By on 12-09-2014
Lying in the heart of the Aegean Sea and offering breathtaking landscape, Naxos is one of the most popular islands of Cyclades. You can easily hop from Athens on one of the many available ferries to naxos and enjoy your stay on this Greek island of wonderful beauty.
No doubt you will be mesmerized by the stunning scenery that Naxos has to offer: towering mountains, lush gorges and fertile valleys surround long golden beaches with crystal-clear waters and quaint little villages.
Beaches
After getting off the ferries to Naxos, travelers are spread around the beaches of the island, where most accommodations are found. Naxos has a wide selection of beaches to suit all tastes. The western side of the island is the most developed for tourists, while the eastern side remains unspoiled, offering wild natural beauty.
Plaka is the longest beach of the island extending for 4km of soft golden sand and lined up with sun beds and umbrellas. There, you will relax completely as you swim in the quiet, pure sea and look at the amazing view of the opposite island of Paros. Another magical beach is Mikri Vigla, fully organized and ideal for windsurfing and kite surfing.
Other stunning beaches of the western side include Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, and Orkos. The eastern side of Naxos also has nice beaches, but more secluded and windy.
Villages
Apart from fantastic beaches, Naxos Cyclades also has lovely villages with special architecture, especially in the countryside. Naxos Town, also known as Chora, is the capital and main port of the island where all ferries to Naxos arrive. Due to the long Venetian occupation in the Medieval times, Chora has a strong Venetian style with narrow, cobbled streets and sophisticated towers.
Perched on the mountain, Apiranthos is a traditional village with many interesting museums, marble alleys, stone houses and small squares. Filoti, Sangri, Koronos and Potamia are other traditional villages in the countryside of Naxos, surrounded by hiking trails and interesting monuments.
Top sightseeing
An island with long history and rich culture, there are plenty of sights to visit in Naxos. The trademark of the island, Portara, is an imposing marble gate that is the only remain from the 6th century BC temple of Apollo. It is located at the entrance of the town port and the first thing that passengers on ferries to Naxos see upon arriving on the island.
A walk around Kastro, the oldest quarter of Naxos Town, is like a trip to the past. Nice sights to visit around the island are the many Venetian towers spread here and there, the ancient Temple of Demeter in Sangri, the two Kouros Statues (one in Melanes and the other in Apollonas) and the Byzantine Church of Panagia Drossiani.
Ferries to Naxos
There are daily and frequent ferries to Naxos from Piraeus port and Rafina, the two ports of Athens. These ferries to Naxos also stop in other Cycladic islands, such as Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Syros and more, connecting them to each other.
Every day (except Monday) there is also a small local ferry, the legendary Express Skopelitis, that runs the schedule from Naxos to Donoussa, Schinoussa, Iraklia, Koufonisia and Amorgos with return on the same day.
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