Paralia Katerini is located in the northern part of mainland Greece and is part of the prefecture of Pieria. Despite its youth, the resort has gained popularity for its convenient location (the journey from Thessaloniki airport takes about an hour), affordable prices, clean beaches, proximity to Mount Olympus, and, of course, shubbing.
Paralia Katerini is a remote seaside suburb of the district capital of Pieria Katerini. This fact is reflected in the name of the place, where the word “Paralia” means nothing more than “beach”.
Holidays in Paralia Katerini are very popular among “our” tourists. And it’s not just the beautiful beaches of Pieria and the proximity of one of the main attractions of this part of Greece - Mount Olympus.
The famous Mount Olympus is located just 20 km from Paralia Katerini
Paralia Katerini is primarily known as one of the main centers of trade. Tourists who are too lazy to travel too far from the coast to travel to the capital of the fur trade – Kastoria – come here to buy new fur clothes. Actually, there is no great need for this: the assortment in Paralia Katerini is considered very diverse.
How to get to Paralia Katerini
Finally, the third way is to rent a car. In the Thessaloniki airport terminal there are several international car rental companies, which you can contact and get to Paralia Katerini with a breeze.
As in the case of a taxi, ordering on the spot is not always profitable, since many car rental companies provide separate discounts for online booking. In this simple way, they try to avoid subsequent competition in the fight for the client directly in the terminal. In addition, conditions even in neighboring car rentals can differ significantly, and often these differences are not noticeable upon initial acquaintance.
Famous fur coats can be purchased in small factories at fairly reasonable prices.
You can avoid markups by using the European car rental price comparison service Rentalcars. The service database contains a current and regularly updated database of rental cars, the cost of their rental and other conditions that influence the choice of operator. It takes a few minutes to find the best offer without the need for a long independent comparison. All conditions and prices are brought to a single denominator, which greatly simplifies the choice. Ordering the car you like is also a matter of a few minutes.
Climate and weather in Paralia Katerini
The climate in Paralia Katerinis is Mediterranean, with characteristic warm and rainy winters followed by sunny and dry summers. The coldest times are December and January, when temperatures on the coast can drop to +5 C.
The beach season opens in Paralia Katerini, usually in the third ten days of May and ends in September. At this time, the weather pampers vacationers with an almost complete absence of precipitation, a warm sea, and on the hottest days of the peak season, a fresh breeze that softens the heat.
The most suitable months for holidays with children are June and September. During this period, the average air temperature is in the most comfortable zone – +25+28C, and the sea warms up to +24C.
The white-walled Church of St. Paraskeva is the main attraction of the resort
Paralia Katerini Hotels
Excursions and fur coats
The only noteworthy attraction of Paralia Katerinis is the white-walled Church of St. Paraskeva with a small chapel and wonderful stained glass windows, located in the very center of the resort. But very close to the resort - just 20 km - is the famous Mount Olympus, on which, according to myths, the gods of the ancient Greek Pantheon lived.
Excursions to Olympus usually depart from the village of Litochoro. Several tourist routes originate from here, allowing you to fully experience the mysterious atmosphere of the Abode of the Gods. After descending from Olympus, visit ancient Dion, an ancient Macedonian city built in honor of Zeus. This is one of the most important archaeological parks in Northern Greece, from where Alexander the Great set out on his Asian campaign. Grekoblog wrote in more detail about Olympus itself, the myths and excursions associated with it.
Ancient Dion - one of the most important archaeological parks in Northern Greece
Another remarkable place in the vicinity of Paralia Katerini is the village of Paleo Panteleimonas, considered one of the most beautiful in Greece. The village is located at an altitude of 700 m above sea level and offers magnificent views of the Aegean coast. The architecture of the village has remained faithful to ancient traditions and surprises with its harmony with the surrounding landscapes.
If the attractions in the vicinity of Paralia Katerini are not enough for you, then you can get ideas for diversifying your leisure time from our article.
“Our” tourists most often complement their acquaintance with archaeological and historical sites in the surrounding area with shopping, in which fur coats play a central role. High-quality fur coats in Paralia Katerinis can be purchased in small factories at fairly reasonable prices. There are about fifty such stores in the resort village, and almost every one has a salesperson who knows Russian. The range of fur products offered is extremely wide, so when choosing a fur coat, the help of a knowledgeable person will be very helpful.
The resort's beaches are annually awarded the Blue Flag
Resort beaches
Lovers of sea holidays consider the magnificent coastline of Thermaikos Gulf to be the main attraction of the resort. A wide strip of fine golden sand, gently sloping into turquoise water, is especially popular with families with small children. The beaches of Paralia Katerini are annually awarded the Blue Flag, an award confirming the environmental friendliness and well-groomed coastline.
For those who prefer an active holiday, there is a lot of entertainment on the beaches of Paralia Katerini. These include water attractions, although for the most part they are aimed at children, and paragliding. Diving enthusiasts can visit diving centers to scuba dive in the warm waters of the Aegean Sea or even go spearfishing.
Our holiday in Greece
All happy resorts are alike. Paralia Katerini
I didn’t go to Greece very willingly. Morocco was in the plans - I madly love the East with its wonderful throat singing in mosques, some kind of laziness in the very flow of life, exoticism in everything - in architecture, food, Arabs... Alas... The money issue decided everything in favor of Greece. Moreover - Northern.
A vacation in Greece is great in itself, I thought. If this is Southern Greece. Athens, Mycenae, Corinth, the ruins of ancient cities, descendants of the Hellenes... But Southern Greece, like Morocco, beckoned with its finger and waved after it a wad of money needed for a vacation there. And so I fly to Paralia Katerini, having previously been upset by the lack of major significant attractions there (the well-known monasteries in Meteora, described in advertising brochures as the “eighth wonder of the world,” were not taken into account. For me, Greece is, first of all, Hellas and Gods are plural, not singular). Looking ahead, I will say that reality exceeded all expectations. 13 days seemed like a whole month in terms of the number of impressions and quality of relaxation.
The place was very reminiscent of Rimini - several resort streets stretched along the coast (which is why any hotel is just a stone's throw from the sea) and densely built up with small, 2-3-story hotels, literally stuck to each other. The same as in Rimini, a long sandy beach and exactly the same (albeit Aegean, not Ligurian) sea - clear in the morning and evening, with floating algae, the rest of the time - clouded by hundreds of feet and clogged with the bodies of vacationers. Yes, after all, we saw the most amazing sea in Malta - emerald, crystal, purest. They say (and postcards prove this) that there is a sea of equal beauty here – in Chalkidiki. Apparently, the famous stamp about Greece – “the cleanest sea in the world” – refers to them.
Despite the fact that the Greeks themselves consider Paralia Katerini a very mediocre resort and prefer respectable Halkidiki, the resort, I must tell you, is wonderful. Neat - I didn’t see any dirt there, compact, surrounded by amazing flowering trees, with civilized hotels - we lived in the most inexpensive one and we really liked it. We have good experience traveling to the cheapest hotels in the world, so I can say with confidence that our “GL” in Greece was a truly worthy hotel. Imagine, in the room, in addition to air conditioning, telephone and TV with 8-9 programs, there was also a refrigerator and a hairdryer!!!, which is always a property of hotels only of the highest category. It’s interesting that, like in Italy (again similarities with Rimini), we were not able to use their sockets - and it’s not because of the adapter. They are designed in such a way that no plug fits. A civilized hotel, a civilized resort, civilized people... No one grabs your hands shouting “Rus-Rus”, as in Rimini, no one stares at you when you sunbathe “topless” and no one pesters you if you don’t want it.
