Never heard of Naxos? Don’t worry, either had I until I started to do some research into the gorgeous island located between Santorini and Mykonos. Naxos is often overshadowed by the more popular islands or it’s counterpart Paros.
While we were planning our trip to Greece I was trying to find a cost effective option of somewhere to stay between Mykonos and Santorini. While I absolutely loved those islands, I wanted a chance to escape the crowds a little bit as well.
Enter: Naxos.
While it is small, Naxos is actually the largest island in the cyclades island group. It’s also incredibly easy to get to from Santorini or Mykonos. With direct ferry options for both locations, it made our choice very simple in choosing Naxos.
The main town on the island is Chora, and likely where you’ll be staying as it had the most amount of options for hotels and Airbnbs. You don’t need to rent a car while you’re on the island although we did get an ATV to explore and had the best time doing so!
What to see
I won’t lie, before you visit Naxos you should really do your research. It was the one place I didn’t look into at all before arriving and regret it. Because it’s a smaller island you should have a plan to be able to maximize your time, especially if you’re traveling in off-peak season like we were.
Apollo Temple
This is the most obvious and popular thing to do in Naxos. Sitting slightly outside of Chora on the water is the mysterious Apollo Temple. History has it, the spot used to be a site for a temple but was later removed. However, the doorframe was so heavy that no one could move it and so it was left. Today it acts as the perfect frame over Chora and a beautiful spot to visit.
On your way down from the temple, you’ll be greeted with the infamous view of Naxos. This is the view that convinced me to visit Naxos during our 10 days in Greece. If you go earlier in the morning you’ll have the place to yourself, although compared to the other popular spots in Greece, this place was relatively empty.
Kouros: the marble giants
The one thing I did learn about Naxos is that the island is actually famous for its marble. If only I had known this while we were renovating! As we toured the interior of the island, we couldn’t help but notice all of the marble being excavated and just how much of it there was!
The marble giants were one of the first stops on our tour. You had to find your own way a bit but there were signs here and there directing you where to go. It was a bit underwhelming if I’m being honest but an interesting place to see if you like history.
Filoti: pit stop for lunch
One of the most beautiful little towns we came across on our trip was Filoti. It wasn’t very big and the main street looked as if it had quite a few abandoned buildings but once you got to the centre of things it was gorgeous.
We found the perfect little spot for lunch. A restaurant (the name escapes me now) with an outdoor terrace, beautiful vines overhead and a quaint view of a courtyard in front. We had traditional Greek meals before hopping on our ATV and venturing off some more.
Apeiranthos
This small village is one of the cutest towns I’ve visited. Set on the foothill of mountain Fanari it’s quite the climb to get to but it’s totally worth it. There’s a parking lot just outside of the village making it easy to stop off quickly on your tour around the island.
There are a number of delicious-looking restaurants you can top off at on your way through. Being short on time we, unfortunately, didn’t take advantage, instead, we spent our time wandering through the quiet streets taking photos.
Demeter Temple
This temple, dated back to 6th century B.C. is made of some of the finest marble found in Naxos. It’s now set almost in the middle of nowhere, set among farmland and rolling hills. It was like visiting the Acropolis without the insane crowds, and perhaps a little smaller. In fact, besides one couple (briefly) we were the only people there.
You don’t need too much time walking around to see the temple in all of its glory but it definitely something you’ll want to see if you plan on visiting Naxos.
Naxos old town
The town of Naxos itself is really quite beautiful. We spent the last couple of hours wandering around the small winding streets. It actually surprised me how many twists and turns there were because it’s really quite unassuming from below.
The one thing I loved as well were how many cats there were wandering around waiting to be pet. It was all just so charming. It was a great spot to hang out between the craziness of Mykonos and Santorini.
What to do
I’ll be honest, we didn’t go to Naxos for the plethora of activities. Sure it’s a great chill beach spot but you won’t find the same kinds of things to do as Mykonos, Santorini or even Athens.
That being said, we decided to rent an ATV for about $60 and venture around the island. The roads were not very busy so we felt pretty safe driving around. Getting to see everything on the island in a couple of hours was definitely worth the money spent!
We also spent the majority of our time just walking around. Whether it was in Naxos itself or some of the other smaller towns we ventured to on our excursion.
Plus, you can’t beat all of the delicious food and restaurants they have in the area. If there’s nothing else to do there, you can eat and drink your heart out that’s for sure!
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