In which town house in Naxos?

Where to stay in Náxos? Discover the best cities to stay in Náxos for a dream stay in the heart of the Greek Cyclades!

Capital of the second largest Greek Cyclades Islands, wet by the hot, blue and turquoise crystalline waters of the Aegean Sea, the city of Náxos – also known as Chora – is located on the west coast of the island of the same name. Accommodation in Náxos will be easy because the offer of accommodation is very large, there will be for all budgets. Náxos counts only 7,070 permanent residents, but since it houses the main port of arrival of the ferries on the island, the total population grows with tourist affluence, especially in the summer season. Chora enjoys an abyssal historical heritage: the island of Dionysos and the Naxian city were powerful and prosperous from Antiquity, in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The island’s culinary, cultural, economic resources are also important.

Three quarters subdivide the pavement of Náxos, including the old medieval town, the Kastro. Discover the entangled alleys of the old centre and the white stone buildings invite the traveler to an immersion in a time passed as if the time had stopped here. Then go explore the other towns of the island. Here is our presentation of these neighborhoods where to stay in Náxos.

The Kastro, the old center of Naxos

When arriving by sea at the port of Náxos, the Temple of Apollo – of which only the Portara remains and some ruins, perched on the peninsula of Palatia – is the first site that we see and cannot be missed, on a rocky promontory. The Kastro is described as the most picturesque district of Chora and the cradle of the Catholic community of the island. This neighborhood was erected in the 13th century and then passed under Venetian domination. First, an incalculable number of restaurants and bars are scattered here along the seafront of the old town. Take a walk from the peninsula of Palatia to the Kastro to the promenade along the port.

By entering the alleys of the old city – Old Market - we find the castle of Náxos, of which there are only few things left today: a part of the walls, the ruins of the palace, two entrances and seven towers. On the foothills of the hill, there are cafes, taverns and also in the neighborhood, many churches. In the east of the castle, do not miss visiting the archaeological museum of Náxos and the museum of Mitropolis. Attention, this area where to sleep in Náxos is very touristic.

Plaka Beach

South of the old town of Naxos stretches out a more modern area where the vast majority of the hotels in Náxos are concentrated, for all types of invoices. Go north of the neighborhood if you want to party in a nightclub. There are only a few tourist sights, but this area where to stay in Náxos has everything you need to spend a good stay: shops of all kinds where to shop or buy local products, car rental agencies, bars and restaurants, and the proximity to the airport of the island.

Vivlos

Want to go inland because beaches and coastal cities are too crowded (or too expensive)? Go to Vivlos, southeast of Chora, to see the famous windmills, on the heights of a white village dressed. Several hotels on the outskirts allow you to spend the night.

Apollonas

Are you a lover of small picturesque villages where the quintessence of Greek culture is exhaled? On the east coast, the little village of Apolloas, with its vestiges of a temple dedicated to Apollo and the kouros lying on the ground, representing a statue of the god 10 meters long, is worth the detour. By choosing to stay in Apollonas, you will have access to a beautiful beach, the Apollonas Wild Beach, ideal for swimming in crystalline and turquoise waters but be careful, the beach is not so wild that it is frequented in summer.

Apiranthos

A small village in the centre of Naxos, at the foot of Mount Fanari, culminating at 883 metres above sea level, Apiranthos is the oldest village in the island of Naxos. All the splendor and tranquillity of the Aegean villages is found there. Visitors go there for the charm of the small centre, with its narrow marble alleys, churches and small squares, Venetian towers, cafés and small restaurants where to taste typical Greek cuisine. For lovers of religious buildings, the church Agia Paraskevi deserves a look. This village presents itself as the ideal to sleep in Naxos in a popular atmosphere typical of Greek.

The beaches of Naxos

The island of Naxos is also a succession of open seaside cities. There are many beaches that you will need to see if you like to grill on the sand. There are very frequent beaches – including Agios Georgios, near Chora – and others less popular as far away from the city, like Orkos or Alyko. You can rent a accommodation where you can sleep in Mikri Vigla and relax under a parasol of the Mikri Vigla Beach, or rather go north of the village – before Plaka – to see a much less crowded but sublime beach: the fine sandy beach of Orkos. In the south-west, the coast offers many small coves to immerse themselves in a blue and warm water, on unappointed beaches where one would feel almost like on a deserted island: the beach of Alyko, for example, which is naturist.