While we're talking about beaches, we can't help but mention a local attraction that gives a beach holiday a special flavor - donut sellers. Oh, these are special people, these donut sellers! With what feeling, with what gusto they sang in every possible way all day long “La-aaa kumades”, that is, donuts, gentlemen! I immediately decided that Greece is a country of failed singers: daily voice training on the beaches, morning chants of staff in the hotel, testing the voice of store owners: a person stands calmly and suddenly starts humming. In the heap of “la-aaa kumades”, “ice-cafE-ee”, “cafEe-frape-ee”, I was intrigued by the unusual - “great good cones”, “cones for free-aa”. Why "cones" if there are donuts? Maybe this is in Polish (a huge number of Poles vacation in Parilia Katerini, just crowds. By the way, I still don’t understand why there are so many of them there, it seems like the cost of the trip is quite ordinary, not prohibitively low)? It turned out - in Slovenian. And “cafe-frape” is an absolutely wonderful cold coffee made from a special type of Nescafe coffee, which is designated “frape” on the cans. A simple recipe - and an amazing taste: 1-2 spoons of this “Nescafe-frape”, sugar to taste, pour milk or water, or water with milk powder (1 spoon), beat everything with a mixer - and you get coffee with a gorgeous 5- centimeter foam. Be sure to try it! Only I didn’t like it on the beach; it tasted much better at the bar. And donuts are like donuts. Nothing special, although they cost almost a dollar apiece.
To Athens – on your own!
But all this, of course, is lyrics, impressions of the general atmosphere of the resort town and relaxation on it. The main thing is that we are in Greece, albeit in the North. This means that, despite the fact that Athens is 6 hours away, not going there is unforgivable. A trip to Athens was one of our main goals. The cost of the excursion is quite reasonable - $40 (by the way, after wandering through local travel agencies, in one of them serving Poles, we found the same excursion for DM40!). According to the excursion program, we arrive in Athens at 6 am - great! Probably home - in the evening, that means - a whole day in Athens! If so, everything would be great. But it turned out that the total excursion time in Athens was 4 hours. Of these, the Acropolis is only half an hour! This finally finished us off, and we decided: even if it’s more expensive, we’ll go to Athens on our own (thanks to the Internet - from the many notes about Greece we found one tiny mention of the same trip taken by three girls. Someone did it, which means it’s not all true scary). We generally love going on excursions on our own. Complete freedom in everything is so great, you manage your time as you want, you develop the program yourself - and it may not coincide with the template, there is an opportunity to really get into the spirit and feel from the inside the places you visit, which, alas, Due to the constant rush and huge number of people, it is impossible to do excursions. So, let's share our experience.
There are 2 types of trains running daily from Katerini to Athens - regular and express. The cost of an express ticket in a seated carriage is approximately $20-25 one way. Travel time is about 5 hours (maybe a little less, but still express). A trip on a regular train takes 6.5 hours. You can take seats in sleeping and sitting cars. We decided to travel in a seated carriage, where a round-trip ticket costs about $21. An interesting story happened with our tickets. We booked them in advance (you may not be able to take them the same day), and when we came to buy them, we paid only $16 per person - why, we found out on the way back. Having received, instead of a normal paper ticket, a small cardboard equivalent without any special distinctive signs, such as indication of seats, we looked around. Among those with whom we had to travel were several hitchhikers, judging by the huge backpacks, a couple of suspicious-looking individuals who looked very much like homeless thieves, a group of Caucasian Greeks, also quite gangster-like in appearance, and we were not at all happy about traveling with them. A small, Russian-speaking Bulgarian, whom we met on the way to the station, “reassured” us with warnings to take care of our bags on the train, otherwise they might be stolen. We immediately decided to stick with the hitchhikers - after all, our people, travelers, and loaded into the compartment really successfully: a couple of Belgians, us, a Bulgarian and a rather decent-looking Greek.
A train is like a train. It’s reminiscent of our reserved seat, only with seats divided into compartments, closed with dirty glass doors. We appreciated how lucky we were with our neighbors when, making our way through the carriages, we looked for free seats. They could have ended up next to anyone. Then we did not focus our attention on the fact that the tickets were without seats; we decided that everyone was going that way. But when we returned the next day, crammed into the train and plopped down on the hard-to-find empty seats, we realized that people were traveling, as expected, in their seats. And they even found signs with numbers above each of the seats. There was no one speaking English around, only one young man was able to clarify the situation for us, explaining, yes, you, of course, can take any seats, but if passengers with tickets appear on them, you will have to give them up. When asked what we should do, he hospitably offered to sit nearby, in the aisle, where a group of young people were already hanging out, having prudently grabbed rugs on which they sat. We were not at all happy with traveling in the aisle for 6.5 hours, so we remained in our previously occupied seats with a determined look, waiting for the controller. He showed no interest in us or our tickets, punched them and moved on, from which we concluded that we could remain in our seats. In a compartment designed for 8 people, 10 were thus crammed in. And the two men, without any words, cuckooed in the aisle all night. Gallantly, though. Having analyzed this situation later, I realized that, apparently, we simply got into the wrong carriage. Apparently there really are carriages without seat numbers, which we passed by because they were overcrowded. I devote so much time to all this here because I hope that our experience will be useful to fellow travelers who move around the world at minimal cost. Regarding the cost of tickets, knowledgeable people told us later that they probably sold us “wrong” tickets and this is a fairly normal phenomenon.
At 6.00 we were in Athens. Athens greeted us with a tiny train station (Larissa) - 2 times smaller than our old station building in Minsk (those who have seen it will understand). For such a big city, such a station is at least surprising. True, we were reassured that a new station is now being built and it is expected that it will be the second largest in the world. A dozen tourists were sleeping soundly right on the platform, stretched out on sleeping bags and other blankets. A very touching picture. Next to the station building is the entrance to the metro. A civil line, clean, neat, decorated with copies of some ancient Greek statues and all sorts of different objects of ancient Greek life under glass. There are elevators for the disabled! Apparently this line is relatively new. To be fair, let's say that others looked much worse. 10 minutes - and we are at the Acropolis station. After having breakfast and putting ourselves in order, we went in search of the Acropolis itself. Instead, they found the Temple of Zeus (open to the public from 8.00 to 15.00) - as it turned out, they went in the wrong direction. After asking passers-by, we reached the Acropolis just 10 minutes before opening. It also opens at 8:00. Entrance ticket is 2000 drachmas (about $5), students receive a discount upon presentation of an international student card, as always.
It was a luxurious morning! In Greece, on the Acropolis, on top of a mountain overlooking all of Athens. There weren't many people. We calmly wandered around the fairly small area that the fortress occupies and took pictures. The biggest disappointment is the inability to come closer, look, and touch these ancient columns. Everything is fenced off, fenced off (what if the column is knocked down!). Everything that is possible (statues) has already been broken off, taken away and replaced with copies. We remembered with nostalgia Egypt, where you can climb onto the pyramids and into the pyramid, stroke the sphinx (the real one, not a copy!) in the Karnak Temple, hug the column, admire the real ancient drawings on the walls of the temple... Eh!... If you wait, you can sit down with Russian-language excursion and listen to a story about what you see. I was struck by the fact that for all the visual harmony of the Parthenon, the building, how best to put it, is slightly distorted. According to the architect's idea, there is no ideal mathematical rigor in the lines of the structure and so on. So, all the columns of the building seem the same. But it turns out that the extreme ones are slightly thicker than the others. If they were exactly the same as the others, then, due to the incidence of light, optically, on the contrary, they would appear smaller. And they are all slightly inclined inward and, if you mentally continue the columns, then somewhere at the top they will converge, forming a pyramid. Or this example: if you put a coin at one end of the stairs leading to a building and look at it from the opposite end, the coin will not be visible. Unfortunately, I read about this interesting fact later, so I couldn’t check it. We had a wonderful time until about 10 am. Then the horror began. Herds of tourists - just herds, there is no other way to say it - filled the tiny space of the Acropolis. I don’t know how and what you can admire in such a crowd. I have never seen such a nightmare anywhere else in my five years of travel experience.
