7-days | NAOUSSA-THESSALONIKI

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Discover the town of Naoussa, a well-hidden destination in Northern Greece, a real find for the wine connoisseurs, nature and biking lovers. Pedal your bike to the mountain villages of the area and feel the fresh air, drink cool water from a mountain spring, eat fruit right from a tree. Take a biking tour on the vineyard-painted hills and taste Xinomavro wine. And the beautiful setting of vines will never fade away from your mind!

While this scenery – full of colors and aromas – is being engraved in your heart, our tour continues in Thessaloniki, a renowned city for its history, its gastronomy and nightlife. Taste Bougatsa, a Greek pastry with sweet custard, ride your bike in the city’s new seafront, make friends with the locals and have a chat with them on a bench, visit the local markets, feel the rhythm of the city. You will become part of the unique everyday life and you are likely to adopt some of the locals’ habits!

Tour day by day

1st day | Welcome to Greece

We welcome you at the city center in Thessaloniki and we set off for Naoussa, after making a stop to a unique archaeological site: the school of Aristotle, where the young prince Alexander studied under the great philosopher. Once you have made yourselves comfortable in a boutique hotel in the town centre and have put on your bike fitting, we will take a small bike tour through Naoussa’s countryside to reach the mountain village of Arkohori. There, we will taste the Greek “mezedes” in the main square where locals meet.

Meals: Snack | Dinner

Bike tour: 11 km | Difficulty: medium

2nd day | The Wine Roads

We will set off our ride through the wonderful green stretches passing by apple, cherry and peach trees. We will take a scenic spin through vineyards of local grape varieties and try few of them at our wine tasting. We will visit local wineries and enjoy the wine tasting of full bodied Xinomavro.

In the evening, the wine qualities we have tasted will be reviewed by a young upcoming winemaker/oenologist. A traditional exquisite dinner will follow in his family’s farmhouse.

Meals: Breakfast | Light Lunch | Dinner

Bike tour: 32 km (optional 10 km more) | Difficulty: medium

3rd day | Ancient Greek history

Enjoy a breakfast of a typical Northern Greek pie and homemade jam in the hotel’s century yard. We will find our way to Vergina, the first capital of the ancient Kingdom of Macedonia, which dates from the 11th century BC. We will drive to Thessaloniki and stay in very comfortable apartments in the city centre .

Relax at the hotel and just before the sun sets, we will take an slow and easy spin in the city’s bike route along the seafront. In the evening, we will enjoy dinner in a tavern like locals do.

Meals: Breakfast | Dinner

Bike tour: 5 km | Difficulty: easy

4th day | Eat & Walk

We will start by tasting the absolute “Thessaloniki breakfast”, the famous Bougatsa. This will be only the start for our original gastronomic experience. We will walk through the history of food in Thessaloniki, taste local food and visit some of the oldest food markets of Europe. Our walk will finish with a special cooking class where you will have the opportunity to put your hand in the dough, learn techniques and talk about the healthy Mediterranean cuisine.

The evening is yours to go for a dinner or a drink to any of the suggested local tips.

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch

5th day | Sea & Sun

Prepare your beach bag, put on your hiking boots and we will drive you to Halkidiki where you will spend a day walking/hiking through a virgin forest with a view to the sea, or even on sunny days to the Mount Olympus, the home of the ancient Greek gods. Refresh yourself in the sea, follow the fish paths under the water, feel the sand warming your body. We will reward ourselves in a fish tavern by the sea, watching to the fishermen cleaning/preparing their boats.
As the locals say: There is no place like Halkidiki!
After the sunset, the van will bring you back to Thessaloniki.

Meals: Breakfast | Snack | Dinner

Walking tour: 20 km | Difficulty: light

6th day | Architecture & Walk

We will start our day like locals do, with a relaxing coffee in Thessaloniki’s port with a view to the city. We will discover the city though a different trigiro glance. We will guide you through the 20^th architecture, from the picturesque Aristotelous Square dating from 1917 to the geometrical volumes of the new City Hall dating from 2009.

Spend the afternoon at your leisure. Go shopping, sit in a café or visit the museums and be fit for a greek way of going out like a local.

At night, we will say goodbye with a surprise that we will have prepared for you and you will see why night is always young in Thessaloniki.

Meals: Breakfast

Last Day | Kali antamosi!

After breakfast we will say goodbye.

Meals: Breakfast

Naoussa

Thessaloniki Tour

Region: North Greece
Destination: Naoussa / Thessaloniki / Halkidiki
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Activities: biking | hiking | swimming
Difficulty: easy-medium
Price per person: 1600 €
Single supplement: 180 €