Naxos Greece | tourist holiday travel guide to Naxos

   

Naxos sits at the heart of the main central Cyclades group of Greek islands. Its position puts it at the heart of the Greek island ferry system and Naxos, along with its neighbour Paros, is often thought of as the hub for Greek island ferry hopping.
Naxos is a big island but most tourist accommodation is confined to the south west coast. Visitors expect the best beaches in the Med - that's what the brochures promise - and beaches it certainly has. The whole of the south west coast is one long blonde swathe of sand. Unfortunately much of it is coarse and gritty and many beaches are backed by flat, desolate salt marsh.
Inland Naxos has some impressive mountain scenery, particularly around Mt Zas the highest peak in the Cyclades. Abundant springs and rich soil result in dense valleys of citrus and olive.
Inland villages are, for the most part, shabby and workaday dull. The island's rich, agricultural heritage has meant the islanders have not needed to make too many concessions to tourism and Naxos maintains a strong Greek island identity, taking to tourism on its own terms. For those looking for a beach holiday with opportunities for easy island hopping this is a Greek island to consider.

Overview

Naxos Naxos is the largest and highest island in the Cyclades and the most fertile with many crops and orchards in the cultivated valleys.
Naxos beaches Miles of white sand beaches, the best in the Cycladest the brochures say. True, the beaches are vast and the sands often sugar white. But it is not all beer and skittles. The sand can be harsh, ball-bearing granules, and a splash in the sea is over underwater rocks that line much of the shoreline.
Naxos beaches Miles of salt flats back many of the best beaches creating an air of desolation that is not everyone's cup of tea. The beaches are also huge, adding to the attraction for those who don't like company but feeling a little lonely for those that do.
Naxos ferries Naxos is at the hub of the Cyclades ferry system and so is an ideal location for an island hopping holiday.

 

Cyclades map

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    Blue Flag beach icon
  Hora  
    HORA, the capital town of Naxos is the gateway to the Cyclades and has the doorway to prove it. The gigantic and somewhat creepy marble frame stands 21 ft high on the tiny Palatia island linked to the town by a short causeway. The frame is all that remains of what was meant to be a colossal 6th century BC temple to either Dionysus (wine god) or Apollo (sun god) depending on which guide you read. It was never finished and all you get now is this majestic old tooth sticking out of the sea. It is worth a visit both for the creepy feeling of standing in a giant doorway to nowhere and for some nice views of the town itself. To the north of the causeway is the Grotta area - once the site of the original town now sunk beneath the waves. To the south is Naxos itself - a happy mix of the brash (vulgar tavernas, bars, car rentals and tourist tat strung along the waterfront), the twee (an intricate web of whitewashed back streets stuffed with craft and curio shops) and the historic (claustrophobic alleyways that wind up to the Venetian kastro on top of the hill and no less than 45 Byzantine churches). Further south is a suburban sprawl of hotels and studios that back onto the long town beach of Agios Giorgios. The waterfront is a promenaders' paradise with an extensive and attractive sea wall pocked with small, semicircular benches, dozens of street tavernas packed alongside with shops behind and a prosaic but interesting harbour at the end of it. What strikes you is the liveliness of the place. A fun fair can be in town or a street festival under way - this place is never dull it seems. Tiny alleys lead off the front and up the hill through cobbled whitewashed alleys to the 13th century kastro. Expect to get lost in this marble paved warren with its arched porticoes, crumbling mansions, gorgeous flowerpot gardens and street tavernas. The kastro has a catholic cathedral and a good museum. Exhibits include some early Cycladic goddesses with prominent breasts, bellies and pubes as well as some stunning views of the town from the balcony. Naxos may have its crappy tourist glitz but it all seems contained somehow and essentially Greek despite having grown fourfold in the last ten years on the back of the tourist bonanza. Tourists are more tolerated than touted and I am not surprised to learn that more visitors stay longer here that any other tourist resort in Greece. Hora from Palatia
Hora

Statuette
Statuette
     



   

Naxos south west

    Virtually the whole of the south east coast is one line of beaches many linking into each other with only the names of nearest villages to separate them. Some are huge swathes of sand backed by dunes and bamboo, others narrow slivers that shelve steeply into the sea. Generally the further south you go the bigger and wilder the beaches get.
     