From the height of the hill below one could see another wonderful building with columns - the Temple of Hephaestus -, as it turned out, one of the best preserved monuments of antiquity. Of course, if you go to Athens on an excursion, there is no question of any Temple of Hephaestus. But we got there too. More precisely, they crawled. In Athens that day (mid-August) it was +43C, and the heat began at 10 am. Taught by the sad experience of Luxor, where my friend suffered from heatstroke, we constantly moistened handkerchiefs with water on our heads and drank like crazy. We had enough time. Therefore, after taking a break, we went to the National Archaeological Museum. Seeing our faces stretched out from the incredible heat and fatigue, the cashier, apparently to brighten up our impressions of Athens, handed us discounted tickets, although we did not have student tickets and we did not expect such kindness at all.
There were two things that struck me about the museum: the lack of air conditioning and Egyptian motifs. Even at the very beginning of our arrival, the incredible erudite, amazing guide of the host company, Peter, explained to us that Greek civilization - and this is already a proven fact - is older than Egyptian. If we don’t believe it, we can verify this personally by turning to such and such an encyclopedia, such and such a page. It seems like Greek writing was found near the Egyptian pyramids and so on. And now I’m walking around and trying to figure out whose culture influenced whom—Greek to Egyptian or Egyptian to Greek. Because in the National Greek Museum we saw sphinx statues and statues of people whose faces look like images of pharaohs. And it turns out that the ancient Greeks loved gold. Like those Incas, they forged many, many different things from them...
…We said goodbye to Athens in a beautiful restaurant on the top of a hill. In front of us lay the night sea, merging with the sky and opening up an unforgettable view of the mountains strewn with lights - a city on the hills...
Hellas
The Greeks still call their country beautifully and poetically - Hellas (I always thought that this was an ancient, historical name, now used as an artistic name, but no - the most modern, as philologists say, is a self-name).
We have botanical parks, they have archaeological parks. We also went to Dion - an ancient city at the foot of the Olympic Mountains, and now an archaeological park - on our own (15 minutes by bus from Katerini). In addition to the fences, there were also women on scooters with whistles and poor eyesight. Bad, because as soon as it seemed to them - it seemed! - that one of the zealous tourists came too close to the precious ruins (although we, like decent people, walked along the paths), they immediately began blowing their whistles and waving their arms. In general, there is no quiet contemplation.
Very little remains of the ancient city - many, many stones. Everything has been destroyed by time and history. Somewhere you can see an amphitheater, somewhere a former swimming pool. The ancient, excuse me, toilet and several floor mosaics are well preserved - it’s surprising that they have not yet been ripped off the ground and moved to some museum.
We didn’t go to Athos - as I wrote above, we were primarily interested in antiquity, but we booked an excursion to Meteora - monasteries on the rocks ($ 20). Yes, of course, it’s beautiful - rocks for us, lowland people, always evoke a lot of emotions. Yes, it’s unusual - lonely inaccessible rocks and somewhere above, like swallows’ nests, monasteries are stuck. But they didn’t make a particularly strong impression on me. In some way it reminded me of Montserrat in Spain, where the monastery was also built in inaccessible, wildly beautiful rocks. I was impressed by the life of the monks - they pray 4-5 hours a day, sleep 3-4 hours a day. Three meals a day are provided only a couple of times a week, the rest of the time - 2 or even one meal. Once again I was convinced that people with a certain, very peculiar mentality become monks.
The monasteries in Meteora are called very romantically - “hanging” monasteries. When the fog rises, the rocks are not visible and it seems as if the monasteries are floating in the air. Probably an amazing picture. But, as it turned out, it is almost mythical. We did not find a single image, not a single photograph that would capture this impressive landscape. There are no such pictures either on postcards or in specialized publications dedicated to Meteors and only to them. It's a pity…
Fur coats and all that stuff
Our excursion program was completed, and we enjoyed our vacation - sea, sun, food and... shopping! Yes Yes. It's shopping. Greece is a really cheap country. After a rather expensive Europe - Spain, Malta, Italy - it was a real pleasure to choose gifts, souvenirs for family and friends, and things for yourself. We are lucky - sales are held in Greece twice a year, in February and August. Discounts – 30-50%. The prices for things are fabulous. You can just go and get dressed. For example, although the country is not famous for leather, leather jackets cost $115-120, raincoats cost $190. And of course, fur coats! It's just a song! The store sits on the store and drives the store around. Particularly common is mink with all its possible parts: plates, front legs, hind legs, tails, foreheads (mink coats are valued in this order). The most varied models... God, what kind of fur coats a certain Uncle Fyodor showed us from the catalog (you can order any - they will deliver it in a couple of days) - from $ 2000. Blue, pink, short, long and everything - inexpressibly beautiful and fashionable (softer than a woman! - Fyodor praised us. - It can’t be! - We bet!?).
After spending a couple of evenings in fur shops (the sellers and owners there all speak Russian), we learned everything about fur coats. Or almost everything. Fur is supplied to Greece from Canada and Scandinavia. For some reason, Russian fur is less valuable. You can freely export from Greece either one fur coat made from plates or three from pieces. Nowadays sheared mink is very fashionable. Although her fur is short, it is still beautiful. Apparently, this is such a lightweight option for Europe.
When buying a fur coat, feel free to bargain. This is normal, there is a discount. Judge the prices for yourself: I saw a long mink coat made from lobs for $330 (but it was of very poor quality), and a mink coat made from tails, quite decent, for $450. In general, I speak from my own experience, the experience of a person who went on vacation to Greece, and although I didn’t think about buying a fur coat, I bought it, because I still needed it for the winter - save up some money before your vacation and still buy yourself a fur coat. Where else if not in Greece?!
Briefly about the unimportant
What to bring from Greece, besides a fur coat? Greek amphorae vases, dishes and sets, incredibly cheap beautiful shells, olive oil, olives (they are not like the Spanish ones we are used to - very salty and spicy), wine, Metaxa - Greek cognac - and much, much more. There are tons of different souvenirs there. You'll like it!
What to try: cold coffee frapé, charcoal octopus, Greek salads - tzatziki (fresh or salted cucumbers, grated with a lot of garlic and dressed with thick - that's thick - sour cream) and eggplant; local “fast food” dish - gyros - pork on a spit, tender, soft. Of course - wine, sea fish and Greek men. There are extremely appetizing specimens. By the way, my idea of them has changed for the better. I expected to see people just like the Cypriots - dark-skinned, with noses and an unpleasant, undressing gaze. They turned out to be quite fair, with a beautiful profile and an undressing, but not greasy look. In short, in any case, a little flirting on vacation never hurts.
Instead of an epilogue
We had a wonderful time. To paraphrase the famous cat: the country is VO! Prices – WOW!! Rest – WHOO!!! I wish the same for you.
That's all, actually.
