Naxos: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 35 - 115 Pension Sofi
 Situated in the picturesque Naxos Town, Hora, with a view of the Venetian Castle, family-run Pension Sofi is just 200 metres from Grotta Beach and 600… MoreEUR 25 - 70 Pension Philoxenia
 Pension Philoxenia is a beachfront hotel on Naxos Island with a panoramic view of the sea. Rooms have a balcony, fridge, and TV.
The Saint George bea… MoreEUR 30 - 150 Pension Irene 2
 Conveniently located near the centre of Naxos Town and the beach of St George, Pension Irene II offers a range of studio accommodation and apartments … MoreEUR 18 - 65 Pension Verykokkos
 A short walk from the beach of Agios Georgios in Naxos Town, Pension Verykokkos offers rooms with free wireless internet.
Pension Verykokkos offers a… MoreEUR 90 - 250 Porto Naxos
 Porto Naxos hotel is located within walking distance of Agios Georgios beach and Naxos Town.The hotel has plenty of quality facilities in order to kee… MoreEUR 50 - 330 Princess Of Naxos
 Princess Of Naxos is ideally located a few minutes’ walk from the town centre, only steps away from the beach front. The hotel offers free parking a… MoreEUR 22 - 180 Poseidon Hotel
 This centrally located hotel in Naxos’ capital is 80 metres from the blue-flag St. George beach. It features a welcoming café-bar, a satellite-TV l… MoreEUR 25 - 120 Pension Irene 1
 This homely 2-star pension is situated in a quiet area just 400 metres from the beach Agios Georgios and 200 metres from the centre of town.
Pensio… MoreEUR 40 - 245 Paradisia Villas
 Offering a spectacular view of the Aegean Sea and the Gate of the Ancient Temple of Apollo, Paradisia Villas are located 800 metres from the town cent… MoreEUR 60 - 200 Naxos Resort Beach Hotel
 The 3-star Naxos Resort Beach Hotel, built a few metres from the endless sandy beach of St. George in Naxos, incorporates the local Cycladic and Venet… MoreEUR 39 - 100 Naxos Holidays
 Naxos Holidays Hotel is a traditional Cycladic style, centrally located, within walking distance of Naxos- Town (Chora) and the beautiful beach of Ag.… MoreEUR 25 - 85 Nastazia Village
 Nastazia Village is a small hotel located in Chora, the main city of Naxos, with Agios Georgios beach nearby.
Nastazia Village offers clean and simp… MoreEUR 26 - 90 Naxos Sun Studios
 Naxo Sun studios are situated in the area of Koti, 800 meters from the centre of Naxos Town (Chora), and just 300 meters from the beautiful beaches of… MoreEUR 18 - 95 Oniro Studios
 Located in Naxos Town, the Cycladic-styled Oniro Studios are just 150 metres from famous Agios Georgios sandy beach. Rooms feature private balconies w… MoreEUR 23 - 72 Pansion Anna Maria
 Located in the old town of Naxos, under the castle, this small, cosy hotel has a spectacular view of the traditional monastery of Agios Chrisostomos. … MoreEUR 38 - 120 Panorama Hotel
 This hotel is ideally located on the slope side of the Venetian Castle, right in the heart of the old city.
Panorama uniquely combines the peacefuln… MoreEUR 25 - 100 Saint George Hotel
 Saint George Hotel in Naxos Island, is perfectly situated on the golden sandy beach of Saint George Bay in Naxos Town, just 10 meters from the sea.
T… MoreEUR 10 - 110 Saint Vlassis Studios
 Saint Vlassis Studios are situated in a quiet and peaceful area, only 700 metres from the Main Square and 400 metres from the beach.
The traditionall… MoreEUR 36 - 130 Sun Beach Hotel
 Hotel Sun Beach is perfectly situated a few steps from the beautiful, shallow water Agios Georgios Beach in Naxos Town.
The spacious studios and 2-ro… MoreEUR 35 - 90 Summer Memories Studios
 Set in lovely gardens, the Summer Memories Studios offer sea-view accommodation coupled with free transfer to the port/airport upon arrival and depar… MoreEUR 25 - 95 Studios Stratos
 Studios Stratos are beautifully situated 50 metres from the famous and magnificent sandy beach of Saint George in Naxos Town and only 100 metres from … MoreEUR 30 - 105 Taki´s Place
 Takis Place is situated in the heart of Naxos town, just a few minutes walk from the well-known beach of St. George. Guests enjoy a lovely courtyard a… MoreEUR 17 - 55 Vakhos
 Centrally located in Naxos Town, hotel Vakhos provides easy access to Agios Georgios Beach. It features a terrace and offers free public Wi-Fi and air… MoreEUR 20 - 62 Windmill Naxos
 This cosy apartment complex is ideally situated just 200 metres from the beach and 300 metres from the town centre and provides a comfortable and func… MoreEUR 25 - 95 Venetiko Apartments
 Venetiko Apartments are located in the heart of Naxos Old Town, right next to the medieval Venetian Castle.