Agios Giorgios Naxos   Agios Giorgios More on Agios Giorgios Agios Giorgios photos
    Here we are in brolly and beach bar territory just outside the capital of Hora. All the suburban tourist tat is at AGIOS GIORGIOS, the solid ranks of sun beds, the surfboards and jet skis - there is even a boarded catwalk running down the edge of the long, tree-shaded crescent beach. But the place turns out to be less commercialised than first appearances suggest. There may be hotels and studios by the score and a broken line of bars and cafes backing onto the beach, but the atmosphere is still generally subdued. Enter a taverna and the food is mainly Greek, the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly and some tavernas even play classical music. The sand is soft, deep and and generally clean, gently shelving into the shallow sea. This is a really nice family beach. The proximity to Hora however demands an early arrival to grab the best spots - the place gets well packed by midday. Ferries honking in and out of the port offer passing interest as well as sending mighty bow waves crashing onto the shore now and then. The closer you get to the town the more hectic the pace, further south the sand turns a little more gritty, but there is the compensation of peace and quiet when the sun beds eventually run out. Unfortunately there is also a foul, litter strewn pond to contend with and the odd concrete monstrosity. Beyond the headland is a small bay that houses a windsurfing school and after that a small dyke built at some cost to the local wildlife to prevent the salt flats, and the local airport, from periodic flooding. Surf bunker
Agios Giorgios icon
     
  Agios Prokopios  
Agios Prokopis Hotel
  Brochures post up AGIOS PROKOPIOS as one of the best beaches on the island but the northern end is a desolate, flat salt marsh with a long and boring beach full of gritty ball bearing sand - the stuff that scours the skin off between your toes and leaves you with a pebble-dashed bum. It has an almost Saharan desolation with salt lakes behind, a single taverna and some overpriced sun beds. Great slabs of rock lie along much of the shoreline and have to be negotiated to reach the sea proper - not too much of a handicap as the rock is at least flat and smooth underfoot, but a nuisance nonetheless.
Further south however things improve a lot. Tamarisks provide shade at the edge of the beach and more tourist facilities beckon in the resort village behind. There are sun beds on the beach, tavernas behind and plenty of small hotels and apartments. The village has been described as a ramshackle and motley collection of cheap hotels, studios, cafes and tavernas. But the place still has a certain charm despite its obvious tourist genesis and a it is a good place to stay, particularly as there is an even better beach to be found at Agia Anna just a short walk along the shore.
Agia Anna
Agia Anna and Prokopios beyond

Agios Prokopis
Agios Prokopis icon
     
Agia Anna Naxos   Agia Anna More on Agia Anna Ag Anna photos
    The dainty little harbour at AGIA ANNA is the main destination of most of the caiques out of Hora and who can blame them? To the north of the small jetty, modest family tavernas lie tucked behind a fine if narrow beach of soft, golden sand with a few scattered rocks further on where the beach gives way to the coarser grains of Agia Prokopios. A really lovely setting, its beauty is strangely unsung by most holiday brochures. To the south of the jetty is the small harbour surrounded by a rocky outcrop known by its formation as Shark Rock, though I was struggled to find any resemblance to a fish among the sculpted rock formations. Perhaps my attention was distracted by the plastic rubbish sacks and boxes piled up high on the harbour front. Snaking south from Shark Rock is a wide and dusty dirt track road which leads on to the Plaka area with its vast kilometres of white course sand. The biggest problem with Agia Anna is that it is relatively short at around 300m and numbers can quickly build as the caiques and buses roll in. But it is well placed to explore the island's more remote beaches. The once tiny village is growing fast and there are increasing numbers of studios, small hotels, tavernas and supermarkets. And they grow the most delicious spuds on the flat, fertile plains nearby. Agia Anna
Agia Anna icon



     
Plaka Naxos   Plaka  
    Around the headland from Agia Anna the coast opens up into a huge vista of flat, sparkling white sand that shoots away into the distant haze. Behind PLAKA beach itself is a wide dirt track, substantial enough to take cars and even buses, and lined with rustic tavernas and a camp site partly hidden in the trees and bamboo. A few straggly trees line edge the track and in their shade a few wooden tables and chairs give the scene a big dollop of romance. The track eventually peters out in the dunes where nudists hang out. You can reach the more southerly part of the beach by heading along the main road to Alyki, turning off just before Tripodes (according to the map) or Vovlios (according to the road signs) and keeping left down the valley past a high watchtower. Curtains of bamboo and dead-end farm tracks conspire to foil all but the most intrepid. It is they who can enjoy the sparsely populated and bare delights of the sandy dunes beyond. Plaka
Plaka
     
