Greece hotels. Kriopigi, Halkidiki: life-giving springs and picturesque beaches of Greece Real estate in Greece
Kriopigi (Chalkidiki) is a cozy village on the stretch between Kalithea and Polichrono, 85 km from Thessaloniki Airport. Its main resort street stretches parallel to the sea, but runs 100 meters above its level along a high hilly coast, and the distance from the center to the beach line is about 1 km.
Here are beautiful sunrises, and in clear weather, as well as from everywhere on the eastern coast of Kassandra, the outlines of low mountains and hills of neighboring Sithonia are visible.
The resort of Kriopigi (Κρυοπηγή) is climatic, the air everywhere is filled with the aroma of Mediterranean needles - pine pine, saturated with phytoncides and mixed with the smells of the sea. It breathes easily and “tasty”, and you will feel the thick smell of pine even a kilometer from the coast, swimming in the sea.
There is a popular expression here: "the air of Kriopigi can be drunk." This is the main thing that is noted by both tourists and Greeks from other regions who come here on their vacation.
What to see, where to eat and what to do
The resort of Kriopigi in Greece is a calm and quiet place for a family holiday. The village has neither a large amusement park nor significant ancient architectural sights. And the noisy Kallithea with night discos and youth clubs is far, by local standards, five kilometers from here.
Due to its geographical position, Kriopigi began its development in the 19th century with commercial crafts, since in ancient times the settlement was surrounded by the Greek cities of Neapoli and Flegra. This place used to be called Pazarakia (Παζαράκια), which means little markets.
The modern village itself is higher than the main resort highway on the other side of the highway, opposite the descent to the sea. It is original, it is interesting to take a walk in the narrow streets of Kriopigi in the morning or in the afternoon, for example, on the way to the spring near the amphitheater, which is located in the forest above the village.
Here, locals and vacationers collect and drink cold water from the source. It is noticeably tastier than bottled store-bought. Behind the amphitheater, the "jungle" immediately begins from the forest, braided with vines. A hiking trail passes through them, the ascents and descents are difficult in places, but the views of Kriopigi and the photos from there are wonderful. Appropriate footwear must be worn for walking.
In some places it seems that the streets of upper Kriopigi are an open-air ethnographic museum.
But people live here, simple Greeks, who love their homes and decorate their lives with all available means. They are given by the fertile local nature, and are limited only by their own imagination.
The church of Kriopigi and its bell tower of recent construction, and along with the old houses of the 19th century in the upper village above the highway, there are renovated and restored buildings, and completely new ones.
And in the evening it is good to sit in a real Greek restaurant in the middle of the village square. Since spring, every Saturday it is full of Greeks and foreigners. The family restaurant AntUlas (Ανθούλας) is famous among gourmets and has been awarded as one of the top 12 Greek restaurants among similar establishments in the capital Athens, Thessaloniki and Halkidiki.
The restaurant kitchen is located in an old mansion, away from the noisy road, and the tables are right on the square. There are especially many visitors here in August, places must be booked in advance (tel. +30 2374 053001).
But even on warm September evenings, soft light, excellent food, wine and hospitable married couple George and Ansula create a special aura in this place. According to the stories and reviews of visitors on tourist portals and forums, after the first visit to Anthoulas, many tourists often come to Kriopigi to the tavern on the village square for a special dinner, even if they have stopped in other places in Halkidiki. After all, the distances here are small.
There are also popular establishments on the main resort street along the highway. Good reviews about Adonis (Αντώνης) and Hagiati taverns. The first is famous for excellent meat dishes and delicious salads, and the second is famous for the same fish menu. The owners do not buy vegetables for salads, but grow them on their own farms.
You can spend a pleasant evening with a glass of wine on the terrace overlooking the sea in the Bistro restaurant. The service is excellent, they cook delicious octopus in wine sauce, grilled squid, pasta with seafood. The menu includes risotto with pork and pumpkin and a traditional Greek dessert crepe with baked apples and ice cream.
Prices in good and popular restaurants of Halkidiki are moderate: a dinner for two will cost 20-35 €, depending on the chosen dish, in other establishments it is cheaper: 10-15 €.
By tradition, in Greece, fruits and sweets are offered almost everywhere in addition to the main menu as a gift from the establishment.
In addition to cafes, restaurants and taverns, there are many shops on the long resort street of Kriopigi: grocery, department stores, souvenir shops and pharmacies. There are tourist kiosks, rental offices, car and beach equipment rentals, a gas station and several stops on both sides of the highway for intercity buses going south of Kassandra and in the opposite direction.
