Naxos is one of the most attractive and beautiful of the Greek Islands. It harmoniously combines a majestic mountain beauty with the intensively Naxos Town - Hora cultivated agricultural plains, lush valleys of citrus and olive groves, pastel coloured coastal plains, kilometres of sweeping golden sands and unspoilt villages. More than 40 kilometres of beaches, more than 40 traditional villages, 500 churches, monuments, archaeological sites, beautiful drive on the mountains, fertile valleys make Naxos Island one of the best holiday destinations in Greece. In contrast to most of the Cyclades is Naxos really green and variegated. In gorges and dales also cypresses are growing, near the sea Tamarisks and reed.

For someone to really get to know Naxos, he must visit the inland areas, the mountain villages, to walk the paths which crisscross the island, to listen to the violin and the lute at one of the local festivals and to get drunk on the island's energy.

Villages in Naxos

Naxos Island has many villages to visit and most of them have their own distinct character and style. Walk through their small pathways and corridors and get a glimpse into traditional village life in real time. Most of them are home of significant sites, museums, monuments and other places of interest such as Byzantine churches, monasteries and Venetian towers.

Most of the villages in Naxos Island are in the middle and the north of the island. There are many routes to choose from, and for the adventure lovers there are many walking paths to discover olive groves, forests, caves, ravines.

Potamia Village is a group of three beautiful villages in a fertile valley. Melanes is close to Potamia and it is the place to see the huge statue of Kouros. Apeiranthos or T'Aperathou is a pretty village on the slops of Mount Zas at 650m altitude. Koronos, a stepped village is is one of the most beautiful villages in Naxos Island. Keramoti is a very attractive village full of walnut trees and surrounded by mountains. Halki or Tragea once administrative centre, is a beautiful village with long history. Filoti is nice village, sourrounded by olive groves and settled on the flank of Zas mountain. Sagri with its ancient monuments, Byzantine Churches, Venetian castles is one of the interesting places in Naxos. Galini and Eggares are traditional, quiet and peaceful villages in the verdant Galini - Eggares Valley.

Naxos Beaches

Naxos Island has some of the very best beaches in Greece. Saint George is the beach of  Naxos Town (Hora).  It is located in the so named bay and it stretches almost one kilometre to the south. Agios Prokopios is a fine sand beach located south the headland of Stelida peninsula.  Agia Anna, the next cove south is a beautiful resort with small port for the fishing boats and the yachts. South of Agia Anna is Plaka beach, one of the best on the island, an almost five kilometre stretch of fine sand and almost uninhabited in the southern part of it. Further south are Mikri Vigla and Kastraki beaches. Further still, Pyrgaki, is the last stop of the coastal bus route. In Pyrgaki there are three coves.

Driving further to the south -5 kilometres unpaved road from Pyrgaki beach, Agiassos is a lesser known bay with sand and shallow sea. On the north-west part of the island, Abraam (or Abram) is an 150 metres of sand and cobble in a sheltered cove. Apollon (sand and pebbles) at the north end of the island is a popular destination for day trippers or for those who wish tranquility and relaxation. Moutsouna at the east side of Naxos has sand and further south of Moutsouna are Psili Ammos and Panormos Bay both uncrowded with fine sand.

Getting to Naxos

Getting to Naxos Island it's very easy, there is a frequent service from and to Piraeus (Athens port) and many other Greek Islands, such as Santorini (international airport) and Mykonos (international airport), plus schedules from Rafina Port east of Athens.

It takes 3.5 hours for a Highspeed (Catamaran) from Piraeus to Naxos and 5-6 hours by ferry.

There are also 1-3 flights from Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) and flight time is just 30-35 minutes.