Orkos Naxos   Orkos  
    Further south still is a scattering of small, sandy coves surrounded by cedars. This is Orkos beach where nudist bathers enjoyed some privacy before the Orkos Village apartments were built nearby. It is still a nice spot,though, with a stone mound behind the beach offering views of the coast north and south. And the holiday village does at least offer good facilities. Orkos beach
Orkos
     
Mikri Viglia Naxos   Mikri Viglia Mikri Vigla icon
    Much is promised but precious little delivered in this resort of MIKI VIGLIA which generally marks the end of the windsurfing region. Scores of holiday studios sprinkled higgly piggly around the headland hill give the place the air of a deserted suburb. There are beaches both to the north and south of the headland. PARTHENOS beach, to the north, is sandier of the two but windier as well, a popular haunt for windsurfers and campers. The sand is coarse and it has a large hotel complex overlooking the small bay. The SAHARA beach is to the south - and the name could not be more appropriate. Four kilometres of coarse white sand disappears into the desolate distance. Apart from some scruffy beachside scrub, the only shelter to be found is in the single basic beach taverna. Large rocks at the northern headland provide some interest but this is boredom beach. Slabs of rock line the shore just below the surface of the water, a nuisance for swimmers. Sahara beach
Sahara beach
     
Kastraki Naxos   Kastraki  
    Poorly signposted from the main road, many think KASTRAKIi the best stretch of beach on the island. It is, in fact a succession of small coves running for several kilometres There is a shoreline track but it is often interrupted by farmland and bamboo which can run right down to the beach. The coast is punctuated by a scattering of tavernas and holiday studios and, at one spot, a remorselessly ugly hotel complex with the hugely imaginative name of Summerland. There is precious little else here except dunes, scrub pine and prickly pear. Sunbathers must rough it on beaches which vary from thin sand to rice grain grit and there was a time that the southern end caught some of the sewage swept out to sea from Hora. These beaches are still relatively empty despite their increasing popularity. The longest southern stretch is known as Glyfada beach and varies from soft sand to marble grains. Kastraki
Kastraki
   
  Glyfada
    There is precious little here except dunes, scrub pine and prickly pear. Sunbathers must rough it on beaches which vary from thin sand to rice grain grit and there was a time that the southern end caught some of the sewage swept out to sea from Hora. These beaches are still relatively empty despite their increasing popularity. The longest southern stretch is known as Glyfada beach and varies from soft sand to marble grains.
     
Alyki Naxos   Alyki More on Alyki Alyki photos
    It can be hard to forgive Greeks for their habit of erecting phenomenally ugly buildings in the most beautiful surroundings. Boiling in oil is little recompense for the unfinished cement carcasses left to litter the landscape. One of the worst examples is at ALYKI. Here you will find narrow golden beaches tucked between wild rocky outcrops and beneath vertical cliffs covered with deep green scrub pine. The scene is simply breathtaking, so good you could eat it. And how do the Greeks celebrate some of the most exquisite scenery in Mediterranean? You guessed it, the ugly forgotten shell of a monstrous hotel complex, monotonously grey and grim and spattered with grubby graffiti. It could be worse. The hotel could have been finished and the wild and glorious landscape disfigured by a gleaming white testament to rampant tourism. May similar ventures founder before the foundations are even laid and lovely landscape spared such wanton vandalism. Alyki beach
Alyki
     
Pyrgaki Naxos   Pyrgaki  
    A wide track leads down from Alyki to the coastal resort of PYRGAKI where a long, sand and shingle beach marks the end of the coastal swathe of beach for which Naxos is most famous. A large and intrusive hotel complex overshadows the nice beach but at least there are some half-decent facilities here. Pyrgaki
Pyrgakis
     



   

Naxos west coast

    Draw a line from Prygaki in the south to Moutsouna in the east and it will mark the end of decent roads on Naxos. With a few exceptions this is donkey track territory and, with beaches less attractive, hardly worth the effort of getting around. All are worth a mention though starting with Pyrgaki and heading east.
     
Agiassos Naxos   Agiassos  
    Mostly stone and shingle, the bay at AGIASSOS is idyllic with small rocks in the shallows each side of the bay. The flat plain behind is dotted with sugar cube studios and leads to the Sangri area inland. Agiassos beach
Agiassos
   
Kalandos Naxos   Kalandos
    This beach is best reached by going south from Filoti. A mixture of sand and shingle KALANDOS beach is very sheltered.
     
