Naxos, Greece: Chora, the Portara, Beaches and Mountain Villages

Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades and, as the Greek National Tourism Organisation puts it, the most fertile too. It has a Venetian castle town, a marble gateway to a temple that was never finished, long sandy beaches on the west coast and a mountainous interior of stone villages crowned by Mount Zas, the highest peak in the Cyclades. Few Greek islands offer so many different holidays in one place.

Naxos at a glance

• Area: about 430 km², the largest island in the Cyclades.
• Population: 20,578 (2021 census).
• Highest point: Mount Zas (Zeus), 1,001 m, the highest mountain in the Cyclades.
• Known for: marble, emery, potatoes, cheeses, citron (kitron) and thyme honey.
• Getting there: about 45 minutes by air from Athens to Naxos Airport, or by ferry from Piraeus and Rafina.

In myth, Naxos is the island where Theseus abandoned Ariadne after she helped him kill the Minotaur, and where Dionysus, the island’s protector, found her and fell in love with her. In history, it was the seat of the Venetian Duchy of the Archipelago: Marco Sanudo took Naxos and most of the Cyclades in 1205–1207, and his successors ruled from here until 1566.

Chora and the Portara, the temple of Apollo

Chora, also called Naxos Town, climbs from the harbour to the Kastro, the Venetian castle quarter. Inside its walls, narrow lanes, arches and mansions still bearing Venetian coats of arms recall the dukes who ruled the Aegean from here. Below, the waterfront is lined with tavernas and cafés.

The island’s symbol stands just outside town on the islet of Palatia, linked to the shore by a paved causeway. The Portara is the colossal marble doorway of a temple of Apollo begun around 530 BC by the tyrant Lygdamis, modelled on the temples of Olympian Zeus in Athens and Hera on Samos. The temple was planned at 59 by 28 metres but never completed. The doorway that survives is made of four marble blocks weighing about 20 tonnes each. In the 6th or 7th century AD a Christian church was built on the ruins.

Palatia is also tied to Ariadne and Dionysus: local tradition holds that Dionysus carried her off from the beach here, and that the first Dionysian festivities were held on the islet. Sunset is the most popular time to visit; come in the morning for quieter time among the foundations.

The best beaches on Naxos

Naxos is known for long sandy beaches and quiet bays, and the best-known strands line the west coast close to Chora. The four most often recommended are:

• Agios Georgios, the curve of sand at the edge of Chora itself, easy to reach on foot.
• Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna, neighbouring sandy beaches with clear, shallow water close to the shore.
• Plaka, a long, open stretch of sand further south.

Water sports are part of beach life here. On windy days, pick a sheltered bay and check conditions locally before swimming.

Inland villages and the sanctuary of Demeter at Sagri

The interior of Naxos feels like a different island: green valleys, Byzantine churches with frescoes and Venetian stone towers. Halki, Filoti, Kinidaros and Apeiranthos, with its marble-paved alleys, are the classic stops. Hikers can follow old stone-paved paths between villages, and Mount Zas makes a rewarding climb for those with good shoes, water and a clear-weather day.

Near the village of Sagri, on a mound above a fertile valley at Gyroulas, stands one of the island’s finest ancient sites. Worship began here in the 8th century BC, and a large all-marble temple followed in the late 6th century BC, dedicated to Apollo, Demeter and Kore, deities of the earth and the harvest. In the 5th–6th century AD it became a Christian basilica, and workshops producing olive oil, wine and pottery grew up around it until the 8th century.

The temple was restored in a research programme by the University of Athens and the Technical University of Munich, after the small chapel of Agios Ioannis Theologos was moved aside in 1977. The finds are displayed in a museum collection beside the site, open daily except Tuesday from 08:30 to 15:00; bring cash, as cards are not accepted.

Naxian marble and food

Naxian marble has been quarried since before 550 BC. It supplied roof tiles at ancient Olympia and was used on the Athenian Acropolis, and the island still exported about 5,000 cubic metres a year as of 2016. Naxos is also a traditional source of emery, a hard rock that was one of the world’s best abrasives until modern times.

The fertile soil feeds a strong food culture. Look for Naxian potatoes, local cheeses such as arseniko, thyme honey, and kitron, the citron liqueur distilled on the island. A village taverna in the interior is the best place to try them together.

Getting to Naxos and when to go

Naxos has year-round air and ferry connections. Naxos Airport (Apollon) is about 45 minutes from Athens and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Thessaloniki. Ferries sail from the Athens ports of Piraeus and Rafina. Check the current timetable with the operator, as schedules change by season.

Three days give you Chora and the Portara, a beach day and one trip inland, but a week lets the island show all its faces. For other Greek islands, compare our Santorini guide or the old town of Chania in Crete.

Related reading

• Crete in Miniature: Joerg Daiber’s Tilt-Shift Film
• Sophia Suites, Santorini: Cave-Inspired Rooms and Caldera Views
• Scorpios Mykonos: Beach, Food, Music and a Designed Setting
• Mykonos: Town Lanes, Windmills and Time Beyond the Beach
• Molyvos on Lesvos: Castle Layers, Stone Streets and the Harbour
• Astypalaia: Chora, Windmills and the History Above Pera Gialos

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