The best areas to stay for most travelers to Naxos are Naxos Town, Agios Giorgios Beach,
Agios Prokopios Beach, and Agia Anna Beach. These areas offer the best mix of great hotels, sights,
dining, and easy transportation. Additionally, if you have the time, staying in one of the
mountain villages will enable you to more closely experience local life, food, history, and nature.
On our Where To Stay page, we go into much greater detail about each of these parts of the island.
Let’s take a closer look at the options.
Naxos Town is the commercial center on Naxos island. This is where the vast majority of hotels,
restaurants, and bars are located, as well as the main ferry port. Like many Cycladic villages,
Naxos Town is built like a maze with narrow, crisscrossing footpaths and
stone stairways packed with shops and centuries-old Orthodox chapels. Compact,
bustling and entirely walkable, this is the most convenient of any area on the island,
with restaurants and bars open late into the night and bus service to all parts of the island.
This is an especially great village for those traveling for short trips, as every necessity
is within a short walk. Our favorite hotels here are Hotel Grotta and The Saint Vlassis.
Family-friendly Agios Giorgios is the closest beach to Naxos Town. Ideal for children, the beach
is set in a small bay, which offers protection from the wind and calm, clear, shallow water. The
lively beach is lined with casual restaurants and beach clubs with umbrellas and sunbeds for rent.
There’s a water sports center at its south end with a variety of activities available. Located
just a short walk from Naxos Town, it’s easy to stay here and enjoy the beach all day, then walk
into town for sunset drinks or dinner_____. Our favorite hotels here are Nissaki Beach Hotel,
Korali Boutique Hotel, Galaxy Hotel, Kalergis Studios and Antony Apartments.
Stelida is located at the westernmost point on Naxos. Though it sits between
the 2 most popular areas of the island, Naxos Town and Agios Prokopios Beach,
Stelida itself is incredibly quiet, with just a handful of luxury hotels and private villas,
all recently built. Stelida has only a handful of restaurants, mostly in hotels,
but it’s just a 15-minute walk to Agios Prokopios for more dining options or to
catch the bus to Naxos Town. There is also the little-known and tranquil Stelida Beach,
just a short walk from the heart of the area. Our favorite hotels here are Kavos Boutique Hotel,
Naxian Collection Luxury Villas, Naxian Utopia Luxury Villas, and Naxos Cave Suites.
Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna are two adjacent beaches south of Stelida, facing southeast and
shielded from the wind. Both beaches have calm, turquoise waters and golden sand, and it’s easy
to stay at one and enjoy the other. There are a variety of restaurants and fun beach clubs,
and both beaches are well-connected by bus to Naxos Town. Agios Prokopios is the larger,
busier beach of the two and has a small dive center, while Agia Anna is a little
narrower and quieter, though it still has a beach club with late night dancing and a
bustling little port. It’s only a 10-minute walk from here to Plaka Beach for even more
options. Our favorite hotels in these areas include Lagos Mare Hotel, 18 Grapes Hotel,
Iliada Villas, Agios Prokopios Hotel, Naxos Island Hotel, and Iria Beach Art Hotel.
Plaka Beach is the longest on Naxos island. Known for its soft, golden sand and gentle water,
Plaka is the best beach on Naxos and among the best in Greece. The bulk of the beach’s hotels,
restaurants, and beach clubs are located at the north end. Farther south, the activity
gives way to long expanses of serene natural beauty, where you’ll have plenty of space to
yourself in the sun or under the shade of the occasional cedar tree. Plaka Beach is
also well-connected to Naxos Town by bus. Our favorite hotels here include Medusa Resort,
Naxos Island Escape, Naxian on the Beach, Stella Naxos Island, and Blue Harmony Apartments.
Mikri Vigla is a headland on the southwest side of Naxos with beaches on the north and south sides.
The main Mikri Vigla Beach faces north toward the wind, making this a popular beach for windsurfing
and kitesurfing. The south-facing Mikri Vigla Beach is protected from the wind, with calm,
shallow water perfect for swimming and popular with families and nature-lovers. Mikri Vigla has
a handful of hotels and traditional tavernas but is generally very quiet with plenty of
wide-open space to enjoy. In this area we recommend Oasis Studios for accommodation.
Aliko is also on the Southwest side of the island, featuring a cedar forest. A rare gem on Naxos,
Aliko has the largest and densest of the 8 cedar forests in Greece, spreading over
800 square meters, filled with a range of cedar, heather, and wildflowers, and including 4 small,
sandy beaches breaking up its stony coast. In the middle of the preserve are the ruins of
a never-finished hotel, which has become an open-air art gallery brimming with colorful
graffiti murals. To the north are Kastraki and Glyfada Beaches, gold and white sand beaches,
loved for their excellent swimming, kitesurfing, and windsurfing. South of Aliko is Pyrgaki Beach,
a tranquil stretch of soft sand spread over 3 coves. These beaches are largely unorganized with
only a few small restaurants and hotels. Here, we recommend Finikia Beach Hotel and Faros Villa.
Mountain villages -
The greenest island in the Cyclades, Naxos supplies most of the ingredients used in the
fine dining restaurants of Santorini and Mykonos, and its inland mountain villages
are the heart of the harvest. In the mountain villages, many locals still make their living
in traditional ways: herding goats and sheep, farming crops (especially olives and grapes),
cheesemaking, and handcrafting textiles. Though steeped in tradition, the villages
offer modern conveniences, including open-air restaurants and bars, and small shops. The
hotels in mountain villages that we suggest are ELaiolithos Luxury Retreat in Moni,
Agio Petra Exclusive Getaways in Sangri, Seven Suites in Glynado, and Belognia Ikons Villa.
Check out our Naxos Travel Guide for more detailed information including where to stay,
what to do, the best hotels, restaurants, beaches, and lots of useful maps.
We’ve also got other great travel guides and content for popular
destinations around Greece and the world at SantoriniDave.com Thanks for watching.