Home / Travel channel / News | Thursday 09 February 2012 |
The 10 best campsites in Greece |
**this article was first published on XpatAthens.com in October, 2009. Prices have probably changed now, please check with the campsite**
The author of Cool Camping, Richard Waters, reveals Greece’s most beautiful sites, in the Sunday Times. They’re researching their next tome, Cool Camping Europe, and have spent months scouring Greece for the best.
Unless stated, prices are per night for pitch/adult/child in high season. All have basic facilities, shower blocks, mini-marts, laundrettes, and electricity. Photo: Kastri, Lefkada
1 CAMPING DIONYSUS
About six miles from the Old Corfu Town, and five minutes from busy Dassia beach, is Camping Dionysus – languidly peaceful accommodation set in a tiered 400-year-old olive grove. There’s a good-sized pool and a decent bar, and you can pitch up or take one of their Polynesian-style cabanas. For a romantic alfresco dinner, head to San Giacomo, on Town Hall Square. For afternoon coffee and croissants, try the fantastic Starenio bakery, which is right around the corner on Guilford Street. www.dionysuscamping.gr
2 ENJOY LICHNOS CAMPING
Parga is one of the most picturesque villages on the west coast. Its Venetian-influenced buildings huddle together on the hillside, with whitewashed alleyways and bougainvillea tumbling down to the bay. A few miles south, you’ll find Enjoy Lichnos Camping, a welcoming haven set within an olive grove. Pitches are close to the beach in an RV-free meadow. Hire a catamaran or kayak, explore the sea caves or just chill in the friendly alfresco bar. Just half an hour away are the creepy, mythic ruins of the 2,500-year-old Necromantion, gateway to the underworld. www.enjoy-lichnos.net
3 LEFKAS
Kastri is so remote and hidden, Lefkas you wonder if its creators were trying to put people off finding it. Weave past bucolic shepherds and meadows so wild Pan might make an appearance, then you’ll find yourself at Kastri, on the southernmost tip of Lefkas. Perched on a hill overlooking the Ionian Sea, it’s a place you might never want to leave. The water here is perfect for scuba-diving and snorkelling, and there’s a playground for the kids. The camp site offers plenty of privacy, with pitches near a Robinson Crusoe beach. www.camping-kastri.gr
4 POROS BEACH CAMPING
A snake of a road wheels by shady groves, dozing horses and somnolent villages on its way down to Poros’s fine-pebbled beach. You can relax in the shade of the site’s stylish restaurant, head to the charming little port of Vasiliki for water-side dining, or just flop on the beach, watching the blue horizon compete with the serenity of the turquoise sea. www.porosbeach.com.gr
5 TARTARUGA CAMPING
Zakynthos (Zante)
Tartaruga offers one of the most dramatic views of any camp site in Greece; stare down at the epiphany-inducing sea from the giddy heights of its alfresco restaurant, unblemished but for a deserted island and the occasional puttering of a fisherman’s boat. As if to confirm its pedigree, loggerhead turtles have chosen the turquoise waters beside the site as a safe place to mate.
Lounge in the shadow of pines or visit the beach, a thing of curiosity in itself: a fallen olive tree, bled white by the sun and surrounded by sentinel rock sculptures. You’re in the middle of nowhere – but the sense of dramatic escape is much the better for it. www.tartaruga-camping.com
6 CAMPING ARETI
Sithonia peninsula
Sleepier than a raki-laced bouzouki player, Areti sits in acres of eucalyptus and exotic flora. Its tranquil taverna is delightful, as are the many amenities, including a playground and tennis courts. There are hidden recesses, for cheeky romance, and inviting lookout points, for watching the sun go down. You can camp near the sea beside one of two beaches, dramatically screened by gnarled olive trees. On a clear morning, you can see the distant peak of Mount Olym-pus. For lunch, head to one of the tavernas in Neo Marmaras, an unpretentious market town. www.camping-areti.gr
7 CAMPING HELLAS
Volos
The atmosphere here is low-key: Volos an enticing bar and pretty beach are hemmed by jagged rocks. For foodie adventures, head for the tavernas in the charming village of Kala Nera, half a mile away, where the air is adance with excited pensioners line-fishing off the end of the jetty. Hellas can organise caving and climbing trips with a former Everest mountaineer. Or visit nearby Volos, a chic seaside destination with an esplanade, great cafe society and more than a touch of Biarritz about it. www.campinghellas.gr
8 CHRISSA CAMPING
Chrissa offers an unfeasibly beautiful view of the silvery-green olive plain below. Cool off in the pool before heading to Delphi, six miles away. The amazing preserved ruins merit the arduous climb.
Back at Chrissa, you can stay in a Serengeti-style cabana (sleeping four); for tent purists, there are plenty of terraced pitches. Make sure you’re on the restaurant balcony, a cool Mythos beer in hand, to witness one of the most dramatic sunsets in Greece. www.chrissacamping.gr
9 CAMPING NICOLAS
Epidavros
In how many camp sites can you wake up, pluck a ripe orange from the leafy canopy, then plop into a silk-calm bay a few feet away? Based in a shady grove, Nicolas has orange and mulberry trees in a series of sleepy hollows. Lunch at Nicolas’s Mouria Taverna, then wander down the beach toward one of Epidavros’s two ancient theatres. For much of the year, there’s little activity in this sleepy town, but come July, its festival of ancient Greek theatre attracts folk from all over the globe. www.nicolasgikas.gr
10 CAMPING ANTIPAROS
Antiparos is an intimate island just over the water from its larger sibling, Paros. Its harbour feels like a composite of everything Greek, with wrinkled fishermen, ripe fruit spilling from colourful crates and an azure sky pure enough to melt the heart. No less enchanting is Camping Antiparos, on a rugged headland beside the sea. You can pitch under a tangled canopy of cedars or find a secret spot in the site’s bamboo field. The restaurant is a honey pot of homemade indulgence. www.camping-antiparos.gr
For more information, go to www.coolcamping.co.uk
