Road trip in northern Greece [12days]

The highlight (literally) of Day 2 is the mighty Meteora rocks that are monuments to both the natural forces that created them and the intrepid monks who built the monasteries here. Your evening is spent in Trikala, the capital of the Thessaly region of Greece, before you return to Kastraki for the night.

Day three of your road trip in northern Greece is dominated by the scenery of the Pindus mountains. After breakfast and a morning stroll around in Elati, a beautiful mountain village, you visit a unique church deep within the forest and you end the day in historic Metsovo, your base for the next two nights.

Day 4 of your itinerary in northern Greece includes a walk around the city of Ioannina and a visit to the archaeological site of Dodoni. Next, you experience the Vikos Gorge and one of the Zagorohoria villages of Epirus, after which you return to Metsovo for the night.

Your road trip through northern Greece takes you to Kastoria this morning, by Lake Orestiada, and into the town’s aristocratic districts that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries. Next, you head up to the Prespes Lakes at Greece’s northern border before driving to Thessaloniki, where you spend the night. Alternatively, you can choose to spend the night in Kastoria.

After driving to Vergina and exploring the Polycentric Museum of Aigai, you continue to Veria, which is full of buildings with classic Macedonian architecture. Your afternoon is spent learning about the wine tradition of Naoussa, after which you return to Thessaloniki for the night.

Thessaloniki’s extrovert character describes its cultural highlights as much as its personality. So today is dedicated to neighbourhoods and monuments revealing more than 2,000 years of history (Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and modern) as well as the city’s famous food scene.

Day 8 of your itinerary in northern Greece is all about the beaches and authentic touches of Halkidiki. You drive to Sithonia (the 2nd ‘finger’ of the Halkidiki peninsula) and spend the morning on Vouvourou beach, before taking a boat trip to an island with otherwise inaccessible beaches just off the coast. Dinner is in Nikiti village before you return to Thessaloniki. Alternatively, you can find somewhere local to sleep or head to Kavala, which will be your base for the next two nights.

You visit one of Greece’s most historically important archaeological sites this morning, Ancient Philippi, before heading to the green slopes of Mount Pangaio and ending your day with a stroll around the city of Kavala.

You head into the region of  Thrace today, where you experience the breathtakingly beautiful scenery around the Nestos River at Lake Platanovrisis or by the delta, which is one of Greece’s most important wetlands. Your afternoon is spent visiting two cities that blend east and west, Xanthi and Komotini, before heading back to Kavala for the night.

You start your return journey towards Athens today by driving to the archaeological site and museum of Dion and the Byzantine Castle of Platamon in the Piera region. You stop for a late lunch in the town of Ampelakia before completing the drive to Mount Pelion and the village of Makrinitsa.

The last day of your itinerary in northern Greece takes you to the villages of Mount Pelion. They embrace everything magical about the Greek mainland: mountain & sea, local crafts, myths, history and plenty of nature and delicious food. After spending the morning in Makrinitsa village, you head to Portaria, which just 11km from Volos, the final stop on your itinerary. The day’s distance includes the return journey to Athens International Airport, although you should definitely extend your stay in Athens if you can.