Culture
Sunset at the Portara
Walk out along the causeway to the islet of Palatia and watch the sun go down behind Paros, framed by the marble gate. Come early for a good rock.
Chora
Naxos · Things to do
Things to do in Naxos
Beaches, trails, festivals, food and wine: the experiences that make this island its own.
Experiences
Our favourite things to do
Ideas for every kind of day, from a lazy swim to a full-day hike.
Beach
Swim along the sandy west coast
Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna and Plaka make kilometres of sand with clear, shallow water. Go further south to Plaka's dunes for space even in August.
Agios Prokopios to Mikri Vigla
Hike
Climb Mount Zas
A marked path climbs from near Filoti to the 1,004 m summit, the highest in the Cyclades, past the Cave of Zas. Allow about 3–4 hours there and back, and go early.
From Filoti
Food & wine
Taste kitron in Halki
Visit the Vallindras distillery and taste the island's citron liqueur, then walk the lanes of the old capital of the Tragea.
Halki
Culture
Walk the marble lanes of Apiranthos
Wander the marble-paved lanes and steps, see the four small museums, and have a coffee on a square under the trees.
Apiranthos
Culture
Find the sleeping kouroi
Two unfinished marble giants still lie in their ancient quarries: one in a garden at Flerio near Melanes, the other more than 10 m long above Apollonas.
Flerio and Apollonas
Food & wine
Lunch by the boats at Agia Anna
The little fishing harbour of Agia Anna has tavernas by the water and beaches on both sides.
Agia Anna
Festival
A summer concert at the Bazeos Tower
In July and August the Naxos Festival fills the old monastery tower with concerts, theatre and exhibitions.
Near Sangri
Only on Naxos
What makes Naxos different
What makes Naxos different from every other island in the Cyclades.
A gate with no temple
Around 530 BC the tyrant Lygdamis began a vast temple to Apollo on the islet at the harbour mouth. It was never finished, but its marble doorway, the Portara, still stands, and the sunset through it is the island's ritual.
Giants left in the quarries
Naxos was famous for its marble in antiquity. Two huge statues of young men, kouroi, still lie unfinished in their quarries, one at Flerio near Melanes and one over 10 m long above Apollonas.
A Venetian duchy
From 1207 Naxos was the capital of the Duchy of the Archipelago, founded by the Venetian Marco Sanudo. Its families still live in the Kastro, behind doorways carved with their coats of arms.
Kitron, the citron liqueur
Naxos is the home of kitron, a liqueur made from the leaves of the citron tree. The Vallindras distillery in Halki has made it since 1896, and you can taste it among the old copper stills.