Excursions from Kriopigi or 5 ideas for a “non-beach” holiday
The main street of Kriopigi - If you are a desperate beachgoer and decide to dedicate all the days of your vacation to this activity, in the middle of your vacation, make a little variety and go, at least for 1 day, to the nearest resort towns to choose from: Kalithea, Polychrono or Afitos.
- If you rent a car, it is worth driving around not only both banks of Kassandra, but also neighboring Sithonia: impressions and excellent photo and video are guaranteed.
- For lovers of the ancient history of Greece: the sacred Olympus is not far away, go there on an excursion.
- Take a cruise on a "pirate" ship in the Gulf of Toroneos, its program will not leave anyone indifferent.
- And those who go to Meteora for the whole day, in addition to an interesting and informative excursion to the active monasteries of Greece, clinging to hard-to-reach rocks, will receive 5 in 1 bottle
Those who go to Meteora for the whole day will get 5 in 1:
- You will see Olympus in all its glory on the way from the bus window, and the guide will not be silent in this place either.
- On the way back and forth, you will pass through the noisy and so diverse Thessaloniki and see their character both in the morning and in the evening.
- Just before Meteora, you will be taken to a famous icon-painting workshop, see how the masters work, and there you can also buy souvenirs and icons of excellent quality for yourself and as a gift.
- After the tour, before leaving Meteora, you will have lunch at a Greek restaurant in the town of Kalambaka at the very foot of the rocks, where you will taste brandy: waiters in folk costumes will offer a glass of drink at the entrance to each sightseer. And during lunch, watch a small concert of the folklore ensemble of Greece.
Where to stay in Kriopigi, accommodation prices
The infrastructure of this relatively young resort place in Halkidiki is developing every year, and during the season the population of a small village on the shores of the Toroneos Gulf (Aegean Sea) increases tenfold.
Kassandra Palace Hotel & Spa Several hotels are located in the village of Kriopigi along the highway, we have already talked about it. All the rest go down in an impromptu amphitheater in the middle of the forest to the very shore along the picturesque hills. Lots of campsites and guest houses. Only on Booking you can find about 40 options for hotels of various levels in Kriopigi (Greece) from *1 to *****5. Prices in the high season are in the range of 40-250 € per night for a double room. In the spring and during the velvet season, hotel tours and the price of renting accommodation from local operators in Kriopigi are lower: for some it is noticeable, for others not so much.
Alexander The Great Hotel There are 2 five-star hotels in Kriopigi: in the northern part of the coastline there is a large beach hotel ALEXANDER THE GREAT BEACH HOTEL, and in the south - KASSANDRA PALACE HOTEL & SPA. The beach complexes of these hotels have a developed infrastructure that meets all the requirements of a quality holiday.
Above, on the main resort street, one of the two ****4, the famous Kriopigi Beach, and the rest of the hotels are located along a winding side highway. There are many ***3, **2, *1 hotels and other quite acceptable and decent options for "starless" housing and apartments.
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Weather
The warmest months in Kriopigi are the last two summer months (August is hotter) and September. In August-July, the air temperature on the Halkidiki peninsula is + 29-30⁰ C, and the water in the bay is warmer than fresh milk: + 26-27⁰ C. But in the afternoon there is no heat on the beaches: the hills and the forest provide a saving shade.
In the velvet season, the air and water temperatures during the day are approximately the same, + 24-25⁰ C. This is the most comfortable time for the elderly to relax and parents with very young children.
The winds on the beaches of Kriopigi are also weak 4.2-4.7 m / s - they are not allowed here by the same high wooded hills. The rainiest months in this part of Greece are February and March, at this time in Kriopigi "whole" 4 rainy days!
The coldest months are winter in Halkidiki, 10-15 degrees plus. Due to such a rather mild winter, many hotels are open all year round. At this time, lovers of cognitive rest and those who do not tolerate the heat come here. And the Greeks themselves from other regions come here to spend their holidays.
Beaches and nature
One of the most picturesque beaches not only in Kassandra, but also in Halkidiki, the beach in Kriopigi. In Greek, this word means "cold spring" or source. Indeed, cold springs here beat both into the sea (swimming in warm sea water, sometimes you get into a cold stream), and from underground, on land.
In the afternoon, no umbrellas are needed here: a natural shadow falls on the beach from a hill covered with pines. Therefore, even in the hottest months, elderly people and small children can appear on Pigadakya in the afternoon. The direct rays of the sun will overtake bathers only in the sea.
The village is located between Kallithea and Polychrono. To get to the beach, you need to go down from the only traffic light on the highway in the center of Kriopigi (from the sign "Camping").
