2022/2023 Update
This post includes everything from our first two visits to Naxos. I have a new Naxos Greece post that’s more current based on last summer’s travels.
Greece with Kids
When we travel as a family every summer, we try to spend at least two or three weeks in one place. That gives us enough time to do the popular activities but also to travel deeper and find the spirit of the destination. We discover our favorite breakfast places. We get to know the cashier at the grocery store. We become regulars at restaurants. In short, we figure out how to go beyond being standard tourists and make a city ours.
Thus far, we’ve always chosen places with a lot to do: Paris; Florence; London; Cortona, Italy (perfectly situated for day trips around Tuscany and Umbria). But we loved our previous visits to Greece and wanted to spend a few weeks with the kids on a Greek island. This would be a test for the family – how would we get along without a lot to occupy us? Would we go stir crazy? Or could this work as well as our previous summer trips?
The Choice of Naxos
Greece has a lot of islands. How to choose just one for three weeks? My criteria were:
- No cruise ships. 8,000 temporary visitors from cruise ships ruin the feel of an island.
- Close enough to other islands to take ferries. Just in case we developed island fever, we wanted to be able to easily escape for a day or two.
- Family-friendly. We wanted good beaches and a non-party atmosphere.
- Accommodation. There should be an Airbnb rental or hotel close to the beach and also close enough to the main town to easily walk in for meals.
- Flights. We didn’t want to take a 7-hour ferry from Athens. So the island needed an airport with regular flights.
After looking all over Greece, the choice came down to Paros and Naxos. Friends of mine love Paros. But in writing to other family travel writers, Naxos was the preference of most. So we went with Naxos.
Lodging Search
I initially tried to find an apartment or house through Airbnb, but there was nothing available near Naxos Town (Chora) for our dates. We didn’t want to have to rent a car our entire stay to stay outside of the city, and we didn’t want to search for parking every time we came into town. So I moved past Airbnb to TripAdvisor. One of the top-rated hotels was the Nissaki Beach Hotel. It’s on a beach. It includes a well-reviewed breakfast. It’s a short walk to town. It has a pool. It sounded pretty much perfect. Even booking eight months in advance, their two-unit suites were already reserved, but luckily they let the five of us stay in a superior suite. Lodging was done!
Getting to and from Naxos with Kids
You know how ferries and flights were two of my search criteria? Well, in Greece nothing is as easy at it seems. We went to book flights on Aegean Air several months before our planned dates and…all of the good flights were already sold out. Apparently tour agencies buy up the best tickets. So book really early! Instead of having an easy connection to Naxos from Marseille, we had to overnight in Athens and take an early morning flight to Naxos – the only thing available for a week. It worked out well and we enjoyed our quick trip into the Plaka district of Athens, but it meant an additional airport check-in, another security check, etc… Note: if you’re in a similar situation and have a layover in Athens, stay at the Athens Airport Sofitel. It was easy to take the metro into Athens, and staying right at the airport meant that we didn’t have to wake up too early for our morning flight or take a chance on getting stuck in traffic.
And the ferries weren’t any better. Once we got to the island and started planning day trips, we discovered that the ferry schedules of Sea Jets and Blue Star were terrible. Paros is visible from Naxos Town, so we tried to plan lunch there one day. Nope. We could get there in the morning, but the only return ferries were before 12:45pm or after 7:15pm. Not very family-friendly if it’s a hot day and we don’t want to wander around the town for several hours. So we nixed a lunch in Paros. For Santorini, we discovered that the latest return every day was 3:30pm. If we were trying to have lunch at Dimitris (our favorite restaurant) and then get back to the port, we wouldn’t be able to make it. So we scrambled, got a place to stay for a night and did a two-day trip to Santorini instead.
Mykonos wasn’t any easier. Actually, there’s a 10:45am ferry every day from Naxos to Mykonos that would work perfectly with the return boats. BUT…the 10:45 is sold out every day. The reason? A lot of people fly out of Mykonos since the destination options are better than from Naxos, and they buy those early ferry tickets far in advance to line up with their flights. We had similarly purchased 12:55pm ferry tickets far in advance to connect perfectly to our 3:10pm flight. But after our initial ferry experiences where we were 50 minutes late departing Naxos to Santorini and 25 minutes late departing Santorini to Naxos, we politely inquired about the daily 12:55 Mykonos departure. What we learned from the Sea Jet rep was that it was now officially a 1:05 departure, but that every day it left closer to 1:30. We would miss our flight! Our only real alternative was to shorten our stay on Naxos by a day, spend a night in Mykonos and then have plenty of time to catch our flight. So that’s what we did. It was nice to get to Mykonos after all, and we had a fun 24 hours there, but it was surprising to find out that literally all of the ferries run late. Learn from us: build plenty of extra time into your plans if you’re relying on the Greek ferries.
