Things to do
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Agios Prokopios
Plan a slow day of swimming here, a short bus ride south of Chora. The beach is long enough to choose between a line of bars with sunbeds and a quieter, unorganised stretch by the chapel.
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Filoti
A large mountain village spread over the lower slopes of Mount Zas, its houses climbing in terraces above a square shaded by a great plane tree. Tavernas and kafeneia line the main street, and the church bell tower is visible across the valley. It is the starting point for the climb to the summit.
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Portara
Palatia, an islet joined to the ferry port by a causeway, holds a marble doorway that is all that stands of a temple to Apollo. You can walk out to the main landmark of the island straight off the boat.
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Agios Georgios
Five minutes' walk south of Chora, this long sandy town beach is fully organised with umbrellas and loungers along its length. Its bay draws windsurfing and paddleboarding, and the walk back into the old town needs no bus or car, which makes it the beach for a day without wheels.
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Alyko Cedar Forest
On the Alyko headland in the island's southwest, a cedar forest gives a cool, shaded walk when the heat on the beaches gets too much. Hawaii Beach lies below it under orange cliffs, so the forest and the cove make one outing from the coast road.
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Apeiranthos
A mountain village of grey stone houses and lanes paved entirely in marble, built high on the eastern slope of the island where emery was once mined. Venetian tower houses rise above the rooftops, and several small museums cover geology, folk life and archaeology. The dialect here differs from the rest of the island. Parking sits at the edge, and the village is explored on foot.
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Archaeological Museum
Housed in a Venetian building in the Kastro that served as a Jesuit school before it became the museum. The rooms hold a rich group of Early Cycladic marble figurines, folded-arm women and simple violin shapes, alongside Mycenaean stirrup jars from chamber tombs near the town. Later sculpture from across the island's history follows. It is ticketed and closed on Tuesdays.
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Chalki
The old capital of the Tragea valley, a compact village of neoclassical facades, Venetian towers and Byzantine chapels among the olive groves. The island's citron liqueur, kitron, is made in the village. Craft shops and small galleries fill the lanes off the square. Footpaths lead out to frescoed churches in the surrounding valley.
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Chora Old Market
The Old Market street runs through Chora's old town, which is small enough to wander without a map. In high summer much of it shuts through the hottest hours of the afternoon, so come in the morning or the evening to find the shops open.
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Hawaii Beach
Below the Alyko cedar forest, this remote cove sits under burnt orange cliffs on the island's southwest coast. There are no facilities of any kind, no bar and no loungers, so a visit means carrying in water, food and shade from the car.
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Kastro of Naxos
The walled Venetian quarter on the hill above the port, a maze of vaulted passages, stepped lanes and mansions still bearing family coats of arms. The Catholic cathedral and an old Jesuit school, now the archaeological museum, stand inside. Gates lead in from the market lanes below. The climb is short and steep, and the lanes are cool at midday.
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Koronos
Reached by a detour into the north of the island, Koronos is a quiet mountain village that sees few visitors. It lies on the mountain road north toward the Kouros of Apollonas, so the two fit into one long driving day across the interior.
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Kouros of Apollonas
A giant marble statue, 10.7 metres long, lying unfinished in the ancient quarry where it was carved above the fishing village of Apollonas on the north coast. The rough outline of the body, the beard and the arms are still visible in the stone. A short path climbs from the road. The drive across the mountains takes most of a morning.
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Melanes Kouros
The island's second unfinished marble statue lies in the hills of the interior near Melanes, a two-minute walk from its car park. Fit it into the mountain-village day by car as a short stop between Chora and the inland villages.
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Mikri Vigla
Further down the west coast past Plaka, Mikri Vigla is a windsurfing beach with more challenging conditions, suited to experienced riders who already handle stronger wind. For gentler water, the bay at Agios Georgios on the edge of Chora is the alternative.
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Mount Zas
The highest summit in the Cyclades at 1,001 metres, rising over the village of Filoti. The easier marked path starts at the chapel of Agia Marina and climbs over bare rock to the top. A harder route from the Aria spring passes the cave linked in myth to the childhood of Zeus. Carry water, since the slopes have no shade.
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Naxian Collection
A villa hotel on the Stelida coast west of Naxos town, a short drive from both Chora and the beach at Agios Prokopios.
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Plaka Beach
Plaka is a long stretch of white sand backed by dunes on the west coast, much of it wild and quiet with no loungers or umbrellas. A relaxed strip of beach bars breaks up the sand, and the beach bus from Chora reaches it through the season.
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Temple of Demeter
An all-marble temple of the sixth century BC, set among wheat fields and olive trees near the village of Sangri in the island's centre. Original column drums and white beams stand beside restored sections, so the plan reads clearly. The setting is open and quiet, with Mount Zas on the horizon. It lies a short drive from Chalki.
