Naxos, Greece
Dive in because I’ve got the island for you!
Naxos is located east of its sister island Paros, spanning 24 miles long and 18 miles wide. Its mountainous terrain gives you many opportunities to see the surrounding islands and beautiful views. Unless you are planning to just stay in Naxos port, which I don’t recommend because it is very touristy, you will need to find some type of transportation. When I am traveling in Greece I always rent cars because its usually safer on the rough greek roads, but renting motor bikes and 4 wheelers is also very common especially for younger tourists. Most of these rent-a-car places are located right in the port of Naxos, so you will can easily walk there from the harbor. If you are planning to travel to a few islands in Greece, you can rent a car in Athens and transport it to each of the islands on the ferry. This option is a little more expensive because you have to pay for the ferry pass each time for your car, but you avoid the hassle of renting a new car on each island.
Naxos is filled will small remote villages tucked away in the landscape. One of the things we liked to do in Naxos was drive around the island to stop in all of the villages and walk around with a local frappe. Some of the villages I really liked were Koronos, Filoti, and Halki. Due to the island being so mountainous, if you are not an experienced manual car driver I would highly recommend renting an automatic car. One of the notorious things you’ll see if Greece is the poor tourist that got stuck with a manual car and is stalled out at the bottom of a hill or in the middle of one of the villages. Most car rental companies in Europe use manual cars but when you reserve a car ahead of time you can specify that you want an automatic one. But, do this early because these cars get requested out fast!
Overall Naxos has some beautiful beaches, but they are not as striking as some of the other islands I have been to. Most of the beaches are large pebble beaches or sand. The sand beaches on this island are definitely more comfortable for lounging, but due to the winds in Naxos the sand can sometimes become annoying. While I was there I ended up talking to a local about where her favorite beaches were (I will link mine at the bottom). She said most of the island natives go to the pebble beaches when they are expecting high winds and then the sand beaches when there is supposed to be lighter winds. If you end up traveling to Naxos I definitely recommend following this advice. One of the most interesting things about Naxos was the difference in their Greek salads from others. Goats are so popular on this island that most of their greek salads are made with goat feta instead of sheep, which was uniquely delicious. One of my favorite restaurants on the island is called Taverna Dalas located in Koronos, Naxos. This family owned tavern provides a real taste of traditional greek food and extremely friendly staff. This remote village also gives you a real representation of what a traditional greek village is like. If you are visiting this village I would also stop by the ‘Περασμα’ Cafe and enjoy the breathtaking view from Koronos.
Naxos is worth a visit, but for all of my young travelers looking for more action and night life I would choose other islands. (I will be releasing more on the blog soon) This island is better well suited for families or couples looking for a remote vacation.
‘til the next trip, cheers!
leez
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