Our Routine (Things to do on Naxos)
So once we were in Naxos, and had determined that day trips to the other nearby islands weren’t really feasible, what did we do? Well, we relaxed and enjoyed the island. Two days we rented a car and drove around the northern half of the island. We had lunches in the cute, very small towns of Filoti and Halki, visited the Olive Museum in Eggares, found goats, saw marble quarries and got a better feel for Naxos. But the rest of the time we took it easy.
Every day we would wake up, enjoy breakfast on the beach at the hotel, swim in the sea and pool before it got too hot, relax in the room a little, go into town for lunch, relax a little more, go swimming again in the late afternoon, get cleaned up, dine in town or at the hotel, and enjoy loukoumades (Greek donuts) and ice cream on the way back to our hotel. We loved the routine! A few times we mixed it up by getting drinks before dinner, but otherwise every day was the same, and after three weeks the kids weren’t ready for it to end. We became addicted to life on a Greek island!
Naxos Restaurants
We dined at at least 25 different restaurants in Naxos Town over two trips. Virtually all of the meals were good. Some places had good service, some didn’t. If there was one that we really liked, we went back a second time. There were only a few that we loved enough after two or more visits to recommend:
- Nissaki Restaurant. This was at our hotel and had the best food of anywhere we dined. It was also the family-friendliest location, since our kids could run around the beach and even walk well out into the shallow water while they were waiting for their meals. We dined here four times and every time was excellent.
- Oasis. Close to the hotel. Everything was excellent.
- Piperi. The best gyros on the island. Easy to find on the way into town.
- Pizzadelia. An easy option for take-away when we didn’t feel like another sit-down meal. We liked all of their pizzas, but the spinach/feta is particularly mouth-watering.
- Avaton 1739. We had drinks at 1739 seven nights. It’s a climb from the main town, but the view at sunset is excellent, and they have the best homemade lemonade we’ve found anywhere. For the adults, the sangria is great.
- Honorable mention: Naxian Capriccio near the harbor. Our second meal wasn’t quite as good as our first, but the potato donuts with tomato jam and the caramelized octopus were amazing.
I should note that we were consistently disappointed in the food and service at the beach restaurants near the hotel, other than Nissaki Restaurant. Beware!
Naxos with Kids: Food Pricing and Advice
For our family of five, we averaged 60 Euros a meal at excellent restaurants. With desert and drinks it might be closer to 70-80 Euros. We learned quickly never to order five main courses since there was simply too much food. Every meal either my wife or I opted out of ordering and shared everyone else’s food. It worked out perfectly.
Nissaki Beach Hotel Naxos Review
We loved the Nissaki Beach Hotel. All five of us stayed in one room – three sleeping on one king-size bed and two on twin beds. There was plenty of space, and I appreciated they didn’t require us to get two connecting rooms, even if the adult stuck on the king-size bed with two kids rarely slept perfectly. The pool was great – very kid-friendly – and the location was excellent. The beach is only a few steps from the hotel and it’s the quieter section of beach, compared to the busier, larger areas just a few minutes’ walk where people rented beach chairs and paddle boats. The coolest feature is that the sea is shallow to several hundred meters out, so kids can walk way out and play ball or swim around without it being deep. It’s a very fun atmosphere in the sea and on the beach all day, continuing until after sunset given how warm the water is.
Beyond the beach, the location is good because it’s just a few minutes from town and there’s a large public parking area next-door, which meant it was easy to park the two times we rented cars. The staff was uniformly excellent, and the owner of the family-run hotel was always around to make sure things were perfect. Breakfasts are especially good, with a broad assortment of food, sweets, fresh juices and fruits.
Sunsets
Sunset is the best time of the day in Greece. Naxos Town is perfectly situated for the sunset. We had drinks above the town several nights at 1739 as the sun was going down. You can also enjoy the sunset from anywhere along the harbor. St. George beach, at the hotel, is also a good spot, but you need to head far up the beach to get the best angle, or walk right across the parking lot to the right of the hotel.
The most famous sunset viewing spot is the Temple of Apollo (Portara), dating to the 6th century BC. It’s roughly a 15-minute walk from the hotel and it’s well worth going up there at least once during your stay.
Sunrise
As with virtually everywhere else, it’s worth getting up for sunrise at least once too. Naxos Town was hopping when I walked through at 6am, with some restaurants full of people who had stayed out all night (a little strange, since otherwise it doesn’t seem like an island with a party/club scene). But at the Portara I was virtually alone – a nice change to the crowded sunsets there.
