Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades. Whether you want to explore, swim, hike or just relax, Naxos got you covered. The majority of the population is saturated in the captial of the island, Chora. Other villages are located in various parts of the island, with mountainous areas in between. That's right – if you want to explore the island, you would either have to rent a vehicle of some sort or travel by bus – and we would recommend the former as the buses are not frequent and not really reliable. Besides mountains, Naxos feautures beautiful beaches with shallow water.
Fun fact: almost all roads are one-way.
We arrived at midnight and our host picked us up at the port and tranferred us to the Hotel Rea. It had a perfect location with just 3 min of walk to the closest (and the biggest) two-storey Spar supermarket, 2 min to the closes bakery (Prokopis Bakery), 5 min to the Agios Georgios beach and 15 min to the port.
Hotel Rea
We had our semi-basement room generously upgraded to a room with a large private balcony. The room was cleaned every day and the host was always happy to help.
It was a huge pain in the butt that we were unable to rent a 125cc motorcycle so our movement was very limited and we were unable to exlore the island in all its glory. Also if renting, we would recommend you to rent a car as you have an AC, but keep in mind that streets are narrow so pick up a small car if possible.
Apart from restaurants you can also enjoy typical gyros at your own terrace (Naxos grill offers take-away service) or if that is not your style there is also a delicios gyros in a wonderful ambient of Elisabeth's garden restaurant.
Our most visited attraction. Really. Daily we visited it. Mostly because we hadn't checked the newest bus schedules.
But to be serious. Apollo Temple is a huge gate and a single remaining part of the unfinished Apollo temple and has become the island's main landmark. It is located at the entrance to Naxos harbour and can be accessed by a stone path, surrouded with sea on each side.
It can be visited at all times of the day (and belive us – we practiced that). We would say that it is the most beautiful either at sunrise or sunset in either golden or blue hour (but would recommend to visit it in the morning as it is really crowded at the sunset).
Apollo Temple
Naxos features numerous sandy beaches with blue shallow sea. We visited Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios and the beach on the south-western side of Apollo Temple.
The former is loved by surfers due to strong winds, big waves and a warm shower. (Beware: there are stones in the middle of shallow sea!) The second one is one of the most beautiful we have seen. It can be reached by bus (ticket costs 1,60 €). And the latter? It is fairly close to our accommodation and just next to the main bus station. That makes it a perfect location if you miss a bus! All jokes aside, the sea is perfect for swimming – it is not too shallow, not wavy, has zero unexpected stones under the surface and there's even a warm shower.
Agios Prokopios
Chora has only 6000 residents, but due to many tourist-focused accommodation facilities, it is quite wide.
The architecture style of the city is completely different from that of Mykonos. There are no rounded corners or fancy blue accents. But it is still a unique experience walking it. Highlights include the port, the Naxos Old Market and the coastline that sould definitely be walked.
Church of Saint Nicodemus
Other than Chora there are also few villages worth visiting. Those would include Filoti and Chalki.
There is pristine culture preserved and the people are just so friendly. Take a break from busy Chora and go for a lunch in a more silent place.
Filoti from Agia Marina
View from the top of Mount Zas
The Mount Zas, also known as the mountain of Zeus, is 1006 m high and is the highest point of Cyclades.
It can be accessed via two different paths, one going by Zeus Caves and the other starting at Agia Marina (2 h round-trip). The one we took ran across clearly marked goat paths. It is recommended to start early in the morning to avoid heat waves and direct sun – if bus time-tables allow you to do so. Luckily for us, a cool shade was covering the first half of the path. The upper half is exposed to strong winds, so you may want to bring a hat or something to cover your ears.
We took a 40-minute bus from Chora main bus station to Agia Marina (3,10 € a ticket). Be prepared for bus delays. Also, there's no bus stop sign, so remember where the bus left you.
Church of Agia Marina
Gyros plate
Dessert
The first day we ate in Plinthos taverna which was located close to Apollo Temple. The food was delicious and reasonably priced (~7 € a dish).
At the end we were surprised with a local dessert.
Other days we ate at Maro's taverna which was just 5 minutes away. The food was delicious and the portions were huuuge (Rosto pork could easily be split between both of us). The prices were about 8 € a dish.
Also owners are really friendly and you may ask them about their recommendations for local dishes.
Hernoudaki & Rosto pork in tomato sauce
Pastitsio & Gyros platter