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Eh, HO-RO-SHO!!!
Lena, thank you very much for the interesting story. I really enjoyed it... And thank you for your enthusiasm and optimism, which means that not all travelers travel with criticism :) Eh, when will I get to the stories about my travels (Czech Republic and Andalusia)?...:)
Well done, fellow countrywoman!
I completely agree with you, since I was there last year in Kassandra. I remember Pyotr Nikolaevich(?). But have you been to Petralona and Thessaloniki? They did the right thing by missing Athos - just a cruise near the shore. The best things about Greece are the sea and the cuisine!
Greece doesn't need songs...
last year I went to Greece with my 20-year-old daughter - alas, a ruined vacation at a 4-star hotel (possidi paradisi) - no hairdryer, the air conditioner works by the clock - it rattles, but does not get cold, there is nowhere to go, the attitude towards tourists is worse than ever; the trip cost everyone 800 bucks, everything on the beach is paid, there is no nature, it’s better to choose Turkey - the service is excellent, cheaper and more beautiful and in general, tourists there are like a sacred cow
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This is where the Olympus mountain range is located. Pieria also borders Thessaly, where the famous monasteries of Meteora are located. From here it is convenient, if you wish, to get to the Greek capital - Athens.
Mount Olympus photo
What to choose: Chalkidiki or Pieria?
To answer this question briefly, then for an exclusively beach holiday it is better to go to Kassandra or Sithonia (“fingers” of the Halkidiki peninsula). And the resorts of Pieria, as well as the villages of Halkidiki closest to the airport, are best suited for combining a beach and sightseeing holiday, and will also in many ways become a more practical solution for organizing an independent holiday in Greece without a car.
How to get to Pieria?
Transfer from Thessaloniki Airport by car/taxi
The road to the resorts of Pieria from the airport will take about an hour or a little more, depending on the location you need. The road is good (national highway Thessaloniki-Athens), there are no traffic jams. There are several road toll points (fee for a passenger car from 1.2 to 2.4 euros). Of course, if you ordered a taxi transfer, this issue no longer concerns you. (Pros: large reliable company, international taxi service at local prices; confirmation of the order is sent to your email, and the driver waits at the exit from the arrivals area with a sign with your name on it; the fare is known in advance (no unpleasant surprises!); payment of the full amount only upon arrival at the place)
By public transport
You can get to Pieria in two ways: from the main bus station of Thessaloniki on the KTEL intercity bus or by commuter train (a very comfortable train) from the Thessaloniki railway station. All current prices can be found on the websites using the links and even in some cases you can buy a ticket online.
City buses run from Thessaloniki Airport to the train stations.
Car rental at Thessaloniki airport
You can choose in advance and book a car for traveling around Greece here (instant comparison of offers, prices and conditions of the world's leading car rental companies, online booking confirmation and flexible conditions, discounts, super offers)
Which resort should you choose?
If you don't plan to rent a car, then perhaps your best choice is a large urban village Leptocaria in Pieria. The railway station is located right inside the town and it is divided into two parts by railway tracks. Lower, closer to the sea, is exclusively touristic, a typical resort village with a minimum of local residents. There you can find both economy class studios and more expensive hotels. The entire infrastructure is “tailored” for tourists.
Above the railway tracks in Leptokarya there is a large settlement with large shops, a weekly market, and children's playgrounds. If you want to save on housing, then it makes sense to rent an apartment in this part, however, the journey to the sea on foot will take 15 minutes or more. You can come to Leptokarya throughout the year, because even outside the high tourist season, everything works in the upper part of the village.
Private apartments in Leptokarya
The beaches in Leptokarya are mostly pebble and sand. Towards the four-star hotel "Olympian Bay" - when entering the sea there is sand. This hotel can be reached either on foot or by taxi for a few euros, and in the evenings you can take a ride on a tourist train for 2 euros per person. In the direction of the five-star hotel “Poseidon Palace” - the entry into the sea gradually worsens, more and more stones are found in the sea, the entrance to the sea in those places is along specially organized paths.
Beaches of Pieria
Other major resorts in Pieria - Paralia Katerini, Olympiaki Akti, Nei Pori– with their wide sandy beaches and very shallow entry into the water, they are perfect for vacationers with children. The infrastructure necessary for life is also well developed during the season. For children there are inflatable trampolines, rides and other entertainment.
You can get to Paralia Katerini and Olympiaki Akti by taxi from the railway station in Katerini, or use KTEL buses. Nei Pori can be reached by both bus and train, the railway station is located a short walk from the village itself.
Paralia Katerini photo
Village Platamonas- another large resort in Pieria. It is located between Leptokarya and Nei Pori. The beaches there are generally worse than in neighboring villages, but they also have everything you need, including shops and entertainment. This village may be more suitable for vacationers without children, since there are fewer noisy families here and the overall atmosphere is calmer.
If you travel by car, then your choice is not limited to the above resorts, so you can safely choose others - for example, Plaka Litohorou, Paralia Panteleimon, Paralia Skotinas. There are no large shops or markets here at all, mostly only small tourist shops and a completely different atmosphere. Many areas are occupied by campsites, free-standing taverns or beach bars.
Mountains of Pieria
In Pieria you can live not only by the sea, but also in mountain villages or, for example, in the foothills of the divine Mount Olympus - in the town of Litochoro. From here you can reach the beaches in a few minutes by car.
Olympus is a large mountain range. For lovers of mountaineering or trekking in the Olympus Mountains, routes of varying difficulty are available, and there are also several organized shelters. Those who do not like to walk can drive by car to the highest point to which the highway leads - Prionia (approximately 1100 meters above sea level). The climb can be difficult for those who get motion sickness on the road - stock up on the appropriate equipment in advance.
No less interesting trips through the mountains can be made by climbing through the old village of Leptokarya. The road does not end there and you can take a long and exciting walk through various mountain villages, returning to the sea by another road and leaving, for example, closer to Paralia Katerini.
If you are only interested in short walks in the mountains, it is worth visiting a mountain village Palios Panteleimonas. This picturesque place is located a 15-minute climb from Platamonas along an easy serpentine road. There are small and cozy guest houses, taverns with a pleasant family atmosphere, beautiful views, delicious food and reasonable prices.
Panteleimonas village
Excursions
Pieria, as already mentioned, is an ideal place to combine a beach and sightseeing holiday. In addition to the mountains, here you can see, for example, a beautiful ancient Platamonas fortress. It is located on a hill between the villages of Platamonas and Paralia Panteleimon, from these villages you can get here by car or just walk. The fortress is open to visitors for a small fee.
It’s easy to get from Katerini or Leptokarya to the ruins of ancient Dion.
There are also organized bus excursions to all of these places, which are offered by guides both at hotels and at independent travel agencies in large villages.
In addition to excursions around Pieria itself, it is easy to get to famous monasteries on the rocks in Meteora, get to Thessaloniki and even to the Greek capital Athens. You need to get to Meteora on your own by car or with an organized excursion, but you can also get to Athens and Thessaloniki by train.
Cost of a holiday in Pieria
If you wish, you can organize an independent holiday of completely different levels. In Pieria there are both campsites and modest budget studios with a kitchenette and shower, as well as luxury five-star hotels with an all-inclusive system.
If you are planning a budget vacation, then, as usual, we advise you to pay attention not only to the price of housing, but also to the walking distance to shops, markets, and pharmacies.
The cheapest housing is studios above the railway tracks in the village of Leptokarya, a 15-20 minute walk from the sea. During the season (but not at its peak), you can find accommodation here from 20 euros per day for 3-4 people; in high season, prices start from 25-30 euros and it is better to book in advance.
