Find what to do today, this weekend, or in July. Then do not miss a
In fact, there is the wreck of a Beaufighter torpedo bomber, a German seaplane, and other more recent wrecks.
These footpaths lead to Venetian towers, old churches, ancient sights, mountainous villages, and secluded beaches. The island of Naxos is crossed by many signposted footpaths, making hiking and mountain biking very popular.
Have a look in our list with real estate agencies in Naxos that can help you find or construct your perfect home there. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in September. In this list, we have put together some of the things to do in Naxos and around.
15 Best Things to Do in Naxos (Greece) The largest island in the Cyclades, Naxos is also the most fertile, growing olives, potatoes and citrus fruit on its hills.
We have reviews of the best places to see in Plaka. There is a waterpark available on the island and will offer a great moment to your children.
Discover our selection with the best restaurants and cafe on the island.
Things to Do in Plaka, Naxos: See Tripadvisor's 17 traveller reviews and photos of Plaka tourist attractions. There are many things to do and see on Naxos island, but it’s also well located for day trips to other nearby sights. Just south of Naxos are a group of little islands called The Small Cyclades which are very quaint and very beautiful. The statue is a kouros, a nude sculpture of a man, and these were produced throughout the Archaic period.It’s a thrill to behold this work in its unfinished state, with cuboids for arms and long un-carved planes making up the body.On the head you can see that the beard, eyes and nose have started to take shape.The statue has an estimated weight of 80 tons and has only been cut free on three sides.There are a few theories for the statue’s abandonment, a plausible one being that cracks had started to appear in the marble at this early stage.People who want their beaches to be long, deserted and windswept come to Mikri Vigla, which is still only ten kilometres from Naxos Town.Pushing out from the small namesake resort down to Kastraki, the white sandy beach, also known as Sahara, is open to the Etesian wind, which blows through the Cyclades from the north.This produces low, rolling waves and powers the sails and kites of windsurfers and kite-surfers.You can join in or watch from the comfort of the sand.At the north end of this beach is a craggy hill which has a cove at its base, out of the wind.Naxos has the highest peak in the Cyclades, which crests at 1,004 metres.Coming from the village of Filoti, Mount Zas can look pretty fearsome, but you don’t need to be an expert mountaineer to conquer it.On the north ascent there are two trails, one more direct and a lot more challenging, and another lighter and longer beginning at the Agia Maria Church.There are two caves and a spring for detours during the climb.In spring and summer the trails are trimmed with wildflowers and herbs, which will be pointed out to you if visit with a guide.Try making an ascent at sunset something you’ll remember for a lifetime, but don’t forget to back a torch for the descent.Back around Filoti there’s a clutch of bars and restaurants, some endowed with mountain views.At the mountainous heart of Naxas, on a circuitous road between the villages of Moni and Tragaia is an exceedingly old Byzantine church.Panagia Drosiani was built in the 6th or 7th century, and has three apses, a dome and is crested by a trademark campanile.The inside walls were painted in two phases, in the 7th century and then in the 12th or 13th century.That second coat has been transferred to the Byzantine Museum in Athens, while the first coat is still visible.You can make out the Archangels, the Ascension of Christ and the Panagia with the Madonna and the infant Jesus.Christ Pantocrator on the dome shows Jesus with two phases, one older with a full beard, and the other younger and less hirsute, symbolising both his divinity and humanity.In the citadel one of the finest houses contains a private museum about the days of Venetian dominion on Naxos, from the 13th to the 16th century.The house is from that time, dating back 800 years and was the Venetian military headquarters and then an administrative building when the Ottomans took over.The building itself is the main attraction here, and you’ll be given a 40-minute tour through the reception, dining room, bedrooms, library, gallery, study and onto a balcony, where there’s an unobstructed vista of the Portara.After that you’ll descend to the vaults, where Venetian-era artefacts like jewellery, ceramics and sculpture are laid out.For a convenient afternoon of sun, sea and sand, Agios Georgios beach is right on the southern edge of Chora.And being so close to the town, this beach is cleaner and more welcoming than it has any right to be.There a slender but long curve of pale, slightly course, sand facing Paros across the strait.The remarkable thing about Agios Georgios is just how far out you have to wade before the sea gets above waist height, which is music to the ears of people travelling with little ones.And being on the edge of town, the rented sun loungers have full service so you’ll hardly have to lift a finger.Somewhere to get away from it all, Alyko is in a natural reserve in the southwest of Naxos.This reserve is spread out over a cape indented with rock, shingle and sandy coves, one of which is Alyko Beach to the south.Being a natural park, there are no signs of tourism at these beaches, apart from the ruins of an unfinished hotel atop a promontory.The nearest taverna is just outside the park’s limits, a few hundred metres east of Alyko Cove.Just in from the coast a cedar forest has been planted against the dunes.There’s another pair of unfinished statues from the 7th and 6th centuries BC in situ at the village of Melanes, ten kilometres east of Chora.The bodies of both are more defined than the Kouros of Apollonas, but both their faces have been left blank as their legs had broken in transit.The first lies alongside a drystone wall in an idyllic village garden.You can see the indentations made on the body by ancient stonemasons, and the broken right leg with the shin and ankle left in place.The other Kouros here is above the village in a quarry on a marble outcrop.This statue is also unfinished, and lies just a few metres from the rock that it was cut from.It was probably dropped as it was about to be transported, and the detached feet rest a short distance from the body.Open in the high season is a bite-sized museum at one of the island’s 90 olive presses, barely ten minutes outside Chora.You’ll be given a tour to hear the inside story of an industry that is intrinsic to Greek culture and goes back millennia.Both the 19th-century building and the grounds have been restored, and in the two rooms are an olive mill with a hefty grindstone, a wooden press, antique jugs and lots of archive photographs on the walls.You’ll hear how olives are cultivated for nutrition, but also for body care, making soap and using the oil as a moisturiser.Oil, olives and olive jam produced here are available to taste, and you can also sample the skincare products.Naturally, these are all for sale at the shop attached to the museum.This is made by distilling the fruit and leaves of the citron tree, a citrus fruit not too different to lemon.You’ll see the drink all over the island and it is as commonplace as raki, served in bars and sold at souvenir shops.It comes in three varieties: Green, which is the sweetest and least alcoholic, yellow, the strongest and with the highest proof, and clear, somewhere between the two.For a Naxos-specific experience you could journey into the hills to see how kitron is made at the distillery in the village of Chalkia.This started making kitron in 1896, and has been in the Vallindras family for five generations.Things are still done the old-time way, using vintage copper stills and big fermenting jars with wicker baskets.You’ll get to try some kitron at the end, and may be tempted to buy a bottle to take home.
Things to Do in Naxos, Cyclades: See Tripadvisor's 21,031 traveller reviews and photos of Naxos attractions. The definitive guide to plan your trip to Naxos and Greek Islands, with all must-see attractions, highlights and points of interest + where to stay in Naxos. Do you love watersports? Discover some beautiful shops offering local products, ceramic, jewelry and more. Hiking in Mount Zas, highest mountain of the CycladesAnother popular activity in Naxos island is diving. Things to do near Plaka Beach on Tripadvisor: See 38,729 reviews and 3,820 candid photos of things to do near Plaka Beach in Naxos, Greece. Discover plenty of religious festivals as well as major cultural events.