Do You Need a Car Rental in Halkidiki Greece? 5 Easy Tips!

Car Rental in Halkidiki

Planning a trip to this beautiful region of northern Greece, and not sure how to get around? With so much to explore, a car rental in Halkidiki is 100% your best option! Here’s what to know about picking up a rental car at Thessaloniki airport, driving around Halkidiki Greece, and tips from our own experience.

Do You Actually Need a Car Rental in Halkidiki?

The short answer is YES. However, it all depends on the type of vacation you want! Halkidiki is an amazing part of Greece to visit, filled with beaches, historical sites, and tasty traditional food.

While some travelers prefer to stay at one hotel and relax for their entire holiday, you’d really be missing out on a lot! We recommend getting a car rental in Halkidiki for at least a couple days (check the current prices) to adventure around the three peninsulas. 

Even if you only rent a car for one day in Halkidiki, it will allow you to beach hop down the coastline from your hotel. There is a bus system connecting Thessaloniki airport to some of the main towns. Yet, having a Halkidiki car rental will give you the freedom to explore on your own time. 

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Car Rental in Halkidiki Greece

5 Tips For Your Halkidiki Rental Car

1. Pick Up A Vehicle in Thessaloniki 

Our first tip for renting a car in Halkidiki is to actually pick it up in Thessaloniki! From the airport to the tip of Kassandra peninsula is only a 45 minute drive, so you’ll be out on the “three fingers” in no time.

We always use this website to compare rates and companies before booking. Nevertheless, for this trip, we decided to rent directly with Cosmorent. Getting our Thessaloniki airport rental car was so convenient as we could pick up and drop off around our flight times. 

Additionally, the travel time from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki is so short, that we had no worries making our early morning departure. We highly recommend spending some time here to start or finish your trip in this part of Greece. You can read our one day food and history guide to Thessaloniki here.

Airport Car

2. See All 3 Fingers With Your Car Rental in Halkidiki

Halkidiki is made up of three peninsulas that jut out into the Aegean Sea. We loved how unique they were from each other, and all three are totally worth visiting! 

Having one week for our road trip allowed us to spend 2-3 nights on each finger. Yet, without a Halkidiki car rental, it would have been so much more difficult to get around. 

We decided to drive to the furthest peninsula of Mt Athos from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki. On the way, we would stop in the mountain village of Arnea, and then tour the birthplace of Aristotle in Ancient Stagira. 

As you’ll see next, we even made a trip to the only inhabited island in Central Macedonia! Below are the hotels we personally stayed at on each peninsula which we really enjoyed.

Mount AthosAkti Ouranoupoli Beach Resort – Close to the ferry and Mount Athos Sea cruise port. 

Sithonia Lagomandra Hotel – Perfect location with an easy drive to all the best Sithonia beaches. 

KassandraPortes Lithos – On the tip of Kassandra, just a 40 minute drive from Thessaloniki airport. Amazing resort if you’re looking for a little luxury. 

They were all just steps from the beach and close to the best attractions. We would use these as a home base of sorts on each peninsula, and take our car rental in Halkidiki everywhere we wanted.

Nothing Familiar Greece

3. Ferry to Ammouliani Island

A highlight of our recent trip was the visit we made to Ammouliani Island. One afternoon we took our Halkidiki car rental on the boat from Tripiti Port. 

The small ferry takes just 15 minutes from the Mount Athos peninsula, which makes it easy for a day trip or overnight stay. We decided to spend the night on Ammouliani Island at the Sunrise Hotel.

It was nicely positioned next to the main town so we could walk in for dinner that evening. Staying the night here ended up being the best decisions ever! It allowed us to have the time to explore the island’s beaches with our car rental in Halkidiki.

While we could’ve definitely stayed a few more days on this tiny paradise, we loved getting a small glimpse of it on our road trip. Read all about our visit to Ammouliani Island here for more information.

Halkidiki car rental

4. Beach Hopping With a Halkidiki Rental Car

Without a doubt, the best reason to get a car rental in Halkidiki Greece is for the beaches! This region has been awarded the most blue flags of anywhere in Greece, and they really lived up to the hype.

They range from long sandy stretches to unique pebbly coves, and everything in between. Two of our absolute favorites were located on the Sithonia peninsula. Be sure to check out Karidi Beach and Kavourotrypes Beach on your own trip.

While there are plenty of popular beaches that you can’t miss, don’t be afraid to discover some hidden gems on your own. There were many times where we saw a random sign for a beach and drove right down for a swim! These were some of our favorite experiences, so be sure to leave some time. 

Halkidiki Greece Rental Car

5. Take at Least One Week

If we’re being completely honest, one week wasn’t really enough in Halkidiki! There’s just too much to see and experience, and we were overwhelmed with all the stunning beaches. 

With that said, having a car rental in Halkidiki gave us the chance to get as much out of our trip as possible (check the rates for your dates). We spent hours beach hopping, driving through endless olive fields, and taking in the unreal viewpoints of each peninsula. 

When we first made the drive from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki we had no idea what to expect. Even though we travel to Greece every year, this area really impressed us at every turn.

We recommend having AT LEAST one week to explore this amazing region of Greece! As we mentioned, it’s best to stay on all three peninsulas if you can as well. 

7 Day Halkidiki Itinerary: Follow Our Epic Road Trip!

car rental Halkidiki

Have any questions on this article or want to share your own tips for a car rental in Halkidiki Greece? Leave us a comment below! 

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

This experience was made possible in collaboration with Halkidiki Tourism. As always, any opinions and recommendations remain our own.

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Halkidiki Greece

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Brigitte & Jake

We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!

Find me on: Web | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

2 Comments

  1. Zoe
    May 29, 2024 / 12:10 pm

    Just got back from Halkidiki and your car rental tips were a lifesaver! Following your advice made the whole process smooth and stress-free. and exploring the area by car was the best decision we made! Thanks a lot!

    • Brigitte & Jake
      Author
      May 29, 2024 / 4:40 pm

      So happy to hear that!

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