On the first lines by the sea in Pieria, prices even for modest housing are higher and start from 30 euros in June/September and from 40-45 euros in July-August.
Beach cafes in Pieria usually provide umbrellas and sunbeds to all visitors, subject to ordering any drink.
If you don’t want to cook yourself, then you can eat in Greek fast food (numerous pizzerias and gyros cafes are at your service), in cheap taverns, and in expensive restaurants, of which there is no shortage here either. An approximate budget for feeding one person per day starts from 15-20 euros for partial self-cooking and from 30-40 euros per day if you plan to eat entirely in public places. If you save and live on fast food and vegetables/fruits, you can get by with much more modest sums, it all depends on your desires and capabilities.
When to go on vacation to Pieria?
A comfortable season for swimming in the sea for everyone is from the second ten days of June to mid-September. Many people swim in both May and October. The ideal time to combine an excursion and beach holiday is May-June or September. If you are planning to conquer Olympus, then the best time is the end of August - beginning of September. In the mountains you can relax in the coolness even at the height of summer.
But you can safely come on excursions to Pieria at almost any time of the year: riding in the mountains, admiring the sea, walking along deserted beaches is pleasant both in spring and autumn, and even on some fine winter days.
Might be interesting:
The place where, according to ancient myths, the gods of Ancient Greece lived, where only the majestic Mount Olympus located nearby fills the air with the magical breath of Greek legends. And the clean golden beaches washed by the waters of the Aegean Sea, and the laurel trees that carry a pleasant aroma... All this is not the most popular, but no less remarkable Greek resort of Paralia Katerinis, which attracts many travelers with its reasonable prices and abundance of natural and man-made monuments.
From the article you will learn everything about holidays in Paralia Katerinis in Greece in 2019 - prices, beaches, entertainment and attractions will undoubtedly make you take a closer look at this resort.
Brief historical background
The town of Katerini is not as ancient as many other cities of this great country, it was founded in the 17th century. At that time, the construction of the Church of St. Catherine was carried out here, after whom the city was named.
A settlement quickly grew near the temple. Paralia Katerinis is, originally, the “Katerinis embankment”. The resort area is located approximately 6 kilometers from the town itself.
The resort itself can be called relatively young, however, it is worth taking a closer look at, since a holiday in this place combines privacy, the ability to find harmony, and noisier entertainment (in the town itself), as well as the opportunity to explore local and surrounding attractions.
Brief geographical information and climate
The town of Katerini is located in Greece, in Central Macedonia. Very close by is the majestic Olympus mountain range, famous in the history and mythology of Greece. The city is washed by the Aegean Sea, 70 kilometers away is the city of Thessaloniki.
The climate type in Paralia Katerinis is moderate and mild. The best time for beach holidays and swimming is considered to be the period from late May to early October. It must be said that at the height of summer the temperature here can reach 40 degrees Celsius, but breezes from the sea smooth out this factor. In summer there is practically no precipitation, but in winter there is almost daily rain. At the same time, winter temperatures do not drop below 10 degrees Celsius.
Paralia Katerinis on the map
Safety in Paralia Katerinis
The resort, like almost all Greek tourist areas, is safe for tourists. In general, throughout Greece, guests of the country are very loved by both the friendly locals and the authorities. It’s worth remembering just a few important things:
- on excursions to large cities and on public transport, in any case, it is worth keeping an eye on your valuables and money;
- when going on a summer vacation, you should stock up on insect repellent;
- the hot sun is pleasant, but dangerous, and therefore you should always remember to protect your skin;
- It is best to swim and sunbathe not in the midday sun, but in the morning or late afternoon;
- in Greece, a tourist can always contact the special tourist police department.
Visa to Paralia Katerinis for Russians
To go on holiday to this town, you should apply for a Greek or other Schengen visa. The package of documents is standard; you should either seek help from travel agencies, or carefully fill out all the forms, attach the necessary documents, and submit your fingerprints. As a rule, obtaining a Greek visa is not difficult.
Planning a holiday in Paralia Katerinis: transport and accommodation
How to get to Paralia Katerinis
Initially, it is worth purchasing a plane ticket to one of the major airports in Greece. For example, the cost of a ticket to Athens at the height of the 2019 season will be approximately 6,000 rubles. But from the Greek capital to the resort you can get by rail: the cost of a ticket to the resort town will be from 40 euros.
Thessaloniki is located even closer to the resort. From there you can get there, for example, by bus (but initially go to the bus station); there are international flights from the city to Katerini. You can take a taxi, it will be more expensive, but if you order in advance, it’s a little less expensive and with a guarantee, the ride will take about an hour. And finally, you can rent a car. This is suitable for those who are also planning to travel around the outskirts of Katerini or to other places.
In the city itself, it is possible to travel by public transport to other places in Greece, as well as take a taxi around the city.
Where to stay in Paralia Katerinis
Since this region is mainly visited by tourists who want to save their budget, the hotels here are mainly represented by medium-sized, two- and three-star establishments. So, it is quite possible to stay at the resort in the summer of 2019 from 3,000 rubles - in a two-star hotel. Of course, you can pay more: for example, a hotel with a swimming pool will cost about 5,000 rubles. You can rent an apartment for about 3,500 rubles. The most luxurious hotel at the resort will cost about 10,000 rubles. All prices are for accommodation of one tourist per day. However, as practice shows, it is worth choosing a hotel wisely; it is not always necessary to overpay, because even in simpler establishments, the price usually includes meals and transfers to important tourist places.
Holidays in Paralia Katerinis: beaches, attractions, entertainment
Resort areas in Paralia Katerinis
The most famous beach areas of the resort are Korinou, Paralias, Olympakis, all of them are distinguished by the purity and beauty of the beautiful Thermaikos Gulf (Aegean Sea). The beaches themselves are quite wide and will not be inferior to the more popular resorts of Greece, giving everyone the opportunity to bask on the warm, clean sands to the sound of turquoise waves. Families with children have long liked this resort; it has convenient access to the water, sandy beaches and a calm atmosphere.
The beautiful sea shallows stretch for kilometers, delighting the eyes of vacationers and giving them the opportunity to immerse themselves in a relaxing atmosphere of peace and relaxation or engage in active water activities such as diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, underwater fishing, paragliding and others.
The local waters themselves have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag, so the water here is one of the cleanest on earth.
Sights of Paralia Katerinis and surroundings
The city is located in the Pieria region, rich in nature. There are plenty of natural beauties and attractions here. Of course, first of all, it’s worth taking a walk around the city itself and looking at the Church of St. Catherine, where it began.
Just five kilometers from the center of Katerini is the small village of Litochoro. It is from there that a brave and prepared tourist will begin the ascent to the main peak of Ancient Greece, the home of the great gods, glorified by the people and ancient authors. Regardless of which way a vacationer chooses to climb Olympus - mountaineering, walking or cycling - the indescribable beauty of the view from the top and on the way to it will penetrate every corner of the soul.
On the way to the top of Olympus, turning off the path, you can look into the monastery of St. Dionysius. And at the very base of the mountain there is a once cult place, a former sanctuary - the village of Dion, where Alexander the Great grew up. A residential area has been preserved there - walking through it, you can understand exactly where the villa is, where the pool is, where the thermal baths are. Also in this ancient settlement you can see a temple complex with a stunning Temple of Isis. Dion is home to the Archaeological Museum with sculptures, coins, mosaics and funerary monuments found during excavations of the city. Not far from Dion you can visit the tomb of King Philip, who was the father of the famous Alexander the Great.