Final Analysis
Even though we loved the hotel, over three weeks an Airbnb rental in town would have been preferable. We wouldn’t have had to eat out every meal, we would have had more space and we would have slept better. But given the trade-offs of what we found – a good flat outside of town vs. a great hotel in town – we were happy with our choice. This goes back to my previous advice: book early! If you’re looking at spending several weeks in Greece, or for that matter anywhere else during peak tourist season, start your lodging search a year in advance, and your flight/ferry search as soon as the airlines and ferry companies load those dates into their systems.
We were very happy with Naxos. Is there enough to do for three weeks? It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re hoping for an active vacation, you may be ready to move on after a few days. We enjoyed the routine, and our kids really didn’t want to leave. My wife was going a little stir-crazy at the end but I would have been good for another week. If you’re planning day trips, plan two-day trips instead, especially to Santorini and Mykonos, and book hotels in those locations far in advance. We lucked out in both places finding hotels that could sleep the five of us on short notice, but it took a lot of searching.
2017 Update
We returned in August 2017 for eight nights / nine days. We booked even farther in advance to get a two-room suite at Nissaki Beach Hotel. The layout definitely worked better than our previous setup, and the sunset view was a bonus. Most of our stay was very windy, which sounds like a bad thing but it cooled things down considerably from our first visit. The sand at St. George beach is heavy enough that it wasn’t blowing around even as restaurants were struggling to hold onto their menus and napkins.
We drove around the island once, going through Filoti and Halki again and adding in Lionas Beach and lunch at the island’s number one rated restaurant there (according to TripAdvisor), Delfinaki. Our meal was excellent. We also stopped at Plaka Beach and Agios Prokopios. Based on the comments below a lot of people like staying on Agios Prokopios, but to us it was a little too crowded and spring-break-like, and we would miss not being able to walk into Naxos Town.
The ferry schedule finally made sense for a day trip to Paros. We took the Blue Star Ferry over at 9:30am and the Sea Jets boat back at 2:25pm – except that it was late again and we left closer to 3:15pm. Frustrating since if Sea Jets had any way to track its boats we could have spent more time in town instead of waiting in line at the port. C’mon Sea Jets – can you try to suck a little less? We loved Paros Town but didn’t have enough time to get to Naoussa.
Paros
In 2019 we finally headed to Paros. My blog post is here. Overall we still like Naxos better. My 2022 Naxos post is here.
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I enjoyed your information, but have to add that our family has been to Naxos three times (from California) and we have always stayed at the Agio Prokopios hope right near the beach at Agio Prokopios. Very convenient, friendly owners and inexpensive. Haven’t been there in over 5 years, but each time we stayed there, we were able to do a lot of sight seeing, eating and relaxing. Just saying….
Thanks for the recommendation. Although we wanted to be near the main town, based on our experience on other Greek islands and knowing our kids, maybe Agio Prokopios could have worked just as well for us for a few weeks. I’ll broaden my thinking next time we do this!
Every time we go to Naxos we stay at Plaka beach at Athina’s studios. It is right over the road from probably the best beach on Naxos. There are some fabulous restaurants up and down the beach. Literally right outside Athina’s is the bus stop to take one into town. During the summer it runs half hourly until midnight.
Greece is so high on our list. This looks like a fantastic spot to spend some time soaking up with wonder of Greece!
The more popular islands are worth seeing, but if you really want to experience Greece, choose a less touristy place and stay for a while!
These are good tips. Thanks for sharing. We hope to plan a trip to Greece and will keep the Ferry time issues in mind. Thanks!
Hi Eric, as a Greek I truly agree about the ferries and flights! I live abroad and wanted to go to Milos, Folegandros and ended up going to Paros, Naxos instead 😀 Transport is a challenge. I visited Paros for the second time and I can say that you would not enjoy it as much as Naxos. It works mostly with Greek tourists and due to the capital control it was empty. Naxos on the other hand was a very pleasant experience for us, Agios Prokopios best beach by far, crystalclear water. Sea, sunset, view and island was as great as the more popular islands but without the masses of tourists.
What I can recommend though are the very small islands close to Naxos (Koufonisia, Irakleia, Donousa). I went to Koufonisia, very remote, very quiet, no beach bars, just perfect sea like a natural swimming pool. It is extremely quiet and remote, so I guess not so child-friendly, but try them when kids grow up! Similar remote choices are Paxoi-Antipaxoi in the Ionian sea (a bit colder water).
Glad I found your blog, very good advice! I also saw the Legoland post (I live in Denmark, but I didn’t know about the tours!)
Thank you for the comment Ariadni! We had heard great things about Agios Prokopios but were so happy at St. George beach near our hotel that we didn’t go down the coast to check it out. Next time. And I looked into day trips to Koufonsia but didn’t book due to the reasons you said – we weren’t sure that our kids would appreciate it much, at least not yet. Thank you for confirming the choice of Naxos over Paros – that’s great to know.
