Northern Greece

Northern Greece is the ‘other’ Greece – the unexplored, wild, Balkan side of Greece that the tourists don’t know. Yet it contains some of the country’s most impressive sites, from the gravity-defying Byzantine monasteries of Meteora, to the fourth century BC tomb of Philip II of Macedon. We will visit Greece’s second city, and food capital, Thessaloniki, as well as the charming mountain villages of Zagori, home to the Vikos Gorge – the deepest in the world. If you visit in spring (May-June), you will be treated to some of the finest displays of wildflowers that you are ever likely to see. Even further off the beaten track, we visit luxuriously decorated Ottoman mansions, to some of which we have exclusive access, and are treated to a lunch by local farmers. There will also be the opportunity of hearing traditional music.

Recommended time to visit: April-October