In the vicinity of the city there are the remains of Platamon Castle, which was built by the Byzantines (it is known that they controlled parts of Greece for a long time). It must be said that the fortress is quite well preserved and looks very majestic.
Nature lovers should visit the reserve called Alykes Quitrus. In this place, more than one and a half hundred species of endangered birds on the verge of extinction have found a place to live. The territory of the reserve is also very picturesque, and you can watch bird life for hours - the birds are very active. By the way, you can visit the reserve for free.
If a tourist is not impressed enough by these beauties, you can go to attractions that are located a little further. For example, not so far away there are stunning monasteries on the rocks -. These monasteries are famous throughout Europe. Their name translates as “floating in the air,” and this perfectly characterizes them. Meteora are buildings dating back to the 14th-15th centuries, standing on vertical rocks. Initially, the rocks were favorite places for hermits who wanted to retire in prayer to God. And later hermits built temples on them, protected from all sorts of raids.
You can go further - to Thessaloniki. The drive to them is only an hour, and therefore the trip will not be too tiring. Here you should definitely take a walk through the Old Town area, which has preserved the buildings of the Byzantine era. Here you really feel the breath of antiquity, paved streets, panoramic views, the remains of a Turkish fortress - all this can be explored for more than one hour. The White Tower is also worth a visit. The structure was rebuilt many times by various peoples who penetrated or captured this territory; the latest construction is the work of the Turks. Inside the White Tower there is an exhibition telling about the history of the city, and from the top there is a beautiful view.
Things to do in Paralia Katerinis
When choosing this paradise for a holiday in 2019, every tourist will be pleased to know in advance that they will definitely not be bored in Paralia Katerinis. Firstly, in Katerini and in the resort itself there are many places for any tourist, from family-run traditional taverns and local restaurants to vibrant nightclubs, bars and discos. Secondly, for those who like an active and sporty holiday, Paralia Katerinis has sports grounds, as well as tennis courts, mini-golf and basketball areas.
For children, the resort has children's recreation areas, water slides and a large amusement park with interesting rides and entertainment. Paralia Katerinis is also famous for the cycling races, competitions and mini-rallies held there. Eight kilometers from the city of Thessaloniki there is a water park.
The city will also delight shopaholics. According to reviews from tourists, in Paralia Katerinis you can buy good, high-quality fur products. Even in the village itself there are small factories, and the sellers, as a rule, know Russian. Prices for products correspond to average prices at the resort as a whole. But if you want to buy not a fur coat with a hat, but a traditional Greek souvenir, then from this place you can bring as a souvenir and as a gift:
- ceramic products;
- alcoholic drinks based on anise and grapes;
- olives and olive oil;
- cosmetics based on olives and olive oil;
- sea sponge.
Lovers of Greek cuisine will be pleased with the abundance of establishments where you can try traditional Greek dishes: souvlaki, kleftiko, appetizers and salads. By the way, it is at this resort that you should definitely enjoy fish or seafood dishes - after all, excellent dishes are caught and prepared from fresh products in these clean waters.
Prices for dining here vary somewhat; the average price for lunch in a simple tavern can be around 10-15 euros; a gourmet dinner in a seafood restaurant with drinks can cost up to 60 euros. A very good food option would be to buy food in city stores, especially if tourists are staying in apartments with a kitchen.
You can purchase groceries yourself in Paralia Katerinis stores for approximately the following price:
- bread – 1 euro;
- olive oil – 5-6 euros per liter;
- kilogram of pork – about 6 euros;
- chicken fillet – from 5 euros per kilogram.
The resort of Paralia Katerinis is a great way to get high-quality Greek service at a lower cost than in other, more popular resort areas at the moment. Paralia Katerinis is a suitable place for young groups and beachgoers, those who will be pleased with the opportunity to get acquainted with antiquities and plunge into the wonderful world of natural resources of the Pieria region, and at the same time significantly save on the cost of a vacation. Think, maybe this resort will be an excellent opportunity to get to know Greece - for the first time or from a different side?
You can see the resort in the video:
August 2011
Paralia Katerini is a resort in the northern part of mainland Greece in the region of Pieria, near Mount Olympus on the Aegean coast. The name of the resort translated from Greek means the coast of the city of Katerini; the city itself is located at a distance of about 10 km inland from the coast.
A holiday in Paralia Katerinis was chosen with the aim of combining 3 desires at once: a holiday at sea, excursions to Mount Olympus and Meteora, as well as buying a fur coat. It must be said that it is difficult to find the best place to fulfill all these goals, but I would like to make a reservation right away (since many will not agree with me) that Paralia Katerinis is good for simultaneously combining a seaside holiday, excursions and buying a fur coat.
Well, now everything is in order. We vacationed in Paralia Katerini from August 15 to 25, 2011, during the period of the economic crisis in Greece, which we did not feel at all. Airlines and taxi drivers did not go on strike; all hotels, shops and taverns were open because... the Greeks need to earn money, and the crisis is more likely not an economic, but a political phenomenon in the struggle for big money for the ruling elite, which wants to solve its problems at the expense of ordinary people (as the Greeks themselves believe). But I will not be distracted from describing the holiday itself.
Flight.
The flight from Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) to Thessaloniki (Macedonia Airport) and back was carried out by a regular flight of Vim-Avia. The departure from Moscow was exactly on schedule, which cannot be said about the return flight, which was delayed by almost 3 hours.
As compensation from the airline, we were offered free coffee at Thessaloniki airport. Before the flight, the plane's captain apologized to passengers for the flight delay due to the fact that the previous flight arrived late. The flight itself went well, so I have no special complaints about Vim-Avia.
Tour operator Mouzenidis Travel.
We bought the trip 2 months in advance through our friend’s travel agency from the tour operator Mouzenidis Travel, since they have a monopoly in Northern Greece. I was dissatisfied with Mouzenidis’ work; I got the impression that the guys wanted to save money wherever possible.
It started with the fact that a few days before departure we were told that there were no rooms at the Chronis Hotel, which we had carefully chosen and paid for 2 months in advance. At the same time, they promised that they would put us in an apartment in a neighboring house, which was larger in size, and for breakfast we would continue to go to the chosen hotel. At the same time, it was not possible to find at least some information about the apartments of the Achillion Hotel, where Mouzenidis’s representatives promised to accommodate us, on the Internet. We took people’s word for it and agreed.
Mouzenidis' representative led us to the hotel reception and called the hostess, while she quickly left. We experienced the first shock when we (3 women) were given a tiny room with one queen-size bed and one single!!! Naturally, we clearly (in English, since the hotel owner does not speak Russian) tried to explain to her that we are not a “Swedish family” and we are not going to live in such conditions!
“Kindly” negotiations began with representatives of Mouzenidis through our travel agent. The result of all this was the appearance of the owner of the Chronis Hotel (the room in which we paid for), Mr. Georgy Chronis, who speaks Russian. He tried to resolve the conflict in every possible way, even took us to a coastal bar and gave us frappe at his own expense. While Mr. Chronis was entertaining us in the bar, a three-bed apartment at the Achilleion Hotel was released to us through the successive relocation of 2 families (I don’t know by what persuasion). As a result, we kindly agreed to stay at the Achillion Hotel.
Another complaint on my part against the Mouzenidis company is the organization of the Olympus-Dion excursion, but more on that below.
