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Santorini to Naxos by Ferry
Summer of 2021, I found a dirt-cheap round-trip ticket from Los Angeles to Athens. So, naturally, I carved out a quick itinerary and spent the shoulder season in Greece. I started off in Santorini for my birthday, but I want to jump straight to my other favorites in the Cyclades because they definitely deserve more attention!
I was dying for some more rugged adventure. While Santorini is beautiful—and glamorous—it is a bit too commercial as well. After a few days, I was dying for some more rugged adventure. So, the next step on my Cyclades Island hopping tour was Naxos, the largest islands in the region. Naxos is a rugged, mountainous island that also supplies much of the agricultural products grown in the region. It boasts impressive beaches, on top of challenging hiking and cheaper prices compared to some its neighbors, like Santorini and Mykonos.
From Santorini, I took a ferry to Naxos Town, the main chora of the island. I booked my tickets ahead of time on Ferry Hopper for €24. It was quick and easy—but I did have to submit a health form with my information and vaccination status each time I booked. Travel time was about two hours on the Blue Delos, but there are several options to fit your budget and schedule.
Portara
The first thing you see when approaching Naxos harbor is the ancient Portara, or doorway. The structure is the last remaining elements of the ancient Temple of Apollo that was built in 530 BC. I must say, as an American, it always feels so inspiring to stand next to something centuries old. It is a quick walk along the beach from Naxos Town, making it a popular spot for photographers and tourists alike. The view of the sunset through the doorway is quite stunning, so the area gets quite busy during golden hour. I found it interesting to head out for the sunset during one of the weekdays I stayed here. Although crowded, there was a guitarist playing gently in the background, making the atmosphere quite enchanting. I also went around midday on another occasion to get some interesting shots of the town through the Portara and found the place deserted.
Naxos Town
Naxos Town itself is a bustling portside city, full of great shops and restaurants with beachside views. Papavassiliou Street is the main drag, with plenty of shops offering great jewelry and little tourist knickknacks, cafes, and restaurants. However, I truly loved heading into the city more. In true Cyclades fashion, it is a maze of whitewashed walls, blue accents, and bright pink bougainvillea trees. A few streets inwards and the shops become less kitsch, offering refined handcrafted jewelry and art pieces. As the slender city streets wind upwards towards the Kastro, it is nearly impossible not to get lost—however that’s part of the fun. Legend has it, the residents of the Cyclades purposefully built their towns and villages like mazes as a way to ensure that marauding pirates would get lost in the windy town streets and eventually get frustrated and return to their boats. Nowadays, it is tourists who get helplessly lost, so I recommend always having WiFi with you at all times. Even with a strong signal, getting back to my accommodations was always a bit of a guessing game, one filled with stumbling upon crumbling ruins, sweet cats eager for a snack, and true island adventure.
Best Beaches
Agios Georgios
Naxos has some seriously gorgeous beaches that are easy to access from the main port town. First, Agios Georgios is only about 5 km from Naxos Town. It was a relatively easy 20 minute stroll from my accommodation in the old town, filled with winding Cycladic alleyways and cute little shops and cafes. The beach itself has sunbeds and umbrellas for decent prices, about €10 to €15 during the September when I was there. While the sand is soft and water clear, the beach doesn’t have the most stunning vista. It is interesting to catch a glimpse of the old, abandoned building on the edge of the stretch, which I believe you can walk to. Overall, this was a great beach for those days where I wanted to just relax but did not want to trek too far for extra frills.
Plaka Beach
One of the most beautiful stretches of beach on the western side of the island is Plaka. This is a long stretch of beach with various bars offering cheap sunbeds and cool drinks. The entire beach is close to 4km long and most of the best real estate is pretty pristine. I took the long walk from the northern to the southern end, stopping for a drink and some shade at the small cocktail beach bars set up right at the edge of the surf. Plaka’s waters are beautifully crystal clear and inviting. Clothes seem to be optional at the undeveloped spots in between beach bars.
The best way to get around in Naxos is by renting an ATV. However, if you’re not sure about driving a quad—or, like me like to have a few cocktails on the sand—there is a pretty easy bus system that goes to all the beaches. The KTEL station right at the port in Naxos Town takes you straight down the coast. Bus #1 runs every half hour (or so) from Naxos Port to Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka, and all the way down to Mikri Vigla Beach. Tickets run from around €1.80 to €3.
Grotta Beach
One of the closest beach to Naxos Town is Grotta Beach, which is just to the right of the Portara. It is often overlooked as tourists flock to the temple grounds. Although it is quite rocky, it is gorgeous. I found the little rock features to make for small grottos to provide shade and a nice place to side while watching the waves and the ferries come in and out of Naxos harbor. It was actually quite a nice spot to wait for my ferry, as I couldn’t miss it! The views also offer some interesting shots of Naxos town with the coast lapping at the rocks in the foreground.
Renting an ATV
Like I said before, the best way to travel around the island in my opinion is with an ATV. It makes for an adventurous way to get around to the further beaches, inland villages, and ancient archeological sites that would be simply too inefficient with public transportation. Coasting down the country and coastal roads on the back of an ATV is a truly unique experience…it was really fun to drive through little villages like it was a normal occurrence! I wish more coastal vacation spots **cough, cough, Thailand** would adopt more quads for tourists to mash around the islands on! Some of the best times I had on the island were getting lost in the countryside, meandering through rolling olive fields and meeting herds of goat and sheep along the roadside. There are tons of beautiful old ruins scattered throughout the landscape, so an ATV really gives you the freedom to stop at unique locations—which a rental car wouldn’t be able to get to.