Tourists resting in the upper part of the village often rent a car in order to drive to the beach (8-10 minutes) and make longer excursions.
From the center of Kriopigi to the shore, walk down for about 15-20 minutes along an asphalt road winding among the pines.
The way back takes 20-30 minutes. In the spring months, during the velvet season and any other time, such a journey through the forest is invigorating, but in the heat it is a little tiring, especially from the beach up.
But from the Kriopigi Beach Hotel, located at the southern end of the main street, this distance can be covered faster, literally in 6-8 minutes. From here, every hour in the season, a painted or silver cheerful auto-moto tram leaves alternately every hour, which delivers passengers to the sea itself for 1 €. 
Wooden steps descend from the beach bar down to the water. Sunbeds and umbrellas for beach visitors are paid, for vacationers of the ****4 Kriopigi Beach hotel, a line of free sun loungers is installed on a separate site. There is a shower, toilet, rental and rescue station.
The beach is sandy, there are small pebbles at the very edge of the water, and the tide often throws beautiful multi-colored pebbles polished by the sea onto the shore.
Children are at ease here. The entrance to the water is gentle, but in some places along the edges of the beach near the shore there is a strip of algae and there is a danger of stepping on a sea urchin.
From Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki, almost all hotel tours provide for a transfer: you will be brought to the hotel, travel time is 1 hour if the transfer is only to your hotel, and from 1.5 hours to 2 hours for a group trip.
From Thessaloniki (95 km), independent travelers can take a bus in 2.5 hours and 32-35 euros, by taxi (120-150 euros) or car (11-18 euros gas costs) - in 1 hour 10 minutes.
Kriopigi (Chalkidiki) is a place you don't want to leave, and many who once spent their holidays here return at least once again. There are also fanatical fans of this place among them, for whom the small village in Greece has become a permanent vacation spot.
To appreciate the beauty of the beach in Kriopigi, watch the video.
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Kriopigi village- one of the most visited resorts on the Halkidiki peninsula, on its first "finger" Kassandra. It is located 90 km from Thessaloniki on the eastern side of the peninsula.
The word "Kriopigi" can be translated as "cold spring". It is directly connected with the sources of cool water, which can be found above the resort. However, this name Kriopigi does not last long. Until the 20th century, it was called Pazarakya - "bazaars".
It has been established that people have inhabited this area since ancient times. And modern Kriopigi stands exactly on the site of the ancient settlement. Once it was surrounded by the ancient Greek cities of Neapoli and Flegra. The latter is associated with myths: this was the name of the plain where the battle of the titans and the gods took place. For a long time, the entire peninsula of Kassandra also bore the name "Flegra".
In the history of Greece, Kriopigi played an important role. Local residents did a lot to liberate the Greek people from Ottoman rule, they participated in the 1821 revolution. Let the struggle then lead to nothing, at the beginning of the 20th century. Greek Macedonia still gained freedom.
Now Kriopigi is a developed resort, loved by tourists and the Greeks themselves. If you rise above the village, you can enjoy the panoramas of the Gulf of Toroneos. In Kriopigi, the high bank is covered with rich coniferous groves, and the trees rise almost to the water's edge. Separately, it is worth mentioning the healing air of Kriopigi, filled with the aroma of pines. To really enjoy your holiday in this resort, it is worth taking a walk along the winding road from the highway to the beach.
By the way, the beaches in Kriopigi are not too wide, but the well-maintained coast and the clear sea compensate for this small "flaw". No wonder the local beaches twice received the Blue Flag. There are camping opportunities in Kriopigi. Therefore, supporters of this type of recreation are frequent guests at this resort.
The highway divides Kriopigi into two parts. A little higher is the old part of the village - there you can take a walk and look at the houses with typical Greek tiled roofs. And at the same time admire the views of the bay. You don't have to worry about leisure in Kriopigi. There are numerous taverns and shops here. You can buy souvenirs (wine, honey from local farmers) and get to know Greek cuisine better. Some bars have live music, but Kriopigi doesn't have a vibrant nightlife. For parties, you will have to go to neighboring Kallithea.
Recently, Kriopigi has been increasingly in demand among Russians. From here it is convenient to make both independent and group tours and the entire mainland of the country. For example, in Thessaloniki or Meteora. In the direction of the Greek northern capital, you can go from the bus stop on the main highway. From here, transport moves to Pefkohori and Chanioti. The nearest villages - Kallithea and Polichrono - are only 5 km away from Kriopigi.
She made an invaluable contribution to European culture. Literature, architecture, philosophy, history, other sciences, state system, laws, art and myths of ancient greece laid the foundation for modern European civilization. Greek gods known all over the world.
