Naxos: Island Guide, Naxos Town, Beaches & Hotels

The island of Naxos

Naxos is the biggest of the Cyclades and one of the most varied, with an attractive port, long sandy beaches with dunes, and a fertile, green interior of old villages and ruins. Most visitors base themselves in Naxos Chora or nearby and drive out to the beaches by day, while the rest of the island stays much quieter. The food here is excellent almost everywhere, and because the island is large it is worth renting a car for a few days to see the mountain villages, the marble kouros statues and the remote southern beaches.

Naxos Town (Chora)

Naxos Town, officially Naxos and usually called Chora, is the ferry arrival point and the seat of both a Greek Orthodox bishop and a Roman Catholic archbishop. It has a lively waterfront of terraces, tavernas and shops, and behind it winding, often steep little streets of small white houses climb to the well-preserved Venetian Kastro, built on the old acropolis and still partly inhabited (entry 5 euro in 2014). Inside are a Roman Catholic cathedral and a large, interesting archaeological museum with finds from Naxos and the surrounding islands. Guarding the harbour on the islet of Palatia is the 6-metre marble Portara, a temple gateway of about 525 BC left unfinished after the fall of Lygdamis. You can look at the map of Naxos Chora to find your way.

The beaches of Naxos

The whole western coast south of the Chora is one long beach, miles of soft, broad sand backed here and there by dunes, and it counts among the best in the Cyclades. The nearest to town is the busy family beach of Agios Georgios; south of the airport come the larger sands of Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Golden Beach (a large naturist beach), Maragas, Plaka (mixed textile and naturist), Mikri Vigla, Kastraki, Alyki and Pyrgaki, with the remote Kalando and Rena further south. North of the Chora are quieter coves such as picturesque Abram, and on the east coast Moutsana and Lionas each have a beach. See the full guide to the beaches of Naxos.

The sights of Naxos

Naxos is scattered with ancient marble and old villages. Near Apollonas, 48 kilometres north of the Chora, a 10.5-metre, 30-tonne unfinished kouros lies in an ancient quarry, left behind when a flaw was found in the marble; a second, more detailed kouros of the 7th century BC rests near Melanes, 8 kilometres from the Chora. Apiranthos, 25 kilometres to the south-east, was founded in the 17th century by Cretans fleeing the Turks and has marble-paved streets, Venetian towers and a small museum. About 1.5 kilometres from Sangri stands the marble Temple of Demeter of 530 BC, still largely intact and later turned into a church, with a museum on the site. Old Byzantine churches with frescoes dot the island, among them Agios Mamas in Potamia. Read more in the Naxos sights guide.

Getting to Naxos & car rental

Naxos has good ferry connections across the Cyclades and to Amorgos and the small Cyclades, plus an airport 1 kilometre from the Chora. Because it is the biggest of the Cyclades, renting a car for a couple of days is worthwhile to reach the mountain villages, the kouros statues and the quieter beaches away from the Chora. Plan a trip to Naxos before you go.

Where to stay on Naxos

Below are two places we stayed; there are many more on the Naxos hotels page.

Acti Plaka, Plaka Beach

Acti Plaka sits right across from the wonderful sandy Plaka Beach, where swimwear is optional, at the end of a 2.5-kilometre quiet but well-driveable dirt road, where we spent a week. The setting, the quiet and the beach a stone's throw away made it a very pleasant stay, and there are umbrellas guests can borrow and good tavernas nearby. It is a family business run mainly by two sisters; we had two adjoining studios, each with a sea-view balcony, cleaned daily, with regular fresh towels and sheets and wifi, and they arranged a well-priced car on arrival.

Ikaros Studios, Naxos Town

Ikaros Studios is a family hotel open all year in a quiet corner near Naxos Town, 800 metres from the centre, 300 metres from Agios Georgios beach and only 1.5 kilometres from the airport. There is a garden and a pool, and every studio has a spacious bathroom, telephone, TV, radio, a fully equipped kitchen, fridge, air-conditioning, a safe and a big balcony. The staff are friendly and helpful, the studios are within easy walking distance of the centre yet out of the village noise, and a bakery nearby serves a good breakfast on its terrace.