    Panermos
    A tiny port, a nondescript beach and some ruins make up the resort of PANERMOS.
     
    Psili Amos
    The Greek name means sand dunes and at PSILI AMOS that is just about all you get.
     
    Kleidos
    Shingle and stone predominate but KLEIDOS is one of the prettiest of the unspoiled beaches on Naxos with walled terraces reaching almost to the sea.
     
Moutsouna Naxos   Moutsouna  
    This was once the main port for shipping out emery mined in and around the villages of Apeiranthos and Koronos - remember emery paper? It was carried down by mule until an aerial runway was built. Emery was replaced by carborundum and the industry died, but parts of the runway remain as a monument to the island's industrial heritage. MOUTSOUNA itself is the gateway to the remote east coast beaches and is pretty enough itself and still one of the few genuine fishing harbours left on Naxos. It is growing as more visitors use it as a touring centre but has only a small beach. A little to the north is Axala beach known for its fine and varied pebbles. Moutsouna
Mousounna
     



   

Naxos north

    Steep and inaccessible cliffs typify much of the northern terrain with just the odd bay offering some sand and a small resort usually with few facilities. Here you may not see a soul all day.
     
Abram Naxos   Abram  
    Beaches to the north west get the full force of the meltemi and tend to look windswept. ABRAM is a lovely shingle beach overlooked by a huge head carved into the rock - the work of the sculptor Rokkos. A small but ugly hotel is found further back and nearby is Agios Mirnas monastery Abram
Abram
     
Amyti Naxos   Amyti  
    The lovely beach at AMYTI is found below two reservoirs that supply water to Hora. It is an idyllic spot with fine, soft sand and offers the best bathing on this part of the coast. But the meltemi can bring the waves crashing in and with it the usual rubbish and detritus. Nearby is the fortified monastery of Ypsilos. Amyti beach
Amyti
     



   

Naxos inland

    Inland, the island offers more than most with thriving and interesting villages to visit and some stunning scenery in the mountains.
     
Melanes Naxos   Melanes  
    Curiously marked as a village on most maps, MELANES is actually the name of a valley which is dotted with several hamlets and dense with fruit and olive trees. It is best known for its 7th century kouros or carved figure which, at 6.4 metres, is smaller than its more famous neighbour at Apollanas. The figure is well signposted from the main road out of Hora and can be approached on the right just beyond the village of Mioi. The kouros lies in meticulously tended and lush private orchard near a stream. Visitors are sometimes welcomed with drinks and fruit and the enchanting setting hold a charm that is missing with its more northern cousin. Melanes kouros
Melanes kouros
     
Halki Naxos   Halki  
    On the route to the more popular Apeiranthos, HALKI or CHALKI has developed a reputation for its handsome Byzantine church, with its 12th century murals, and a few fine Venetian pyrgi or tower houses. In truth it is a charmless and lifeless little place and fails to live up to its reputation as one of the richest villages on the island. Guide descriptions (attractive, quaint, lovely) disappear in dust and litter as soon as you drive in. Nearby churches hold some interest though and are well worst a visit. Panagia Drossiani, one of the oldest and most important churches in the Balkans, is found on the right on the steep hill as you head towards the mountain village of Moni. Built between the 6th and 10th centuries BC it has rare wall paintings from the 9th century and has stunning views over the Tragea valley. Agia Drossiani
Panagia Drossiani
     
Filoti Naxos   Filoti  
    But for its position, the drab village of FILOTI would not be given a second glance. As it is, it rates highly in all the tourist guides mainly for the wonderful views down into the Tragea valley, stuffed solid with olive and fruit trees, and of Mount Za which, at just over 1000 metres, is the highest mountain on the island. The tiny church of Agios Iannis can be seen perched on the mountain opposite and there is reputed to be a path up to the Za summit - if you can find it let me know. Zeus was born in a cave on Mount Za, they say, but it is a two hour trek up steep and poorly marked tracks and all you get for your trouble is a small cave with a smaller inner chamber, two large stalagmites and heat-stroke. Filoti itself is little more than a single straight road on the side of the mountain - a tarmac terrace to take in the views. You leave the main road at your peril; dead end farm tracks are everywhere and signs non-existent. Filoti's long, narrow street is lined with shops selling everything from saucepans to bagged sheep fleeces. A few roadside cafes offer refreshments and some rickety tables and chairs under a large plane tree stand in for a village square. The village does have a nice church though, Panagia Filotitissa built in 1801 has some good icons, a marble screen and nicely carved bell tower. Mount Za
Filoti
   
