Vourvourou

Vourvourou spreads along a bay protected by the Diaporos archipelago, nine wooded islets lying just offshore that break the swell and leave the water inside flat, shallow and unusually green over sandy bottom. Diaporos, the largest, has coves reachable only by boat, including the much-photographed Blue Lagoon with its pale sand bar. Small boats and kayaks rent from the shore, and self-drive boats without a licence are the standard way to spend a day here, hopping between islet beaches. The village behind is low-rise and residential, built largely as summer houses by families from Thessaloniki, with a long beach, Karydi, at its southern end where sculpted rocks meet the pines.

History

The area has been inhabited since ancient times, with the ruins of the pre-Byzantine church of Agios Andreas on the island of Diaporos. In the 10th century it was known as the "land of the Vourvourioi" and granted to the Xenophontos monastery on Mount Athos, and in 1615 the people of Agios Nikolaos acquired the land; in the 1960s teaching staff of the University of Thessaloniki developed a holiday resort here designed by Professor Thales Argyropoulos (Wikipedia, Vourvourou).

What you'll find

• The Diaporos islets - nine wooded islands scattered across the bay.
• The green shallows - clear water over sand between the islands.
• Karydi beach - sculpted rock and pines at the bay's southern end.
• The self-drive boats - small rentals hopping between islet coves.

When to go

June to September for boating and swimming; the bay's shelter makes it usable on windy days when open coasts are rough. August is crowded on the water and prices rise.

Good to know

The islet coves have no facilities, shade or water, and rubbish accumulates in high season on the more visited ones. Rental boats are basic and fuel is extra. Vourvourou village itself is a plain scatter of holiday houses.

Nearby

Ormos Panagias, with boat trips along the Athos coast, is north; Kavourotrypes and Sarti lie south.