Top Things To Do In Western Macedonia

Only a couple of hours drive from Thessaloniki, the region of Western Macedonia in Northern Greece is full of  breath-taking landscapes and so much to see and do! Whether you are into gastronomy, wine, adventure travel, nature or slow travel, there is something for everyone here.

Here are my recommendations for the top things to do!

Visit Naomidis Pepper Farm

Naomidis Pepper Farm

Naomidis pepper farm is located in Agios Panteleimonas, a village of Florina, where the genuine Florina pepper thrives and is cultivated organically on the farm and is then processed and packed in their stone-built facility.

Here you will meet Petros who is extremely passionate about growing the famous Florina peppers and will take you through the whole end to end process.

You will get an opportunity to go pepper picking and try some delicious sauces and pastes made with these organically grown peppers and buy some as souvenirs!

Wine estate tour and tasting at Alpha Estate

Wine Tasting at Alpha Estate

Wine produced in the region is brilliant as the location’s unique terroir and an altitude of 620-710m are wonderful for growing grapes.

I recommend visiting Alpha Estate for a tour of the wine estate as well as a tasting. They have some lovely varieties to sample and the grounds are beautiful to walk around in.

I really enjoyed the wines and even came home with a bottle to enjoy later!

Visit Arktouros Bear Sanctuary

Arktouros Bear Sanctuary

One of my favourite places to visit was the Arktouros Bear Sanctuar, which specialises in looking after Brown Bears from all over the Balkans that have been saved from zoos, circuses and private collections. I love the work they do and was pleased to find that they are affiliated with FOUR PAWS, a charity that I regularly work with.

It is lovely to see the bears that are currently resident there and hear more about the fantastic work done for their upkeep and rehabilitation, where possible. They have a shop where you can buy some gifts with the funds going towards the sanctuary, or adopt a bear!

Go Truffle Hunting

Truffle Hunting

Truffle Hunting is such a fun experience and Grevena is known as the mushroom capital of Greece making it the perfect place to seek out truffles in the Valia Kalda Valley with specially trained dogs. Our dogs found some black truffle which we then enjoyed grated over our lunch dish, as well as a super rare white truffle!

Prespa National Park

Prespa National Park

Prespa National Park is one of the most stunning natural habitats in the country and you can easily spend hours here gazing at the incredible views.

Here you will also find over 275 bird species, which includes one tenth of the global population of Dalmatian Pelican that breed here and can be observed from March to early October.

There are lovely walking trails and ancient ruins to explore.

Go Rafting

If you’re an adventure seeker, rafting on the rivers Venetikos and Aliakmonas is a thrilling activity, taking you through a unique natural landscape, surrounded by forests with huge plane tree and sandstone rocks.

The degree of rapids difficulty varies from grade 2 to grade 3 depending on the seasons and the water level. It was grade 3 when we visited.

The views were just so serene and diverse and it really is striking. If you are nervous as you have never been before like me, trust me it is so worth it!

How to get to Western Macedonia

Fly to Thessaloniki

You can fly to Thessaloniki and then take the Egnatia Motorway. I’d recommend hiring a car so that you can fully immerse yourself into each region.

Train from Thessaloniki

I was kindly invited on a press trip to experience Western Macedonia but all views and photos are my own.