And to conclude the topic about the work of the tour operator, the last straw of dissatisfaction can be called the transfer from the hotel to the airport when departing from Greece. A shabby minibus arrived to pick us up; its air conditioning did not work. The journey from Paralia Katerini to Thessaloniki airport takes more than an hour, and we left the hotel at 13:00, i.e. in the sunshine. In response to our request to turn on the air conditioner, the driver only tapped his hand on the bottom of the dashboard and said that the air conditioner was acting up!!!
3 km before the entrance to the airport, we were dropped off with our things in a parking lot near some shopping center, to which another minibus of the same type drove up and passengers with luggage also disembarked from it. After 5 minutes, a branded Mercedes minibus with Mouzenidis’ symbols and a working air conditioner arrived. We were all forced to load our things onto this bus again in order to solemnly enter the airport. I have never encountered such work from a tour operator.
Hotels ACHILLEION and CRONIS
.Since by the will of fate (or rather the tour operator Mouzenidis) we had to live in one hotel and go to another hotel for breakfast, I will describe both of them.
Both hotels adjoin each other with walls, creating to some extent a common complex. The hotels are small, three-story. The location is very good, next to the main central attraction of the Paralia Katerinis resort - the church, but at the same time not on the busiest street. The hotel is not on the first line, which I consider only a plus, because... Crowds of tourists are constantly walking along the first line and there is no silence there until the morning. Under the hotel windows there is a small square where our wonderful balcony overlooked. Nearby there is a bus stop to the city of Katerini itself.
Our apartment in ACHILLEION (the name is spelled that way) was on the 2nd floor. There is no elevator in the hotel, it didn’t bother us, but going up and down with heavy suitcases along the curving stairs is very inconvenient. The apartment consisted of a room with three beds (we got it after a serious “battle”), a TV and air conditioning, a small kitchenette, a bathroom (there’s no other way to call it) and a large balcony, which was even more like a summer veranda.
The room cannot be called large, there is no place to put suitcases, only 1 bedside table, 1 dressing table and 1 chair, a small closet, a TV hung on the wall. The kitchenette was in the form of a kitchenette with a sink and a 2-burner stove, under which there was a small refrigerator built in. There were dishes, cutlery and a couple of pots. The bathroom has primitive plumbing, a shower tray without a curtain or shower bracket, as well as the absence of a heated towel rail and any hooks for hanging towels and clothes, and there is no hairdryer.
The brightest spot was a large balcony, somewhere at least 10 square meters in area, which we used as another additional room. There was a table with chairs, at which it was very pleasant to have lunch or dinner, drinking wonderful Greek wine, beer or Ouzo aniseed vodka, which greatly brightened up our holiday.
Towels were changed every 3 days, bed linen - once a week. They didn't notice that the room was cleaned; they took out the trash themselves. The TV had 1 Russian channel (ORT).
The Chronis Hotel's lobby is small and quite cozy, and the hotel has an elevator. The breakfast area is made in the form of a winter garden with flowers - it was very pleasant to have breakfast there. The tourists in this hotel were almost all Russian-speaking, everyone greeted each other at breakfast. The breakfasts themselves are European-style, monotonous, but there is always something to choose from (porridge, sausages, side dishes, cottage cheese, eggs, vegetables, cheese, ham, muffins, watermelon, tea, coffee, juice, etc.). They were prepared by 2 Russian women Nina and Nadya, very friendly and hospitable.
We were not able to get into the rooms of the Chronis Hotel for comparison. Once we tried to ask tourists to visit us and look at the room, but we realized that they didn’t really want to let us in, so they didn’t make any other attempts.
The safe service at the Chronis Hotel is presented in the following form: you give your money to the hotel owner Georgiy, he counts it in front of you, puts it away and seals it in an envelope, signs it and puts it in his safe. When necessary, you can take money from him. Cool, but free! At first we were a little stunned by this, but we were reassured by knowledgeable people that this is how it is done here and no one’s money has ever gone missing. That’s how it happened, we took the money when we needed it, everything was safe and sound.
Resort Paralia Katerini.
The resort itself is very small, stretched along the sea. The hotels here are small, all urban type 2-3 stars without a pool, on a bed and breakfast basis, with many apartments. The resort is not fashionable, suitable for unassuming people.
There are few Russians, mostly Serbs, Romanians, Poles, Slovaks, Czechs and other tourists from nearby European countries vacation here. The Greeks themselves also love to come here on vacation. The center of the resort is considered to be the Church of St. Catherine, around which the main cultural life takes place in the evenings - small concerts or performances are often held for vacationers. There are 2 main streets leading from the church. One runs along the coast and is a kind of promenade with many taverns and shops, the other runs perpendicular to the coast and the main fur shops are located on it. In the evenings, the promenade becomes a street where crowds of vacationers hang out; from the outside it looks like a demonstration, only the crowd does not move in one direction, but chaotically in the form of “Brownian” motion. If you want peace and tranquility in the evenings, I advise you to choose a hotel not on the first line. It’s not far from any place to get to the beach, so it doesn’t make much difference which line the hotel is on.
If you stand facing the sea, then on the right side at the end of the village there will be a port from where boats depart for sea excursions. There is a wonderful fish tavern in the port; we really liked it; we ate many different sea and fish delicacies there. There is a pleasant atmosphere, the waiters serve quickly, there is a menu in Russian, the prices are quite affordable. There is also a fish store in the port, which is open in the morning, where you can buy freshly caught fish, shrimp and other seafood delicacies. To be fair, it must be said that thanks to the fact that we had an apartment with a kitchenette, we bought king prawns for lunch several times, boiled them and had a great time relaxing on our balcony with shrimp and Greek Mythos beer.
Not far from the fish tavern there are several other taverns where we also liked the service and cuisine. Almost everywhere there is a menu in Russian.
I must say that it is customary among the Greeks, after you have eaten and asked for the bill, to bring a free gift from the establishment in the form of dessert, mostly fruit. Very nice. There is a small amusement park in the port area, but they didn’t interest us at all; they were more for children.
Beach and sea.
The second shock we experienced after the “battle for the hotel” was the beach. That is, not the beach itself, as such, but the number of people who were on it. By lunchtime people fill it so much that it feels like everyone is walking over each other’s heads.
I liked the coast of the Aegean Sea - sand, clean sea and shallow entry into the sea. The beaches in Paralia are marked with the international blue flag. The water in the Aegean Sea ranks second in salt composition after the Dead Sea. Sometimes, when there is a slight rough sea, algae appear near the shore. But it’s enough to walk 10-15 meters and the sea becomes clear again. Personally, it didn't bother me that much. In some places, standing waist-deep in water, you can observe schools of fry and small fish.
The beach is urban, there are places with equipped sun loungers from bars and just free space. If you want to lie comfortably on a sun lounger under an umbrella, then after occupying the sun lounger, you must definitely buy some kind of drink. The cheapest orange juice costs 3.5 euros. For this price you can lie on a sunbed all day long, we calmly left our towels and went away for a few hours, and then returned to the beach again and no one demanded anything more from us.
For thrifty tourists, there is another option - buy a mat in the store for 1.5-2 euros or an air mattress for 5 euros and an umbrella for 5 euros. Take any place free from sun loungers and enjoy your holiday at sea for less money.
