Naxos was our second stop, for 2 nights, on our 2 week Greek Island hopping trip. It is the biggest island in the Cyclades. We found it to be cheaper than the other islands and we had the most delicious food here. This is how we recommend you spend your time here.

Explore the historic town of Chora
Dinner on the beach at Paradiso
Halki
Finoti Monastery
Apeiranthos
Tortuga on Plaka Beach

Where to stay?

We stayed at Portara Suites in Chora. The manager met us at the ferry terminal and walked us to our stay nearby. It was in a perfect location, a short walk away from the sea, Portara, old town and promenade. We enjoyed the complimentary bottle of wine in the jacuzzi on the verandah.

How to get around?

We rented a quad bike for 1 day and it cost us 25 euros. The friendly Aussie Greek at Fun Cars let us take it on a Thursday night and return it on a Sunday morning.

Explore the historic town of Chora

As we arrived by ferry, the first thing we noticed was the Portara, a magnificent archway from 522BC which sits on the rocky peninsula.

We explored the Venetian Castle which sits on the hilltop. On the walk, we passed beautiful architecture and narrow winding streets.

Most of the restaurants, bars and cafes are situated along the waterfront. We had a lovely breakfast at Musique Cafe. We had an ocean view and it is located in a quiet area of the waterfront. In the same building, there are other nice looking restaurants, cafes and bars.

In the center of the busy waterfront is a bar called Kitron. They gave us a free tasting of the local spirit and it was delicious by itself. We bought a bottle to take back to Germany. Kitron is a citrus liqueur made from the citron plant which grows on Naxos. The citrus fruit looks similar to a lemon, only bigger and lumpier.

Where to get the best dining experience?

For our first dinner here we drove the quad down the coast to a restaurant called Paradiso. It has dining on the beach under a spectacular tree. We had a 3 hour dinner as we watched the sunset. After dinner we walked down the beach and took photos on the rocks which could be mistaken for the Seychelles.

What mountain villages to visit?

We woke up at 6am and drove inland into the mountains. The scenery and size of the mountains was even more scenic than Paros.

Our first stop was Halki, also known as Chalkio. We explored the empty streets and tried to find a photogenic Beetle VW Car that we had seen on insta. Unfortunately, the car and the overhanging pink flowers weren’t there. In Halki there is a traditional hand loom weaving workshop called Maria Maraki Lfada. You can also visit the Vallindras Distillery, they still produce the Kitron liqueur the same way since 1896.

We continued further into the mountains and had a quick stop in Finoti. We walked up the street next to Platanos Cafe and found a photogenic spot with flowers and a bell.

Driving on from Finoti we spotted a church on the summit of a towering mountain. We decided to summit the mountain. There was a gravel road that led us around the mountain. The road stopped and we continued on foot up the final steep rocky section. At the top we had a spectacular 360 degree view.

The last stop was Apeiranthos. This ancient town is known for its marble and precious stones. It was very different to the previous towns we had visited. Instead of the buildings being white, most of the buildings were stone. We had a late breakfast at Berdema Cafe with delicious pancakes. On the same pedestrian path we found an amazing ceramic workshop. We purchased a small vase with a unique pattern for 24 Euros. They make the colour by mixing two stones from the region.

What beach to visit?

From the mountains we drove back to the beach. We went to Tortuga, a restaurant and bar with sun beds on the water. It cost 25 Euros and they provided towels and 1 litre of water. They also have a lovely indoor restaurant. At the other beach bar beside us, there were old photogenic boats on the sand. We continued driving along the beach path, that took us back to the main road and back towards Chora.

6 Reasons You Must Visit Naxos Island, Greece