Danakos Naxos   Danakos
    The road out of Filoti twists and turns around the slopes of Mount Za through terraced and rocky scenery with expansive views. A turn right takes you to DANAKOS - of no particular interest itself but a great jumping off point for more energetic walkers with paths to the fortified monastery at Fotodori or even the peak of Za itself from which you can see most of the Cycladean islands.
     
  Chimaros  
    Guide books often place the TOWER OF CHIMAROS near Filoti. In fact, it is a hefty drive south, partly along donkey tracks. The tower dates from the 4th century BC, has three stories and is enclosed within a square stone wall. It probably served as a lookout post in the years when pirates regularly raided the island. The track continues south to the sheltered beach at Kalanthos but few will find the journey worthwhile. Chimaros
Chimaros Tower
     
Apeiranthos Naxos   Apeiranthos  
    Perched precariously on the slopes of Mount Fanari with the valley below filled with olive and fruit groves APEIRANTHOS is one of the most attractive and interesting villages on the island. Wandering around the narrow marble streets, under archways, up whitewashed stone steps is a great delight. Small piazzas crop up unexpectedly, sometimes housing a small taverna or street cafe. The chimneys are eye-catching too and the village roofs are called 'the garden of strange flowers'. Local handicraft is on sale and much of it fine, local stuff. A women's co-operative sells gorgeous, if pricey, handwoven textiles and there is a clutch of museums to visit. The archaeology museum has Cycladic figurines and slate drawings while the museum of popular art has exquisite locally made artifacts. The museum of natural history is rather less well endowed with a few old bird nests, some bleached bones, pressed flowers and fish pickled in jars and all packed into a tiny room. More interesting stuff can be found in my bathroom. The village is noted for several varieties of cheese though the stuff I bought in the local shop had the texture, colour and consistency of marble. The local dialect is a mixture of Cretan and ancient Greek and the village has for some unaccountable reason produced a great number of intellectuals and politicians. Apeiranthos
Apeiranthos
     
Apollonas Naxos   Apollonas  
    A colossal stone statue or kouros, abandoned on the hillside around the 6th century BC. has turned the relatively remote seaside village of APOLLONAS into a tourist Mecca. The kouros is more than 10 metres from top to toe and cement steps have been built around it to provide easy access. Tour buses arrive in droves throughout the summer and tavernas and cafes have sprouted up on the wall around the small sand beach to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the visiting tourists. This was once, like Moutsouna, an emery exporting port until the trade died and now tourism is the main money spinner. The beach is very public, overlooked as it is by dozens of taverna tables (there is even a taverna called Baywatch) but has nice soft sand. To the west is a walk around the rocky headland to another beach, wilder and more private. Apollonas kouros
Apollonas kouros
     
Engares Naxos   Engares  
    The ENGARES VALLEY is noted for its beautiful fruit orchards and good walks. Fed by the river that rises inland at Keramouti it looks lush and green even in the height of summer. The valley is the site of the heavily fortified Ypsilotera monastery also known as Angelakopoulos castle. Agia Phanorema, built in the 17th century also has some fine icons and an important library. Engares valley
Engares
     
Sangri Naxos   Sangri  
    The huge Livadi plain runs down from the SANGRI plateau to the sea and is dotted with Byzantine chapels most of them from the 13th century. There are important archaeological sites all over this area but it is not always easy to find them as roads are poor and badly marked (when at all). To the south of Ano Sangri is the restored 6th century Temple of Demeter a real tribute to archaeologists who even dismantled a local Christian church that had been built from plundered temple stone. Sangri villages
Sangri
   



map naxos  

NAXOS MAP

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades at around 400 sq km, mountainous but with several large and fertile valleys. An abundance of spring water make it the greenest of islands even in high summer. This is seen particularly in the valleys. The Livadi plain to the south east is the main potato growing region but you will also find barley and even dairy cattle which provide milk for the island's noted cheeses. The rich farming has made Naxos self sufficient in produce and a small amount is even exported each year to neighbouring islands. Naxos is rich in marble and emery but decline in demand has pushed tourism to the fore as one of the island's big money spinners.
Mount Za, at just over 1000 metres, is the highest peak in the Cyclades and there are other peaks at Koronos and Fanara. The island population is around 18,000.

