Naxos Tips & Facts

Naxos is the biggest island in Cyclades and has a population of 20.000 permanent people, 10.000 are living in Naxos town and the rest are spread in the 25 alive villages of the island. All villages are located in the inland (mountains or farm alleys) apart from Apollonas which is the only seaside village in the northern part of the island. North winds are very common throughout the year!

There are 3 main areas of interest:
1st. the town which is better from the sunset and after, the day can be hot and busy, during the siesta time it can be completely empty while the island has got many things to offer outside the town during the day.
2nd. the famous south part beaches.
3rd. the inland with the most popular spot to be the mountain of Zeus (1004m), the highest point of all central Aegean Sea.

For your morning breakfast or coffee, you have 3 options to choose from. You can either go to the cafeterias on Saint George beach or the ones at the central (court’s square) or at the port road. There is a great selection of nice cafeterias in all these areas and you can also choose from the list we have prepared for you but you can also find many more. If you just want to grab a pie or other traditional delicacies there are many neighborhood bakeries. After 11 am max the town gets hot and busy so is time to leave, you have 2 main options, either you will go relax on the beaches at the south part of the island, or explore and hike at some of the villages that are located in the inland of the island! If you do not have your own vehicle, we strongly suggest you get one at least for a day because you will see more things. Naxos has more than 100 rental offices for cars/scooters/ATVs. The ones we suggest more than 20 years now without any complaint are:
Acrogiali tours
Naxos FunCar
Naxos Vision
They can deliver your vehicle to the port/airport/Margo
Public transportation in Naxos is also very convenient, for always updated info about the schedule of the buses click here.

Having Naxos as a base you can visit the islands around in 2 ways. The first option is with the conventional ferries, you have to visit www.openseas.gr which shows exact destinations from each island to program it. We have more than 50 boats per day connecting with the rest islands. Alternatively, with one of the cruise boats that perform daily trips to Amorgos, Santorini, Delos, Mykonos and the small Cyclades (Koufonisi, Irakleia, Donousa). There are several companies, but you cannot reserve in advance, you can reserve only from the port tourist agents when you are here. The reason is that these ships are not very big and their schedule can easily be canceled by the port authorities depending on weather conditions (strong winds). A daily sailing trip is very popular and very entertaining. There are about 15 sailing boats, all located on the main port road and you reserve your place directly with the owners while you are here, you also cannot reserve in advance. You can find them after 7 pm every day when they return!

Little before the sunset, the only place to be is in the town to admire the sunset through Portara (Temple of Apollo). Again you are more than welcome in the reception for an espresso or a cold beer before you go out!  The nightlife of Naxos is really promising, there are a whole host of clubs and late-night bars where you can go out and party. The vast majority of them are concentrated in Chora. Clubs in Naxos do not open until about midnight and generally stay open until seven in the morning. Start your evening by watching the sun go down at one of the many cafeterias which line the waterfront of Naxos Town, continue with clubbing in one of the big clubs located in the Grotta road, coastal street and the old town. It is not rare to receive invitations for parties or theme nights which are often organized by the clubs themselves. Do not miss to take advantage of them and it is sure that you will enjoy yourself.

In the town, you will move on foot. For the first 3 beaches, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna and Plaka you can move easily by bus, for the rest a car, scooter 125cc or an ATV 250cc (needs car driving license) can move you all over the island.

The best thing that Naxos is known for is for the beaches, it has got really nice beaches and the second is the food. So, food is part of the experience and Naxos apart from its own agricultural and meat production has got also very affordable restaurants & local taverns!

Rent a vehicle at least for a day or two, to visit the interior and farther beaches. The ideal is to have a vehicle for all the days, especially at the low season where rates are very low. If you drive a scooter it is the best option, the next best is a quad ATV, they are much more convenient for traffic and parking especially during the high season. We personally own a quad ATV and we can admit that it is so fun. Furthermore, when renting make sure you can access google maps or something similar because it will make your ride easier.

The island is also very bicycle-friendly. If you like cycling, you can follow unique routes with very beautiful landscapes. Imagine that a distance of 30 km from the town till Alyko beach is almost flat. For good bikes check NaxosBikes. We do not suggest though, bicycling to non-experienced users or bicycling as a transportation vehicle.

Naxos is more similar to Crete rather than to Santorini. Even the myth of Ariadne shows the historical relations of these 2 islands. According to the myth, Ariadni the daughter of the king of Crete Minos had been stolen and left in Naxos from Thiseas the son of King of Athens Aegean. She then was collected from God Apollo and in order to honor him, she built the temple of Apollo from which only the door that dominates the port of Naxos has been saved and is there for 3500 years. This myth also symbolizes the collapse of the Minoan (Cretan) civilization and the rise of the Athenian civilization in Greece.

Do not stay all the days on the coastline; you must visit the inland to have a complete vision of the island. Get a vehicle. In our opinion, this is the most entertaining thing to do, the landscape changes so many times unexpectedly that you do not want to stop, you want to see what comes next.

Naxos nightlife is not as famous as Mykonos for example. However, as we have seen many times you can go to a big club with 10.000 people and have not a good night while in a small bar in Naxos with 10-20 people to have the night of your life, so do not stay in at night.

Do not spend so much time looking for information about Naxos, the guide that we have prepared for you and you are reading right now will get you immediately familiarised with our island.
The only that is worth visiting is the section of activities on TripAdvisor, it is very accurate and maybe you can find something that you always wanted to do. Is a “must-read” prior to your arrival, from windsurfing and snorkeling to horse riding and Greek lesson cooking, there is something for everyone!

To sum up, Naxos is an island that during the day you can explore at the villages and mountains or relax at the rejuvenating beaches in a beautiful landscape and during the evening, the town is the place to be, walking into the castle area and the port road, restaurants and shops are open until 3 am and most bars and clubs till the daylight!

When traveling by boat use myshiptracking.com to track your boat and get an accurate arrival time. The boats that are reaching the Greek islands normally arrive and depart immediately, hence expect that arrival and departure time is the same.

Naxos Airport: +30 22850 23292
Police Station: +30 22850 22100
Archaeological Museum: +30 22850 22725
Naxos Municipality: +30 22850 22712, 22717, 25316
Sub Prefecture: +30 22850 24695
Hospital: +30 22850 23550
Bus Station: +30 22850 22291
Port Authority: +30 22850 22300
Olympic Airways: +30 22850 23292
Taxi Station: +30 22850 22444, 24331