Where to Stay
Naxos: The Cyclade That Feeds Itself
Naxos has the Portara, the longest beaches in the Cyclades and food that embarrasses its neighbours. What it does not have is a scene, which is the point.
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An island with a day job#
Most Cycladic islands are rock with a village on it, and tourism is the entire economy. Naxos is different: it has a fertile interior, mountains over a thousand metres that catch rain, and a farming tradition that still functions.
The island exports potatoes with protected status, makes a serious graviera cheese, distils kitron from citron leaves, and raises enough meat to feed itself. Tavernas here buy locally because locally is cheaper.
This sounds like trivia. It is actually the reason Naxos feels different: shops that serve residents, villages that are inhabited in February, and restaurant bills that have not been rewritten for visitors.
Where to stay#
Coast or Chora
| Chora | Agios Prokopios & Agia Anna | Plaka & Mikri Vigla | The mountains | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The port town under a Venetian castle | The nearest good beaches, walkable strip | Long open sand, low development | Stone villages at altitude |
| Beach | Small town beach | Excellent and organised | The island's best and emptiest | None - you drive |
| Evenings | The best on the island, walkable | A decent run of tavernas | Quiet, a few beach bars | One taverna, extraordinary views |
| Wind | Moderate | Moderate | Exposed - Mikri Vigla is a kite beach | Cool and breezy |
| Need a car | No | Helpful | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | First visits and no car | Families and easy beach days | Beach weeks and villas | A night or two for the interior |
Our callChora for a first visit, because the old town, the Portara and dinner are all on foot. Plaka or Mikri Vigla if a long empty beach is what you came for, and you have a car. Spend at least one night in the mountains - Apiranthos and Halki are a different island.
Where to stay on Naxos
Naxian Collection
Stelida - above Agios Prokopios
Villas and suites with private pools spread across a hillside with views over the west coast and out to Paros. The island's most complete luxury property, and a short drive to the beaches.
Nissaki Beach Hotel
Agios Georgios - Chora beach
Directly on the town beach and a fifteen-minute walk from the old town and the Portara. The convenient choice if you want beach and Chora without a car.
Kavos Naxos
Stelida - above Agia Anna
Small, white and low-rise in a garden above the sea, with suites and a handful of villas with private pools. Quiet and family-run in the best sense.
Private villas, Plaka and Mikri Vigla
West coast
The west coast has good villa stock at prices that would not buy a suite on Mykonos, with the longest sand beaches in the Cyclades a short walk away.
The beaches#
The west coast is one long sequence of sand, and unusually for the Cyclades it is genuinely soft.
Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna are the organised ones, closest to town, with sunbeds and tavernas and shallow water - the family choice. Plaka is four kilometres of open sand with low dunes and cedar scrub, busy at one end and empty at the other. Mikri Vigla has a headland that splits it: one side calm, the other a serious kitesurfing beach.
At the southern end, Alyko has a forest of planted cedars behind the dunes and the shell of an abandoned hotel complex whose concrete walls are now covered in large-scale murals. Strange, quiet and worth the drive.
The mountains#
Drive inland and the island changes completely.
Halki is a village of neoclassical houses and a distillery that has been making kitron since 1896, in the same copper stills. Apiranthos is paved entirely in marble, was settled from Crete, and still speaks with a Cretan accent. Filoti sits under Mount Zas, the highest point in the Cyclades at 1,004 metres, with a walkable path to the summit and a cave on the way.
And at Flerio and Apollonas lie the kouroi: colossal unfinished marble statues of young men, abandoned in the quarries where they cracked, lying on their backs in olive groves. There is no ticket office. You walk up and there they are.
Getting there and around
Ferry from Athens, or fly via Athens
Fast ferries from Piraeus and Rafina take roughly three and a half to five hours. Naxos airport takes small domestic aircraft from Athens only. Naxos is also twenty-five minutes by ferry from Paros, which has better connections.
Hire a car for the interior
You can manage Chora and the nearest beaches without one, but the mountain villages and the kouroi need wheels. Compare hire cars on Naxos.
Pair it with Paros
The two islands are twenty-five minutes apart and complement each other: Naxos for beaches, mountains and food, Paros for harbour evenings. Our Paros guide covers the other half.
Pre-book the arrival transfer
The port is busy at ferry times and taxis are few. Arrange a transfer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Naxos worth visiting?
Yes - it has the best sandy beaches in the Cyclades, genuinely good food, a real old town and mountain villages that are inhabited year-round. What it lacks is a scene, which for many travellers is the recommendation.
Where should I stay in Naxos?
Chora for a first visit, so the old town, the Portara and dinner are on foot. Stelida or Agios Prokopios for beach access with a short drive to town. Plaka or Mikri Vigla for long empty sand, with a car.
Naxos or Paros?
Naxos for beaches, mountains, food and lower prices. Paros for harbour evenings in Naoussa and better ferry connections. They are twenty-five minutes apart, so the honest answer for a week is both.
Does Naxos have luxury hotels?
A handful of good small ones - Naxian Collection is the strongest - plus solid villa stock. It does not have the density of five-star properties you find on Mykonos or Santorini, and prices reflect that.
How many days do you need in Naxos?
Four to five. Two for the west coast beaches, one for the mountain villages and the kouroi, one for Chora and the Portara, and one spare.
Is Naxos windy?
Like all the Cyclades it catches the meltemi in July and August. The west coast beaches are partly sheltered at their southern end; Mikri Vigla is deliberately exposed, which is why kitesurfers go there.
The short version#
Stay in Chora for the evenings, drive to Plaka for the beach, and give one full day to the mountains and the kouroi.
Then eat everything. On this island that is not a cliché - it is the actual reason to come.
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