  Naxos map
   



weather naxos  

NAXOS WEATHER

   
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC TEMP (C)
10 11 14 16 20 23 26 26 24 20 16 14 Avg
     
Naxos weather
Naxos weather forecast
 
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC RAIN (cm)
8.2 6.0 3.8 2.0 1.3 0.3 0 0 0.8 3.0 5.5 8.1 Avg
    Long, hot summers are somewhat tempered by the meltemi which can blow pretty strongly in the high summer, especially on north facing beaches. Nevertheless rainfall is virtually non existent between mid-May and the end of August. In April and September prolonged rainfall is rare. While other Cyclades islands can look barren during the summer, Naxos manages to stay green, especially in the rich, fertile valleys, due to an abundance of natural spring water.
   



Naxos facts  

NAXOS FACTS

  Telephone +30 22850 Festivals
  Tourist: Police 22100
Tourist info: 24570
Port: 23939, 22300
Buses: 22291
Taxis: 22444
Health centre: 23333
Airport: 23292
May 5 Kindaros
June 29 Melanes
July 14 Agios Arsenios
July 26 Kindaros
Aug 6 Kourournotiori
Aug 14 Filoti for 3 days
Oct 20 Kindaros
Dec 6 Kindaros
       
       
    The beautiful Greek Islands are renowned for their spectacular scenery, magnificent mountainous backdrops, stunning sandy beaches and crystal clear waters.
Holidays to the Greek Islands are often most cherished for this combination of sunshine, warm waters and beaches set against truly wonderful scenery.
Whether it is a traditional beach holiday you would like or something with a little more history, you'll find that a break away to the Greek Islands is just the answer!
greek island
     
  Flying
    Nxos flights There are two or three flights a day from Athens depending on the time of year and several charters from London and Manchester. The airport has been built on the Livadi salt flats just south of the capitol Hora at the particular expense of local wildlife as a dyke was built to stop the regular sea flooding of the plain. Many visitors arrive by ferry however, either from Piraeus near Athens or having first flown to neighbouring Mykonos which serves as the main airport entrance to the Cyclades in general.
     
  Driving
    Naxos car Donkeys were, until relatively recently, the most reliable form of transport on all but the main roads in Naxos. Many roads were little more than a mess of potholed dirt tracks with signs that were either misleading or non-existent. Much has changed in recent years. Roads are now generally good and the signposting much better, not only for villages but for historical sites too. The coast road from Hora to Apollonas, in particular, has been surfaced and is now excellent as well as scenic. Roads can still be rough, however, with the Sangri villages still linked by dirt tracks and the south east of the island still suitable only for donkeys. What you won't run short of on Naxos are petrol stations. They have sprung up like the more famous windmills and the island appears peppered with petrol pumps. The only customers must be tourists and how the owners make a living is a mystery. At the last count there were 14 on the island with nine of them on the 20 km stretch from Hora to Filoti. It is worth shopping around for car deals as there can be a considerable difference in pricing, particularly in the high season. Excursion tours are not a bad way to see the island, especially to visit the kouros and west coast resorts. There are frequent regular bus services out of Hora, mainly to Agia Anna, Apeiranthos and Apollonas with occasional run to the more remote villages and to the west coast. The taxi rank is near the bus station in Hora.
     
  Sailing
    Naxos boat This is the only way to travel in Cyclades which is seething with ferry boats throughout the summer months. Many of the larger ones are luxurious with deep bucket seats, air conditioning, ever-open bars and surprisingly cheap ticket prices too. Throughout the summer there are daily sailings to the Athens port of Piraeus by at least five boats with connections three days a week to Rafina, just Northeast of Athens. Other regular connections include daily boats to Ios, Santorini, Paros, Amorgos, Mykonos, Tinos and Andros; sailings four times a week to Syros and Silanos; three times a week to Siphnos, Crete and Samos and once weekly to Astypalea. Add the daily excursions to island beaches, Mykonos and Delos and you can see why the harbour is such a bustling, busy place.
   



 

NAXOS PHOTO GALLERIES

   
   



naxos photos  

NAXOS SITES

    A personal pick of websites on Naxos
 
     
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A tourist holiday travel guide to the Greek island of Naxos