Naxos in 3 days

The Cyclades' biggest island: Portara sunsets, marble villages and endless sandy west coast. Best time to visit: May-June and September. Average daily budget: $100 to $180 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Chora (Naxos Town), Harbour, Venetian kastro lanes, Portara and the island's best restaurants and ferries.

Morning: Naxos beaches. Work down the west coast from Agios Prokopios to Plaka, Mikri Vigla and Alyko.

Afternoon: Explore Chora (Naxos Town), Harbour, Venetian kastro lanes, Portara and the island's best restaurants and ferries.

Evening: Portara at sunset. Walk the causeway to the giant marble temple doorway above the harbour.

Eat: Graviera Naxou, the island's protected gruyere-style cheese

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: Agios Prokopios & Agia Anna, The main beach strip minutes from town, sandy, shallow and well served by hotels.

Morning: Mountain village loop. Drive Halki, Filoti and Apeiranthos for kitron tasting, churches and marble lanes.

Afternoon: Explore Agios Prokopios & Agia Anna, The main beach strip minutes from town, sandy, shallow and well served by hotels.

Evening: Kouros of Apollonas. See the unfinished 10-metre marble statue lying in its ancient quarry.

Eat: Naxos potatoes, famously grown for the whole of Greece

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Plaka & Mikri Vigla, Long dune-backed sands with kite and windsurfing at the southern end.

Morning: Alyko's abandoned hotel covered in cedar-forest street art, above an empty beach.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Plaka & Mikri Vigla, Long dune-backed sands with kite and windsurfing at the southern end.

Evening: The Temple of Demeter at Sangri, a quiet restored marble sanctuary in farmland.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Rosto, pork slow-cooked in tomato and wine

Hidden gems

Alyko's abandoned hotel covered in cedar-forest street art, above an empty beach.
The Temple of Demeter at Sangri, a quiet restored marble sanctuary in farmland.
Moutsouna on the east coast, with the old emery cable line running above the bay.
Kitron liqueur tasting at the Vallindras distillery in Halki, unchanged since 1896.

Getting around

Naxos has a small airport with flights from Athens, but most people arrive by ferry from Piraeus, Mykonos or Santorini. Chora is walkable and buses connect the main west-coast beaches and larger villages, though schedules thin out inland. A rental car is the best way to see the mountain villages, Apollonas and remote beaches; roads are paved but winding. Water taxis link nearby beaches in summer.

Safety

Naxos is very safe, with the usual island cautions rather than crime concerns. The meltemi wind can make west-coast swimming choppy and is strong enough to affect small ferries in July and August. Mountain driving involves narrow bends and occasional goats, and mopeds slip easily on gravel. Hiking Mount Zas needs early starts, real shoes and plenty of water in summer heat.

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