Venetiko offers a range of self-catered a… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Naxos: Guide
Naxos is one of the major islands in Greece's Cyclades group.
Understand
The largest and most fertile of the Cyclades Islands, Naxos in fact gains much of its income from agriculture rather than solely from tourism. The main town, referred to as 'Hora' on maps, but also as simply 'Naxos' or 'Naxos Town', contains most of the shops and restaurants frequented by visitors. A number of beach communities extend south along the coast from Hora.
Talk
English, Italian and German are very common, as well as French.
Get in
Naxos is about 5 1/2 hours by regular ferry from Piraeus, and about 1 1/2 hours by regular ferry from Santorini.
By sea
Naxos is a central hub in the sea transport system, and enjoys multiple connections in all directions. and highspeed catamaran services run daily from Piraeus.
The cheapest lines is , but there are many others like or GA ferries.
By air
operates a daily service from Athens.
Get around
Within town walking is the best method of transport. Bus services do operate between the towns, and car and motorbike rentals are readily available; however, be very careful to fully document all dents and even scratches at the time of hire to avoid additional expense and unpleasantness later (You've been warned!) -- and even this may not save you from hassles later.
See
Naxos has wonderful beaches, some with the winds necessary for prime windsurfing. It also has a mountainous interior with sights to see and a road system which makes inland destinations easily reachable.
Do
The 'Castro' (old walled city) section, on its elevated ground overlooking the harbour, provides some of the quietest and most photogenic alleyways to be found in the town. It survives from the days when Naxos was an outpost of the Venetian empire.
Daytime activities center around the beaches, especially those to the south of town. Naxos beaches, like those on many Greek islands, offer clothing options. Generally, nude sunbathing is more frequently encountered in southern beach communities that have sand dunes blocking the view from the access road -- such as in Plaka.
Truly ancient ruins are pretty much limited to the stone gateway visible from the harbor area and a rather modest half-finished statue uncovered in a quarry along the northern coast.
Eat
The best restaurant in Naxos is "O ΓΙΩΡΓΗΣ"(George's Restaurant)in Melanes Village (tel.2285062180) just 7 km outside Hora, offering the best that Naxos has to offer as far as food is concerned. But many choices are presented. There are also supermarkets on the outskirts of Hora which offer food and drink at everyday prices. As many rooms come complete with cooking facilities, this offers an excellent way to keep expenses down.
The quaint, historic village of Aperathou is also a great place to eat.
Naxos is famous in Greece for its potatoes.
Otherwise, greek specialities like moussaka, souvlaki and a wonderfully mild feta are available in restaurants. The olive oils one encounters are superior to the 'light virgin' stuff so common at home, in that the local process apparently leaves in much more olive flavor.
Drink
Naxos is famous for producing its own liqour called kitron, made from an exotic fruit which can be compared perhaps to lemons (lime?), though kitron's taste is pleasantly sweet and citric. More common with the locals is a drink called "raki" which in winter is served hot with honey.
Sleep
As on most islands, a phalanx of touts greets each arriving ferry waiving placards advertising rooms for rent and (usually) offering free transport. In the months of July and August one might be advised to book in advance; but otherwise, these immediately available rooms are often the best value. Bargaining is usually possible. Be sure and establish the location of the accomodations first -- as distance can add to expense.
About 1.5 km from Naxos town you'll find .
Even better is Plaka Camping (7 euros per person and 2 euros for a tent in 2005) south of Agia Anna. It's quiet, clean, and has a cheap restaurant (plates from 3,5 euros).
Maragas Camping, near Agia Anna, isn't recommended.
If you want to stay in Naxos town, we suggest (from 8 euros per person), a friendly family run hotel located in the Saint George beach, only a 2 minutes walk from Naxos town centre.
In the heart of the old town, just a breath away from the Venetian Castle, we suggest ,a hospitable family run hotel well known for its spectacular sea view and warm and friendly atmosphere.
For family accommodation our recommendation is , with pool and garden, located near the Saint George beach and very close to the Naxos town center.
Also you can stay in Saint Prokopios beach. We suggest (from 10 euros per person) or .
Get out
Offices selling tickets for ferries in all directions can be found along the quay in Hora. Ferries from Pireaus to Naxos are frequent, as many as half a dozen a day during the summer but generally two or more. The length of the trip does not require a cabin. Blue Star Lines is the most common carrier between Pireaus and Naxos. The ferry takes about 6 hours and the high-speed takes half that time and costs twice as much. Usually there are several departures at 7:30am every day and then a high-speed and ferry at around 5pm and in the summer a ferry that leaves Pireaus at around 10pm. The Hellas Flying Dolphin High-speeds are catamarans and take about 4 hours to get to Naxos from Pireaus.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Naxos". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.