# Northern Greece Macedonia, Thrace and Epirus — Thessaloniki's Byzantine churches, Mount Athos and the gorges of the Pindus. Northern Greece spans a geographical sweep from the Pindos mountains in the west to the Strymon Gulf in the east, gathering together a patchwork of landscapes and cultures that rarely appear in a single itinerary elsewhere in the country. The region takes in the flat alluvial plains of Thrace, the forested peninsulas of Halkidiki, the high-altitude villages of Epirus, and the vineyard-covered hills of Macedonia — each with its own character, its own food traditions, its own rhythm. Thessaloniki, the region's natural capital, curves around the Thermaic Gulf with a long waterfront promenade that fills with walkers in the early evenings. The city carries its layers openly: a Roman forum, Byzantine church walls, Ottoman bathhouses and a Roman Agora rendered in honeycomb tufa. The Modiano and Kapani markets occupy their original lanes, selling olives, spices and preserved peppers under low ceilings that smell of dried herbs and wood smoke. Heading inland, the stone villages of Zagorohoria sit at the head of the Vikos Gorge, their houses built from dark schist and grey granite. Rivers run fast and cold through the valley bottoms. In autumn, the beech forests turn deep amber. West again, Ioannina clusters around a lake where a small island holds a monastery and a cluster of old workshops making silver and copper goods — a craft tradition the city has sustained for centuries. Meteora rises between the mountains and the plains of Thessaly, its sandstone pillars topped by monasteries that grew here from the fourteenth century onwards. The rock towers catch the morning light differently each hour, and the surrounding countryside is quiet enough to hear birdsong from the gorge below. On the coast, Halkidiki's three-fingered peninsulas reach into the Aegean — the most northerly, Athos, remains a self-governing monastic republic accessible by ferry to a handful of ports. The two southern prongs hold long beaches, fishing harbours and a few seaside towns where tourism coexists with active fishing fleets and small-scale market gardening. Northern Greece rewards those who travel slowly. The food across the region carries the influence of both the Mediterranean and the Balkans — cheese pies from the mountains, seafood from the coast, preserved lemons and slow-cooked lamb that turns pink in the afternoon light over a clay pot. The distances between places are real, the roads through mountain passes often narrow, and the pace of arrival matters as much as the arrival itself. ## Tours that visit Northern Greece No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/northern-greece/