Northern Greece

Thessaloniki is easy to fall in love with – it has beauty, chaos, history and culture, a remarkable cuisine and wonderful, vast sea views. This is Greece’s second city, which, like the rest of the country, has suffered the hit of the economic crisis, but the streets remain full of life and vibrancy.

The different neighbourhoods are little worlds unto themselves, and when you climb up to the Byzantine walls and take in the whole of Thessaloniki at sunset, you see what a sprawling, organic city it is. Old and new cohabit wonderfully: the Arch of Galerius, an intricate 4th-century monument, overlooks the busy shopping drag of Egnatia, while Thessaloniki’s most famous sight, the White Tower, anchors a waterfront packed with cocktail bars. The revamped waterfront area breathes life and is great for walking and cycling. By night, the city reverberates with music and nightlife.

Travellers lured automatically to Greece's islands and southern charms risk missing out on one of the country's most fascinating regions: Macedonia. Forever associated with Alexander the Great, it's littered with ancient cities, holy places and natural wonders that bridge the years between ourselves and the ancients who once revered them. And then there's Thessaloniki: Greece's second city, a cultural dynamo of ancient pedigree and the country's acknowledged gastronomic capital.

Traces of successive conquerors and cultures can be seen everywhere, from the Macedonian treasures of Pella and Vergina, to Thessaloniki's Roman fora and palaces, ubiquitous masterpieces of Byzantine church-building and the extravagant bath houses that arose during the centuries of Turkish power. Even deeper and older is Mt Olympus, a cloud-piercing wonder that makes perfect sense as the home of the gods. Add beaches, wineries, lakes and the ebullient culture of today, and you have a place not to be missed.

Northwest of Ioannina, the road leads over a steep ridgeline and into the Zagorohoria (Zagori villages). More than 40 tiny settlements built of the local gray stone, right up to the slate roofs, blend almost seamlessly into the flanks of the heavily forested mountains. Most of their streets are too narrow for cars, and they're linked to other villages by old stone paths and staircases and graceful arched bridges, all built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although many of the villages are less than an hour's drive from Ioannina, the area feels much more remote, and it delivers on silence, quality hiking and nature, plus breathtaking views at every turn. The main attraction is the dramatic Vikos Gorge, nearly 1km deep, but snow-capped peaks to the north compete; the whole area is inside the Northern Pindos National Park.

The Voïdomatis ('Good Water' in its Slavic roots) River, a tributary of the Aoös, carved the 12km-long, 900m-deep Vikos Gorge over millions of years. Per Guinness, it’s the world’s deepest canyon in proportion to its width. The cliffs begin near Vitsa and run north to near Papingo; the river's springs are below the village of Vikos, where there is also an impressive viewpoint. Several other overlooks on either side of the gorge are accessible by short trails.

Set on the western shore of the lovely Lake Pamvotis, Ioannina is one of northern Greece's most atmospheric cities, and one of its more cultured and wealthy, as it was famous throughout the Ottoman Empire for its silver artisans. The walls of its old fortified city, the Kastro, enclose a tranquil quarter, spiked with minarets, and an island in the lake is a quiet, car-free escape. At sunset the lake turns silver and the impressive mountains behind turn lilac. Ioannina is a beautiful place in every season, and worth at least a couple of days in a larger tour of Epiros; many Athenians visit as a romantic long weekend away. If you come by car, or don't mind hiring a taxi, you can also visit the impressive ancient site of Dodoni, a short drive southwest of town.

Xanthi is the gateway to Thrace, and the most scenic town in the region. To Greeks, it has a mildly exotic reputation: its skyline is spiked with minarets, its food skews Eastern, and Turkish and Pomak (a dialect of Bulgarian) are spoken on the street. The old quarter showcases the grand homes of Ottoman-era tobacco barons, in various states of repair, while local university students bring life.

It's worth settling here for at least a couple of days, to explore the old town, as well as surrounding natural attractions. To the north, the inky-green Rhodopi Mountains rise to the Bulgarian border: go for forest hikes and thermal baths, and a glimpse of the Muslim Pomak culture in the villages. To the west, take a pretty walk along the Nestos River, or a kayak ride. South of Xanthi, the ports of Keramoti and Kavala have ferries to Thasos and other islands.

This large patch of protected forest is on a major bird migration route and home to three of Europe's four vulture species. Visits are best in spring or in July, when baby vultures pop from their nests. The Info Centre runs a shuttle 3km in to the bird observatory, which is furnished with telescopes to spot the giant raptors feeding; the excursion takes about an hour. You can also rent a mountain bike or take an easy hike in.

The cloud-covered lair of the Ancient Greek pantheon, awe-inspiring Mt Olympus is simply spectacular. It fires visitors' imaginations today, just as it did for the ancients who venerated it. Greece’s highest mountain, Olympus hosts more than 1700 plant species, some rare and endemic, as well as wolves, jackals, deer and more than 100 bird species. Its slopes are thickly forested and its peaks often shrouded in fog.

If there is a picture-perfect beach town in northern Greece, Parga is it: an amphitheatre of a village, dominated by a Venetian castle, opening onto a clear turquoise bay pierced with islets. It's small and gets crowded in summer, but it's an undeniable beauty. If you stay overnight, it makes a base for swimming at beaches just north and south, as well as boat excursions to the Ionian Islands. After the sun sets, a slew of seafront tavernas and bars (blessedly untroubled by cars) give Parga plenty of fizz. For day trips, many visitors head to equally scenic beaches nearby, or south to the dramatic archaeological site known as the Nekromanteion of Acheron, as well as trips on the river of the same name. The season is May to September, but some tourist businesses open as early as March.