Naxos is the largest and greenest island of Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. This island has been inhabited since 5.000 BC and carries a vast amount of history on its shoulders. You will get a hint of the cultural inheritance just by noticing the amount of ancient Greek ruins, old churches and monasteries and the Venetian castles and homes.

Contrast to Mykonos or Santorini, the local economy is based on agriculture, fishing, local traditional products and mining. As a result of that you might not get the summer wild party theme here rather you will get to experience authentic Greek Culture. In a few words Naxos is about tons of history, food, sun and fun on its amazing beaches and Greek culture!

Getting There

To reach Naxos you would have to get a ferry from the port of Piraeus. There are plenty of ferries you can catch on a daily basis which take about 6 hours to arrive. Alternatively you can get one of the high-speed jets which might be a bit more costly but take half the time to arrive, about 3 hours. A third choice from the port of Piraeus would be to catch a flying dolphin catamaran which takes about 4 hours to arrive.

Getting Around Naxos is a big island so you would have to use means of transportation if you would like to explore there some more. The island does have a local bus network and taxi services, however renting a car or bike will grand you more flexibility in discovering the land of Naxos!

Where to Stay

Naxos has a big variety of hotels to suit the needs of all its visitors of varying size, style and quality. You can book a room in the main town of Naxos or at one of the seaside towns. A nice option would be to book a room at the beach of Agios Georgios because not only is it developed with all the facilities a tourist would look for but also because it is a 5 minute walk from the center of capital Naxos town.

Local Specialties If there is one thing that you cannot miss the local products! First of all Naxos is known for the varieties of cheese they produce. From hard and soft cheese varieties made of a mixture of goat and sheep milk to varieties made of local cow milk. The secret behind the flavor is the pureness of the ingredients they use and of the thousands-of-years-old local cheese-making techniques. Make sure you try the soft cheese «glikia mizithra» which is ideal for a sodium free diet and also low in calories. Famous for their quality local agricultural products include: potatoes, onions, wine, olives, olive oil, raki and the Citron fruit. Citron is an ancient fruit variety that resembles to a lemon. It is 3 times the size of a regular lemon with a thicker skin and much more acidic. Another famous local product of Naxos is that of Citron liqueur, which you can find in two versions a green and a yellow.

Beaches

Naxos is blessed with a number of very wide beaches most whom have received award for the cleanness and organization. One of the main beaches is Agios Georgios which has developed into touristic area with many hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. At this place you will find facilities for water sports such as windsurfing and considering that it is rather shallow it is a good choice for families.

If you prefer a quieter option then the beaches of Agios Prokopis and Agia Anna would be a good choice, where you can rent umbrellas and sunbed. Another beach which is praised for its natural beauty is Plaka, which is about 5km long with fine golden sand. Bear in mind though that this beach is an off-the-record nudist beach, although nudity is not required. The beach of Kastraki has been rated as the cleanest in the Aegean and is over 6 km long. Some other suggestions worth to pay a visit are Pyrgaki, Agiassos and Apollonos beach. The latter is a seaside town on the north of the island where you will find a number of hotels and restaurants.