Visit Naxos

The main town, Chora, rises in tiers above the ferry port. In 1207, the Venetian Marco Sanudo founded the Duchy of the Archipelago here and built the Kastro, a fortified quarter on top of the hill, where Catholic families descended from that era still live. Vaulted lanes, carved coats of arms and the Catholic cathedral take two hours to explore, ideally late in the day. Below, the Bourgos, the old Greek quarter, gathers tavernas and shops. It is one of the liveliest Choras in Greece out of season, as people live there year-round.

South of Chora, a string of fine sandy beaches stretches for about fifteen kilometres. Agios Georgios, at the edge of town, is the most convenient with children, its shallow water sheltered from the wind. Next come Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna, well equipped, then Plaka, several kilometres long and wilder, and finally Mikri Vigla, a hotspot for kitesurfers. Buses serve this coast roughly every hour in summer. The further south you go, the quieter the beaches become.

In the centre of the island, the Tragaea valley forms a sea of olive trees dotted with small Byzantine chapels, some still decorated with frescoes. Chalki, about twenty minutes' drive from Chora, is its most charming village, with neoclassical mansions and the Vallindras distillery, in operation since the late 19th century, where you can taste kitron, a liqueur made from citron leaves. Waymarked trails link the villages in one to three hours. Come in spring, when the fields are in bloom and temperatures are mild.

At the foot of Mount Zas, Filoti is the largest inland village and the starting point for the climb, about three hours there and back from the chapel of Agia Marina. Further on, Apiranthos and Koronos, former emery miners' villages, cling to the mountainside. The road then winds down to Apollonas, a small fishing port in the north, about an hour and a half from Chora. Allow a full day by car for this loop, and avoid the hot afternoon hours on the trails.

June and September are the best months: warm sea, moderate crowds, villages still lively. In July and August, the meltemi, an often strong north wind, blows across the Cyclades; the partly sheltered west coast beaches stay swimmable, but crossings can be rough. Naxos is reached by ferry from Piraeus in 3.5 to 6 hours depending on the boat, or by plane from Athens. Neighbouring Paros is less than an hour away by boat and easy to combine.