While I had a great experience with the business, I rented my ATV from, my research found terrible reviews attesting to some behavior I feel I may have overlooked in my excitement to get on the road. So, I will leave out that recommendation and instead offer a link to Tony’s Bikes, the highest rated ATV rental facility that is near Agios Georgios Beach. Expect to spend about €35 for a whole day's rental.
I had planned on renting ATVS throughout Greece, so I was excited to get some fun footage of my adventures. However, my GoPro had been stolen on the ferry ride from Santorini. But, like true Word Wize fashion, I improvised. I had to MacGyver a little driving camera from my burner iPhone 10 taped with electrical tape to my GoPro Chesty Mount. It actually worked pretty well!
Temple of Demeter
You can also take your ATV adventure inland, up the towering mountain pass and into the back country. The drive to the Temple of Demeter, for example, was breathtaking. Small mountain villages sit perched along rolling hills with impressive ocean views in the distance. On the way up the pass to the temple, you pass the Windmills in Vivlos, a couple of eighteenth-century windmills that are pretty run down today but still an interesting feature for photographers. I loved coasting on my ATV through Sangri and the other adorable little villages.
Built in the 6th century, the temple itself is an impressive sight but it is important to note its limited opening hours. It is only open until 4pm SHARP! I came like two minutes before and it was already locked up for the day. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending how you look at it, I got carried away getting lost on winding dirt roads as I inched my way up the mountain. Even if you show up a bit too late, there are some vantage spots along the side walls to catch a glimpse if you are there outside of operating hours. I was able to send the drone up—safely from a distance—and got a great aerial view of the impressive columns with the mountains in the backdrop.
Halki/ Chalki
This quaint little village tucked away in the countryside of the island is a bit hard to research, but worth a trip up there. It seems to have several names that are printed on signs and tour guide maps, so it can be a little confusing to get to the right spot. Once Naxos’ main capital, it is now a little mountain village with cute shops and restaurants with gorgeous outdoor patios seeping out into the winding alleyways. The village also offers amazing hiking opportunities through the countryside. Trails lead around the farming villas and out towards to an old Byzantine church, the Church of Saint George Diasoritis.
I actually did the trip up to this adorable mountain village without an ATV, which was a big mistake. While the bus ride up the mountain was pleasant, I can’t say the same for the way down. As I had walked around all day, I sat with a dozen other tourists waiting desperately for the last bus back down to Naxos Town. We all anxiously waited for 45 minutes for the packed bus to come. When it finally did come, we were all forced to stand in the aisle and whatever nock and cranny was open in the already packed KTEL bus—not ideal for the windy ride during the height of COVID. So, word to the wize—rent your own ATV to mash around without the added stress of inefficient public transportation!
Alyko Beach
One of the highlights of my ATV roadtripping was my day spent at Alyko Beach. You get to drive through a Juniper forest to some of the brightest teal waters on Naxos. The combination of rock formations, shrubbery, and crystal-clear water is truly stunning. There are small bays that make for a great swim in the cool morning light.
To make the location even more interesting, there is an abandoned hotel project from the 1960s that has been taken over by street artists. Today, all that stands is a creepy shell of a building overlooking fantastic beach real estate. I spent my morning wandering through the cracked concrete maze, finding killer graffiti art and ocean views in the same shot.
I took my ATV here early in the morning. It was so much fun driving through mountain villages as the local kids were heading to school. The drive was about 40 minutes ATV ride from Naxos Town, longer than some of the other beaches—but well worth the trek for the unique experience.
Where to Stay
I think there are two main strategies for staying in Naxos. I stayed right in the heart of the old city, at a guest house called Old Town Pansion for around $40. a night. I loved Mr. Savvas, who was so kind and attentive! I actually ended up staying for an additional three nights beyond what I had originally booked because I loved the island so much.
The second strategy is renting a larger villa further out of the main town area. If you are traveling with a group, there are some amazing farm villas right around Agios Georgios and even further out. My friends were staying at one villa with a small olive orchard that separated the property from the beach!
Where to Eat
I ate a lot during my stay in Naxos! Most of the restaurants on Papavassiliou Street are pretty average. They offer various Greek cousins and cheap drink specials for tourists. If you’re going to eat here, I would recommend Irini’s Restaurant, which offers good food for great prices with excellent WiFi. They have small bites or larger plates for a great price!
The better restaurants are further inland, just at the base of the old town area. My favorite was Doukato, which offered tasty dishes and a beautiful terrace dining ambiance under the blooming bougainvillea trees. It is definitely pricier than most spots on the island, but the food and atmosphere are decadent. Be sure to make a reservation, as it fills up fast!
If you’re here with a group, it may be more advantageous to cook in your villa and save money for, you know, more ATV rentals! Luckily, there is a big SPAR on Andrea Papandreou which has everything you would need for a cozy night in!
Thanks for reading and make sure to check back for the next island adventure coming soon!
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