti are beekeeping and olive growing.

Neos Marmaras

Neos Marmaras (New Marmara) is a village on the Sithonia peninsula, in the Halkidiki peninsula, Greece. In 2001, Neos Marmaras had 2,854 permanent residents; however, the summer-time population has been estimated at 20,000.The main industries are tourism, agriculture (olives, wine, and honey), and fishing. Situated on three shoreline hills, below the two mountains, Itamos and Dragoudeli (singing mountain), Neos Marmaras is located 125 km (78 miles) from Thessaloniki, and 20,5 km (12 miles) from Toroni.

Parthenon, traditional mountain village

Parthenonas, only 5 km away from Neos Marmaras, was referred to as Parthenopolis, Partheni or Parthenionas since ancient times. Contemporary researchers tend to accept that the old, Byzantine Parthenonas and the current one, founded during the Ottoman era, were not at the same place. The ancient city of Parthenopolis, however, may have been situated very close to the current location of the settlement. The architecture and the ribbon development of Parthenonas preserve the atmosphere of the previous century. Parthenonas is under protection by state and E.U. law as it is considered a traditional settlement of unique architecture and constitutes the right choice for those who wish to explore the Dragoudelis slopes and enjoy the pleasant climate and panoramic views. A growing number of travellers is attracted by its beauty and, these days, visitors may find many restaurants and guesthouses. Also located there is the old chapel of Agios .Stefanos and the folklore museum, where they may experience the distillation of tsipouro, a local spirit drink.

Sarti

Sarti is situated on the Eastern shores of Sithonia. It was named after the Ancient city of Sarti, probably situated in the same area. The name "Sarti" can be found in the writings of Herodotus. It was visited by Xerxes' expeditionary forces. Ancient Sarti was a member of the Athenian Alliance. Today Sarti is a holiday resort that combines the beauty of mountain and sea, crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches and secluded coves that enchant the visitor, leaving him with unforgettable memories. The area is ideal for all kinds of watersports.

Entertainment

Sithonia features a wide variety of entertainment venues and dining, satisfying all the needs. Most villages have bars, cafes and greek taverns where you can enjoy refreshing drinks and tasty local plates. If you fancy eating local foods you should definitely visit the Toroni Beach taverns as well as some taverns located at Porto Koufo. For a drink you can visit the beach bars of Toroni For a more intense entertainment you should visit Neos Marmaras, Nikiti as well as Sarti where you will find a lot of clubs, and all night bars by the sea.

Sports - Activities

Scubba diving

Sithonia is a relatively unexplored scuba diving destination. The crystalline clear waters offer very good vision and make Sithonia one of the most perfect destinations for underwater swimming. Most of the diving places are surrounded by caves, walls, reefs and rocks. You might even see as shipwreck if you are lucky! At the end of the day, after some tiring hours under the sea surface, you can rest at our hotel while enjoying the spectacular sunset.

Biking

Biking and mountain biking are in rise in Halkidiki. That applies especially to Sithonia, in which you will meet a lot of rocky pathways and slopes. The temperature is stable, which makes Sithonia the ideal destination for active travelers and bikers. The bike pathways are one of the toughest ones in Greece but the view they offer is a huge reward for the biker. They were designed to be covered by cyclists in the duration of one day. Get your mountain bike from our hotel and begin your own biking adventure!

Hiking

Hiking in the wonderful nature. Besides the spectacular sandy beaches and swimming, if you are an admirer of nature, Sithonia is the place that combines everything. The whole peninsula is covered with pine forests which fill the air with beautiful smells and await to be explored. There are plenty of hiking paths which either lead to overhead spots with a view to the sea or to isolated beaches. Get all the necessary, plenty of water and good mood and make your trip into the wild nature of Sithonia.