Paralia, and what is around it

Sand and shallow water, fifty metres from the door — under a minute on foot, and no car needed. The seafront promenade is the same fifty metres away, and the tavernas, bakeries and shops are on our own street. In July and August Paralia fills up and stays busy late; in May, June and September the same beach is much quieter.

The sacred city of the Macedonians at the foot of Mount Olympus, where the kings sacrificed before setting out on campaign. The archaeological park is large and flat: the sanctuaries of Zeus and of Isis, the Roman baths, two theatres and mosaic floors; the museum that holds the finds is separate, in the modern village of Dion. There is little shade, so in July and August it is worth going early in the morning.

The highest mountain in Greece and the country's first national park; Mytikas, its highest peak, stands just under 2,920 metres. The drive takes you to Litochoro, the town at the foot where the paths start; the road on up to Prionia is narrow and full of bends and adds another forty minutes. The best-known path climbs the Enipeas gorge out of Litochoro — you can walk in for an hour and turn back; reaching the summits is a two-day climb for experienced walkers, not a day out from the coast.

A medieval castle on a hill above the sea, where Olympus comes down almost to the water and leaves only a narrow passage south into Thessaly; the motorway and the railway line run beneath it. The keep still stands inside the walls, and from the top you look north over the Thermaic gulf and west to the slopes of Olympus. The climb up from the car park is short but steep, and there is no shade.

Greece's second city, an hour north on the motorway, with tolls along the way. The White Tower and the seafront promenade, the Rotunda and the Roman forum in the centre, the Upper Town and its Byzantine walls above — the city's Palaeochristian and Byzantine monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Parking in the centre is hard; leave the car in a car park and walk.

Monasteries built from the fourteenth century on sandstone pillars high above Kalambaka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of the twenty-odd that were built, six are still in use, and each one closes on a different day of the week — check what is open before you set off. It is about 170 kilometres each way, so it takes the whole day: start early, and cover shoulders and knees to go inside.

The main town of Pieria, less than ten kilometres inland from Paralia. The general hospital, the bank branches, the public offices and the large supermarkets are here — Paralia itself has a chemist, mini-markets and cash machines. The main square and the park around it are where people walk in the evening, away from the summer crowd on the seafront. Katerini's railway station is on the Athens–Thessaloniki line, and the Pieria intercity bus station is here too.

Aigai, the first capital of the Macedonian kingdom, and the royal tombs uncovered in 1977 — among them the tomb attributed to Philip II. The museum is built inside the Great Tumulus: you walk into the mound itself, see the tomb façades where they stand, and the finds displayed around them. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, indoors and cool — the best thing to do on a very hot day, and the natural companion to Dion.