Fourka (Halkidiki, Greece)

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Fourka is situated halfway down the W coast of the Kassandra peninsula fronting a long beach and divided by main road from attractive hills covered with olive and fir trees. It is 57 mls SE of Thessaloniki and 52 mls SE of its airport. Officially called Skala Fourkas, this small resort sprang up in the 1990s and is an extension of the 19th-century village of Fourka proper, located 2 mls inland. It is squeezed into the 500 yds between the main road and the long beach which it sprawls along for 900 yds. It lacks genuine atmosphere and there is only a nominal centre with a ramshackle mix of restaurants and bars as well as amusement arcades and 1 large disco.

Fourka is pretty much a middlemarket destination that suits young and old in search of a relaxing break. Visitors to the resort are almost exclusively British.

Accommodation is varied with a wide mix of apartments and hotels, none very big or top of the range; mostly middlemarket with a few basic options as well.

Beachwise there is a 1 ml long beach but it is generally narrow and scrappy in parts. It has reasonable, pale pebble-flecked sand. The shore shelves gently providing for good swimming except in a few areas where seaweed gathers. Sunbeds and parasols for hire, as are jet-skis, pedalloes and canoes. By no means the best beach on the peninsula although perfectly adequate.

There are a typical array of tourist shops in the area, virtually none with a genuine Greek feel. Holiday items galore, from sandals and beach towels to Greek ceramics and honey.

Entertainment tends to involve relaxing on the beach or by the pool. Nightlife consists of mainly bars and tavernas or the large beachfront disco; occasional concerts at the modern Siviri amphitheatre, 3 mls away, featuring top international artists.

Eating out offers a range of bars, snack bars and restaurants, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Local excursions consist of cruises around Gulf of Toroneos or to Sithonia; small spa town of Loutra. Full day: monasteries at Athos (no women allowed); boat trip to island of Skiathos (long day); sightseeing and shopping in Thessaloniki; classical tour to Pella and Veria; caves of Petralona.

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Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens

Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with a female earth connector

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.

The Olympic Games were spawned in ancient classical Greece, along with democracy and the fundamentals of philosophy, science and mathematics. Modern Greece is better known as a great place to vacation rather than a centre of learning and culture. Today the country attracts by offering simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic surprises.

The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.

On the mainland the city of Athens in the south is sprawling, overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless enthralls visitors, while Thessaloniki in the north is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. Athens is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon: the remains of other wonders of the ancient Greek classical world are to be found mainly on the Peloponnese Peninsula, south of Corinth, the gateway to a veritable treasure trove of history.

Greece and Greeks welcome with open arms the thousands of visitors that flock to admire their national assets every year - no-one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality.

Fourka (Halkidiki, Greece)

Fourka Suitability Profile