How To Spend One Day In Naxos In The Greek Islands

Are you looking to spend one day in Naxos? I’ve got you! We just spent 6 days in Naxos and had an incredible time. Those six days gave us ample time to check out many beaches, try out different restaurants and do many visits so we could tailor the perfect Naxos day for you.

We’ve been going to Greece for years and it’s literally one of our favourite destinations to recommend to couples. You really can’t go wrong here! From stunning clear water beaches to amazing food and breathtaking views, Naxos is just THAT worth a visit. Plus, it can be a lot cheaper than over rated islands like Mykonos (we didn’t like Mykonos too much).

In this post, I’ve crafted two itineraries to spend one day in Naxos, one if you don’t have a rental car and one if you do.

To Know About Naxos

Where to Stay in Naxos

We highly recommend staying at this hotel. We had an incredible stay and the breakfast was unbeatable. From spinach and feta pies to pancakes and bacon, there was a large offer every morning. This is the best breakfast we’ve ever had in Greece actually!

We also loved our honeymoon suite which came with a hot tub. We spent a lot of time looking at the stars with the jets on and just chatting at night which was wonderful. It’s a great pick for couples for sure. We book all of our hotels through Booking.com.

Check out this stunning hotel here.

Where to rent a car

We rented through Hertz/Thrifty. They were great and easy to deal with but also we didn’t come across any issues.

How to get there

You can reach Naxos by ferry or by plane. Naxos has one airport which is a national airport so you will have to fly through Athens. We book all our ferry tickets through FerryScanner.

One Day In Naxos Without A Car

Transportation options

You can catch a bus right by the port (you can put in the Hertz location as it’s right by it).
You can take a Naxos tour from there too which is more expensive. We generally book our tours through GetYourGuide.
For the purpose of this section, I’m going to explain what to do if you don’t want to make things too complicated and are just on foot. It turns out you can still have an amazing time in Naxos!

Visit The Apollo Temple

The Temple Ruins are located on a hill left of the ferry port (you really can’t miss it!). It is super easy to access; you’ll have to walk on the pier and then up the stairs to the temple. The visit is free. You will see the ruins of the Temple along with the famous gate also known as the Porta.

On your way, I highly recommend turning around so you can admire the town behind you. you’ll be able to see each side of the town along with some parts of Naxos Venetian Castle.

Go to the town beach

Unless you’re visiting in December, chances are it’s going to be a hot day. We generally go to Greece around September and October and always hit high 20s or even 30 Celsius degrees! That is hot and in my opinion way to hot to do any walking or hiking during the day.

So instead, I recommend going to the beach. Lucky you, there is a great beach right in the town called Grotta Beach. Taking the way towards the pier that leads to the Temple of Apollo, just take a right at the very beginning behind the restaurant there. It is a rocky beach but it is very convenient, quite protected (good on a windy day which happens often) and minutes away from any shop or restaurant you’ could ever need.

Have Souvlaki (but not any souvlaki)

We highly recommend going to Yasouvlaki which is located on the promenade. We ate there on our last day and it was delicious. We both got the pros gyros but they have lots of other options including for vegetarians. To be honest it was one of the best gyros I’ve had in Greece and you can easily eat there fo under 10 euros!

Walk Around The Town and The Castle

Naxos is home to a Venetian Castle which you can walk around and within the walls of. The town has got the typical white washed houses and cute little streets with shops and restaurants. It’s great to walk around, grab a couple souvenirs.

Have a Drink at Drink In Peace

We loved having drinks at Drink in Peace which is located a couple streets up in the town from the port. We both got a cocktail (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) but they also have soft drinks and food. We got the Tzatziki which was good and quite big. The best part is you get a nice view on the town and sea.

Have dinner at Eliniko

Eliniko is a family owned restaurant located at the very start of the town coming from the interior. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the port. The food here was absolutely unbeatable and service was excellent. On top of that the price was really good compared to other places we’ve eaten where the food was not comparable.

I had the Mousaka and Eric had the Lamb Kleftiko. It was delicious. And in great Greek fashion, dessert was on the house: a couple of slices of coconut cake (absolutely stunning).

One Day In Naxos With A Car

Head Straight to Mikri Vigla Beach

This is a no-brainer! This is undeniably the best beach on Naxos. It’s located about 25 minutes by car from the port. This beach was our favourite and just hit every check on my “perfect beach” list lol. The sand is super thin, like powder sugar. The water here is the most transparent water could ever be. It’s perfect if you love to snorkel but even if you don’t, you’ll be able to observe fish and hermit crabs just through the water.

BUT most importantly, Mikri Vigla beach is super sheltered from the wind. And Naxos is quite a windy island so it’s great to have that option.

There is also a mini market on your way to the beach so you could grab some sandwiches or snacks to have at the beach. I actually recommend spending at least a couple of hours there and have lunch on the beach. there is also a taverna on the beach if that’s easier. We had Tzatziki there and it was pretty good.

Visit The Town

Head back towards the town to visit its pretty little streets. You can walk around the streets and shops, get in the vibe and get ice cream.

Visit The Venetian Castle

While in the town, head up the streets to the Venetian Castle. You can walk around the walls and check out the local churches.

Stop at Drink In Peace

On your way back down, stop at Drink In Peace to have a couple of cocktails while looking at the stunning view. they habe both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails along with some nibbles and proper dishes so you have lots of options there.

Visit The Temple Of Apollo at Sunset

You’ll be able to walk up the stairs and see the gate along with the ruins. Don’t forget to look back at the town as you can get a stunning view of the town at sunset. It’s truly a beautiful view that’s worth seeing.

Finish with dinner at Elinikon or Yasouvlaki

Yasouvlaki and Elinikon are the two best restaurants we ate at so I highly recommend them. Yasouvlaki is best if you want to eat gyros, or a souvlaki plate. If you feel like eating Mousaka or Kleftiko or any other traditional dish, then Eliniko restaurant is the place to be. You will need to book (likely) which you can do on your way out to Mikri Vigla Beach.

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Mary and Eric

We are Mary and Eric, the founders of Be Right Back, a blog dedicated to romance around the globe and at home.

We are Mary and Eric, the founders of Be Right Back, a blog dedicated to romance around the globe and at home. With over 10 years of experience in dating and traveling to romantic places, we share our favorite date ideas and romantic destinations to help couples level up their relationships. Having lived in and traveled through the USA, we also share our favourite things to do in the States.

With 70,000 monthly readers and 16,000 followers on social media, Be Right Back is your go-to resource for romantic trip ideas and couple activities at home and abroad.

How To Spend One Day In Naxos In The Greek Islands