naxos Island :


One of the lesser known of the Cyclades islands, Naxos is the largest & also the greenest of the group. Farming having been its principal activity for years, tourism is fairly new in Naxos. Yet unspoiled by the progress that popularity brings, it still possesses a genuine unaffected Greek character seen & felt throughout its villages & its people.

The island has an area of 165 sq.miles, with 20,000 inhabitants and over 52 villages. Mount Zeus, the highest peak in the Cyclades (3280 feet high) dominates the landscape.

Naxos has long wide stretches of golden sand & crystal blue water. Its beaches are considered the best in the Cyclades and among the five best in Greece.
Its biggest appeal, however, lies in the diversity in scenery as well as the activities, which includes windsurfing, snorkeling, sailing, tennis, and great walking trails.

Approaching Naxos by boat one of the first sights is the 20-foot high marble archway known as “Portara” or the Apollo Temple, surviving since the 6th century B.C.
Naxos town extends upward to what is known as “Chora”, crowned by a 13th century Venetian castle overlooking the harbour. The buildings of the castle “Kastro” surround a gothic tower (one remaining tower out of five) and are accessed through narrow cobbled streets, low archways & stone steps.

The Kastro is not the only Venetian imprint left on Naxos, Venetian castles (1207 to 1566) are scattered throughout the island. Another 6th century B.C. temple is the “Temple of Dimitras” in Sangri. There are excellent examples of churches from the Byzantine period (330-1204) with well-preserved frescoes in the Sangri area. Kalamitsia in Melanes & Fotodotis in Danakos are just two of many well preserved fortified Monasteries from the 16th & 17th century.

The easiest way to reach Naxos is by plane, it's a half hour flight from Athens. The seating on those internal flights being very limited and generally difficult to secure, we recommend that you book well in advance.

The other alternative is a ferry. There are several ferries daily from Athens to Naxos leaving from the ports of Piraeus as well as Rafina. We advise that you book in advance, especially if you’are travelling in the months of July and August.

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