Palios Agios Athanasios or Kaimaktsalan is a traditional mountainous village with stone built houses with tiles, built according to the local Macedonian architecture. The ski centre transformed the village into a cosmopolitan winter resort and is considered to be one of the most beautiful mountain villages in Greece, with impressive restored houses turned into luxury hotels, traditional guesthouses and pensions, shops, restaurants and nightclubs.
The village was built in the late 16th century by farmers and builders who came from Epirus and in 1992 was characterised as traditional settlement. From 1995 onwards the residents who had left the village, began to return and reformed it into a winter resort and ski resort for winter sports lovers.
The village of Palios Agios Athanasios is located 33 km far from the city of Edessa and very close to the ski center of Kaimaktsalan. It is built at an altitude of 1200 meters on the foothills of Mount Voras, and despite the fact that some years ago had been totally abandoned by its residents, it has become the most famous winter destination in Northern Greece.
One of the major attractions in Palios Agios Athanasios village is the church built in late 1700. Apart from skiing there are also other activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hiking, climbing and rowing at Lake Vegoritida.