If you are not too lazy to walk from the church for about 20 minutes to the port, then you will be rewarded with the fact that for less money you can enjoy your holiday on a half-empty beach equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas. And when you swim in the sea, a beautiful view of Olympus opens from the water - complete relaxation! There are no longer hotels in this place, so there are not many people willing to go far, and since the demand is low, the prices are much lower. Here, for 2 sunbeds under an umbrella, you just need to order one juice for 3 euros. Sometimes, out of great impudence, we ordered 1 juice for 3 sunbeds and no one bothered us anymore. Well, if we ordered 2 juices for three of us, then for 6 euros we also received a half-liter bottle of mineral water! I recommend it to everyone, besides, walking is very good for your health!
Excursions.
As I already wrote above, one of the desires that I really wanted to fulfill on vacation was excursions to Olympus and Meteora. We booked excursions from a tour operator, since local travel agencies do not offer excursions in Russian. I think that Mouzenidis’s monopoly extends to this, since the prices differ significantly (for Mouzenidis, an excursion to Meteora costs 55 euros, and in local travel agencies - 15-20 euros - for comparison).
Dion-Olympus.
The tour was led by guide Maryana, and she told a good story. But I was immediately alarmed that she emphasized that our excursion was short in time and we would be free by lunchtime.
The first place to visit was the ancient Macedonian city of Dion, where the sacrificial altar of Zeus was located. The archaeological center of Dion displays the remains of the destroyed temples of Demeter and Isis, baths, parts of streets and residential buildings. But, to be honest, I was not very impressed by all this, since the remains of the temples are in a very ruined state in a swampy area. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I was in Pompeii and Carthage, which made a stronger impression on me, but in any case, this is my personal opinion. Next there was a stop at the monastery of St. Dionysius. The monastery is small, there was time to walk around the territory, go into the temple, light candles, drink water from the holy spring and buy products in the monastery shop. We wanted to try the feta cheese made by the monks. But we didn’t notice any difference with what we bought in a regular store. Maybe just a particle of something holy has settled in us.
And at the end of the excursion, we were taken by bus along a serpentine road to the observation deck of Mount Olympus, which is located at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. The view from the mountain is beautiful, you can see the villages and coast below. We stood there for about 15 minutes and that was it! Then everyone was put on a bus and taken back.
It was very disappointing that we were not taken to the waterfall that is on Olympus. According to reviews of other tourists, it is very beautiful there.
On the Mouzenidis website, the description of the excursions says that they also take you to Vergina, the first capital of ancient Macedonia. The guide Maryana also mentioned it, saying that there is a very interesting museum there, but Vergina is not included in our tour. It’s a shame, I think it would have been much more interesting to supplement the trip. Again, I couldn’t shake the feeling that local representatives of the tour operator Muzenidis decided to save money this time by reducing the volume of the excursion.
Meteors.
The excursion to Meteora is very interesting, I have no complaints here!
The guide Dmitry, about whom many tourists speak very highly, spoke really well and with humor. He gave a lot of information about the modern life of the Greeks and about the crisis. First, we were taken to a store at an icon-painting workshop, where we were told in general terms about how icons are painted, about some icons, etc. Well, then they offered to buy whoever liked what. All tourists are taken there, so the prices, naturally, are very inflated. Well, those who wanted to bought something anyway. This is a common practice on many excursions, but what to do, this is also a kind of business...
Meteora are monasteries on rocks, which got their name as they float in the skies. They were built by monks over many centuries, and how they did it is very difficult to understand; such titanic work was done by a small group of people. Building materials, food and other necessary things were climbed manually along the steep cliffs.
Previously, there were 24 monasteries, but over time, some of them were destroyed, and now only six are active - 2 for women and 4 for men. We visited the monastery of St. Varlaam and the convent of St. Barbarians.
The Meteors themselves fascinate with their beauty and uniqueness. Indescribable feelings of unreality, admiration and something sublime did not leave me. There was a feeling that you were really “visiting” God and soaring in the heavens. It is simply impossible to describe it in words, you just have to see it.
Russian folk pastime - buying a fur coat.
There are at least 50 fur shops in Paralia, the assortment is very different - from cheap fur coats made from pieces to sophisticated models with lynx and sable. At first it took us 3 days just to go around them all and study the assortment. Fur coats in Greece are mostly bought by Russians, so almost all stores have sellers who speak Russian.
If you want, finding the right fur coat will not be difficult, the main thing is not to get confused about where you saw and tried on what. I advise that if you liked something in a store, then take a business card and make notes for yourself about what model you were interested in. You need to bargain only when you have already definitely decided on the choice of fur coat and intend to buy it. But the discounts are very small, about 100-200 euros, so it is best to negotiate with the store owner himself, and not with the sellers. If you have time of 4-5 days, then a fur coat can be sewn to order according to your size and desired style, only this will be a little more expensive. But in any case, fur coats in Paralia Katerini are approximately 2 times cheaper than similar ones in Moscow.
Some practical tips for choosing a fur coat. The first and most important thing is that the lining at the bottom of the hem is not sewn; this must be done on good quality fur coats. You need to unscrew the lining and look at the dressing of the skin. If the skin is not dyed, then the flesh should be the color of baked milk. Squeeze it in your hand, if it wrinkles well and does not rustle, then the skins are not overdried. There is no point in discussing which fur coat is better, made from solid plates or dissolved, because... Opinions differ here. Some people think that whole skins are better - the fur coat is warmer, but at the same time it does not flow as well and on the sleeves and other places it can stretch and bubble from constant wear. A fur coat when dissolved is considered lighter and more elegant, but the inner layer is thinner and the fur is not as dense, although due to the many seams it is more durable - it does not stretch (as knowledgeable people told me). Here, decide for yourself what you like more.
All three of us bought fur coats for ourselves, but each in our own store; it was not possible to choose everything in one store. I was luckier, because in the JOHN FURS store, where I chose a fur coat made from black Canadian mink Black Nafa, the owner himself sells. His name is Yanis, he is very friendly and speaks Russian well. After a long, persistent and kind bargaining, he gave me 300 euros, which was the largest discount (of the three of us). The purchase of a fur coat was immediately “washed” with a martini, which Janis treated us to.
You can only pay for a fur coat in cash; the Greeks do not accept cards in order to evade taxes. Since I didn’t take cash with me for a fur coat, I had to withdraw it from an ATM near our hotel.
Checks (something like our invoice) must be issued for fur coats in 2 copies. You give one (white) to customs when leaving Greece, and the other (pink or blue) you keep for yourself. The price on the receipt is much less than what you paid for the fur coat (about 1000-1500 euros), this is how the Greeks avoid taxes. And in our customs rules there is a restriction on duty-free transportation of goods worth no more than 1,500 euros.
It is better to leave the fur coats for storage in the store and pick them up only before leaving (nothing will happen to them, you can rest assured).
Decide for yourself where to take your fur coat home in a suitcase or in hand luggage. We have heard many conflicting opinions on this matter. As a result, they were carried in hand luggage, as they say, it is better to carry your burden closer to the body. At Domodedovo airport we went through customs on only one flight, so the customs officers, having learned that a flight had arrived from Thessaloniki, scanned all the luggage and hand luggage of everyone. If you are carrying just a fur coat, they are not interested.
Conclusion.
Summing up my vacation, I can say that everything I wanted to accomplish during my vacation was done. For the money that was spent on a fur coat and on the entire vacation, in Moscow I could only buy a fur coat of not very good quality.
Will I return to Paralia Katerini again? Only if there is a need to update your wardrobe and buy a new fur coat, while giving yourself a few sunny days at sea. It is better to choose another resort exclusively for a beach holiday.
I wish everyone a pleasant holiday!
Irina S.
08/09/2011 16:48
The opinions of tourists may not coincide with the opinions of the editors.
