Greece · Central Macedonia
Where to Stay in Kateríni, Central Macedonia
Katerini is a town of Pieria in northern Greece, on a green plain between Mount Olympus and the Aegean, near the ancient sacred city of Dion.
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Where to stay in Kateríni
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Where you stay in Katerini turns on the town or the coast. The streets around the central square keep the shops, the museum, and the cathedral within a walk, and staying downtown suits anyone here for the town. The square fills each evening.
Olympus looms to the west. Out toward the sea and the mountain, the town gives way to the beach resorts, the ruins of Dion, and the slopes of Olympus. A room by the shore trades the town for the long gulf beaches, the seaside tavernas, and the view of the great peak.
The mountain rises behind the plain. Stay downtown for the town, or out for the sea. Katerini's own streets sit just inland of the gulf beaches.
About Kateríni
Katerini is the town at the foot of Mount Olympus.
What is Kateríni known for?
On the Pierian plain between the great mountain and the Aegean in northern Greece, it grew as the market of the region, and it keeps the snowy peak of Olympus rising to the west, the ancient sacred city of Dion at the mountain's base, the long beaches of the Pierian coast, and the old Macedonian tombs of the plain. Olympus fills the western sky. The sea shines to the east.
What are the main landmarks in Kateríni?
Ancient Dion is the pride of the Pierian plain. The sacred city of the Macedonians at the foot of Olympus, with its temples, mosaics, and theatre among the trees, lies north of the town, the emblem of the region, out of downtown. A great mountain towers west.
The snowy peak of Olympus rises over the plain, while the Macedonian tombs, the folklore museum, and the beaches of the coast mark the country around Katerini.
What is the history of Kateríni?
Katerini grew below the mountain of the gods. On the Pierian plain, where the ancient Macedonians worshipped Zeus at Dion under Olympus, a small town gathered by the road along the coast. The gods once ruled this mountain.
In the old myths Olympus was the seat of the gods, and at its foot the kings of Macedon built the holy city of Dion, with its temples, its theatre, and its sacred spring. The modern town is young. Katerini grew most in the last century, when Greek refugees from Asia Minor settled on the Pierian plain and made it a busy market of the region.
The coast drew summer crowds. Along the gulf the beaches of the Pierian shore filled with visitors, and Katerini grew into the seat of its province, keeping its ancient ruins, its mountain, and its coast, below the snows of Olympus. The great peak still crowns the west.
Katerini keeps its plain between Olympus and the sea.
Where is Kateríni?
Katerini lies in the north of Greece, on the Pierian plain between Mount Olympus and the Thermaic Gulf. The town sits on flat farmland midway from the mountain to the sea, with the great massif of Olympus towering close to the west, the beaches of the gulf a short way east, and orchards and fields spread all around. Olympus stands white to the west.
The plain runs green to the shore.
What is the climate of Kateríni?
Katerini has a mild, Mediterranean climate. Warm dry summers and cool wet winters hold on the plain, with sea breezes off the gulf and snow on Olympus through the winter. The summer stays warm and bright.
Snow caps the mountain long.
How do you get to Kateríni?
Katerini lies in northern Greece, on the road and rail between Thessaloniki and Athens. Fast trains and the highway run to it down the coast from Thessaloniki, and roads climb west into the Olympus range. Olympus rises close by.
Thessaloniki lies north up the coast.
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Updated August 2026