Naxos – Greek Island Infatuation

Naxos is the largest and most fertile island in the Cyclades group, robed with pristine beaches on its coastline, and surrounded by blue Mediterranean beauty.  Inland there are ancient ruins, and traditional villages amphitheatrically cascading down the slopes of the mountains they nestle against.   According to Greek Mythology, the young Zeus was raised in a cave on Mt Zas ( ‘Zas’ meaning ‘Zeus’). The cave was in the centre of Naxos island, on the tallest peak in the Cyclades.  Naxos also happens to be conveniently located close to other Greek Islands and is a fantastic base to do some Greek Island hopping!

A little bit of history

People from the island of Naxos has been quarrying marble since ancient times, and continue to this day, for use in sculptures and other decorations. Ancient Naxians presented a solid marble sphinx, over 2 meters tall, in dedication to the Oracle of Delphi.  The remains of the original sphinx sit in the museum at the archaeological site of Delphi. A smaller replica of the Sphinx sits in Naxos front of the council buildings looking out over the harbour.

Inhabitants on the island of Delos also received a gift of Ancient Naxian marble. Several marble lions were sent to be presented as a gift to the god Apollo. These lions were placed as guardians to watch over the sacred lake.  The remains of the lions are on display in the Archaeological Museum on the island of Delos.  Ancient quarries can be found at various locations on the island. Some unfinished pieces like the Kouros of Appollanas can be found in these quarries.

Naxos Portara

We took one of the Greek Island Ferries from Santorini to Naxos.  These ferries are large, almost like a small cruise ship, and are a very comfortable way to travel around on your Greek Islands holiday.  One of the first things you see as you arrive into Naxos Port on the ferry is the massive marble Portara – a doorway to an unfinished, ancient temple.  Located on a small island at the entrance to Naxos harbour, you can reach the site by crossing over a long connecting causeway.

The Chora

Standing next to the Portara and looking back at the old town of Naxos provides a stunning view of the terraced whitewashed buildings that make up the chaotic labyrinth of streets known as the Chora. Navigating the streets may require the skills of an orienteer, but getting lost can be just as much fun.  Small alleys with twisting stone pathways skirt the base of the castle. They take you up and down past restaurants, cafés, bakeries, hundreds of cats, jewellery stores, and all manner of shops aimed at the tourist trade.

Where to stay on Naxos

We stayed at the Doron Hotel Delfini, which is about a 10 minute walk from the port. We were welcomed like relatives with fresh fruit and tea and coffee when we checked in. Each morning, a buffet breakfast was prepared for us. Fresh fruits, cereal, yoghurt and honey were on offer, as well as tea and coffee.  The hotel is an easy walking distance from the port, Agios Georgios beach, and restaurants, supermarkets and shops.

Life on this island flows by at a relaxed pace, which is wonderfully restorative. Meandering down to the Agios Georgios beach we occupied some deck chairs under a beach umbrella in front of a beachside café. Ordering drinks and snacks to consume at our leisure, we felt a bit like royalty. We spent our time alternating between swimming in the sea with the inquisitive fish, and just lying in the sun relaxing to the sound of the waves washing up against the sand.

Heading out in the evening we wandered along the edge of the port down towards the Portara.  We stopped at the “Relax” café to enjoy happy hour and some €5 cocktails, in the shade of an old tree, while we watched the sunset over the harbour.

The labyrinth

Later we walked back through the labyrinth and admired all the stores displaying their wares in the fairy-light streets.

There were so many eating options in Naxos.  Fine dining, and family-run businesses selling traditional Greek food. Cafés and take away food stores – including bakeries and ice cream shops, all have their place on Naxos. Needless to say that our full bellies required a lot of night time strolling around to aid with digestion.  (I will write a bit more about the restaurants we visited in a separate post)

Driving around Naxos

There are many bus tours that you can take around the island. However, we decided to hire a car. We wanted to drive around at our own pace to see the villages, visit the ruins and appreciate the scenery in general. After a leisurely start to the day, we set off at around 10 am and took the road up into the mountains in the direction of the Temple of Demeter, Chalki and Filoti.  We stopped for a late lunch at Apeiranthos, with afternoon coffee in Apollonas, then we found the Apollonas Kouros.  Finally winding our way back along the coast road, we returned to the main town of Naxos.

The roads were mostly in good condition, just somewhat narrower than ones we are used to in Australia.  The clutch in our manual hire car was on its way out. As a result, we had an incredibly scary incident leaving Apollonas with a very steep bit of road that the car just did not want to climb!! It may have added a few grey hairs to my collection. So word of advice to you is if you are thinking about hiring a car on Naxos, test the clutch out before you go too far away from the rental depot!

Greek name variations

Place names in Naxos often have two or three different spellings that all refer to the same location. (This is, interestingly, also the same in other places in Greece.) For example “Chalki”, is also “Chalkio” and “Halki”. It’s a little bit tricky in the beginning. The visitor map uses one spelling, and the road signs may use a different one, and odds are that google maps will have it different again! After a while, you learn to associate the different spelling variations, but at first, I didn’t know where we were going to end up!

Day trips from Naxos

We visited Naxos in the first week of October. While there were few tourists around, the sea was becoming almost too cold to enjoy swimming at the beaches.  Most of the Greek Island tours to neighbouring islands were also finished!  After searching through nearly every tour office on Naxos, I did manage to book a couple of the last tours for the season!   I enjoyed an island tour around the Naxos coastline and over to the small island of Koufanisi on a sailing boat called the “Penelope”. 

Then on the very last day of the season, I took another day trip to Delos and Mykonos on a Greek Island Ferry.   That was cutting it pretty fine.  I almost didn’t get to do the Greek Island Hopping that I had been dreaming about for months!  To be on the safe side, it would be better to plan your visit a couple of weeks earlier.

Amazing food, beautiful beaches, scenic mountains, traditional villages, ancient ruins, and at a relaxed pace to enjoy it all in.  If you haven’t been to Naxos, you should definitely plan a visit on your next trip to the Greek Islands.

[Affiliate Link – If you click the below Booking.com link and make a booking, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you.]

Booking.com

If you liked this post, please share the link with your friends, or pin the article on Pinterest.  As always, I appreciate your support!  Thank you for reading.