Sithonia stone house above Sarti bay

Sarti sits on the east coast of Sithonia, the middle of Halkidiki's three peninsulas, facing Mount Athos across a stretch of the Aegean that turns an improbable turquoise on calm mornings. This house is a seventy-eight square metre stone-and-render build on the pine slope behind the village: two bedrooms, one bathroom, an open kitchen-living room with a wood stove, and a covered terrace angled at the water. Solid construction, tiled roof, mature garden of olive and fig, and a level parking area off a paved lane.

Greek purchase for EU and non-EU buyers is straightforward here — Halkidiki is outside the border-zone restrictions that complicate some islands. You will need a Greek tax number (AFM) and a local bank account, and should budget roughly 8–10% over the price for transfer tax, notary, lawyer and Land Registry fees. ENFIA property tax on a house this size runs a few hundred euros a year. The build is legal and connected to mains water and power, which matters in a country where unpermitted extensions are common and expensive to regularise.

The beach is why the region has a reputation. Sarti's main beach is a two-kilometre run of coarse pale sand shelving into water that stays clear even in August, and a short drive south brings you to Kavourotrypes and Portokali, the sculpted white-rock coves that fill Greek postcards. The water is calm, jellyfish-free most summers, and warm from June through October. There are no tides to speak of, so the shoreline you see in the morning is the shoreline all day.

Sarti village is a working Greek resort rather than an international one: tavernas along the front serving grilled octopus and Halkidiki olives, a bakery that opens at six, two supermarkets, a pharmacy, a health centre, and a Saturday market. Nightlife is a handful of beach bars, not clubs. Prices are noticeably lower than the Cyclades — a full taverna dinner for two with wine still lands around thirty euros.

Access is simple: Thessaloniki airport is a two-hour drive on good road, with year-round flights across Europe, and the KTEL bus runs from Thessaloniki to Sarti several times daily. Beyond the beach, the peninsula offers hiking through Itamos pine forest, sea kayaking to the Athos coastline, diving on the wrecks off Vourvourou, and day boats around the monastic peninsula. Winter is quiet — perhaps a third of businesses close — but the village never fully empties, which keeps it liveable year-round.