Naxos is a fabulous place to relax- we’ve done two years in a row and stayed in Prokopios and also Plaka which is very chilled out with great beaches. Our kids loved scuba diving in agios Prokopios with the great PADI team there. Thanks for the restaurant tips, we generally get into town once or twice a trip and will try the 1739 bar next time we are there.
We loved this post, so helpful!
The two family suites are booked already and now we are looking to recreate your same experience of finding a hotel that’s great for families, on the beach with pool in walking distance to town.
Are there any other options?
I can’t find any. Thank you!!
Several commenters below mention that they prefer staying at Agios Prokopios. So look into that. We never got over there and apparently missed out. The other thing to do is to go to TripAdvisor and look up the Nissaki Beach Hotel (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g580192-d264026-Reviews-Nissaki_Beach_Hotel_Naxos-Naxos_Town_Naxos_Cyclades_South_Aegean.html). Now click on the map on the right side and zoom in. That will let you see the other hotels near there or similarly close to the beach and town. That’s where I would start. There are several in the same area that are listed as family-friendly. I can’t speak to any, but the room is going to be secondary anyway since you’re not traveling to Naxos to sit in a hotel room.
Thanks for your tips. We chose Naxos for all the same reasons you did, minus the kids. Out of the places you ate/drank, did any stand out as enforcing no smoking policies? We’re going in 2weeks, and I would love to know if there is anywhere I can count on for a smoke free meal.
Thanks!
Hi Kristin. Honestly, I didn’t notice any difference. Compared to recent trips to Italy, Germany and especially China I didn’t feel like people were constantly smoking near us on Naxos, but obviously there was more smoking than in California. I would doubt that there are smoke-free restaurants? But I could be totally wrong about that.
Hi Eric
Thanks for the wonderful review of Naxos, I am currently researching a holiday in the greek islands for my 10 year wedding anniversary 2018 probably for 2 weeks, and plan to go there with my husband and two kids who will be 7 and 5. My criteria is very similar to yours in that my husband gets very bad motion sickness so he isn’t too keen to travel by boat for long periods of time. So this is a major factor on deciding which island to choose. I would like a family friendly island but that also has some fun things to do, and great eating out as we love it! i would love to rent a villa sure not sure if i want to drive…..and we want to be able to fly in and out. I am still deciding weather I want to do two islands and spend a week in each or just choose one and experience a bit of the life and rhythm….I would love to see santorini and your suggestion sounds perfect as i have read it is not that family friendly? have you been to mykonos?
Hi Viviana – yes, it sounds like you’re looking for virtually the same thing that we were. We were happy with Naxos, and are booking a return trip next summer, but only for one week this time. We’ll do everything else the same.
Yes, we’ve been to Mykonos a couple of times now. Mykonos Town is unique with its narrow, twisting, confusing walkways – different than anywhere else we’ve been in Greece. Sunsets are gorgeous there too, so it’s well worth a day or two there. What I don’t like about Mykonos is 1) it gets a lot of cruise ships, so it can be extremely crowded during the day if ships are there, and 2) it’s a party island and more suited for young single people than families. Walking through town your kids may ask what some of the (very) inappropriate t-shirts in the store windows mean. Our kids aren’t sheltered by any means, but it’s still a little awkward – not a perfect family-friendly environment.
Hello Eric
We are thinking in going to Naxos August 2017 for one week (2 adults 2 little girls 3 and 8).
Looking on the hotel you suggest but is quite book already is another hotel you can suggest?
Thank you I really appreciate any help
Hi Hellen. Sorry – we’re partly to blame. We’re booked for a week there next August!
I’ve never evaluated other hotels on the island, but Kate Ballbach visited last summer and loved where they stayed. Her post is at: https://kate-ballbach.squarespace.com/blog/2016/9/16/greek-isles-big-smiles-part-2-naxos-travel-guide
Hi Eric,
Just wanted to say that this is a great review. We’ve always taken the easier option with Greece and always booked easy flights and all inclusive hotels but this year we want to experience something completely different! We’re planning on going August 17 for 11 nights and this has made me get it booked now! We too looked at your hotel but think we’re going to opt for Hotel Galaxy.
Thanks again!
Thanks Joanne – we’ll be there at the same time! Hotel Galaxy looks great. If you think of it after the fact, I’d love to know what you thought of it. It’s a great location.
Great info! So glad to find your site. We are travelling to Naxos in August for 5 days. We will stay at Villa Naxia and are a family of six. Just wondering if you can recommend your top towns to visit for site seeing and the best beach aside from George for day trips. Does St. George beach get terribly crowded in late August? Your pictures indicate there is lots of room. Thank you.
So even though we were there three weeks, we didn’t explore a lot. The two times we rented cars we went inland and really enjoyed Filoti and Halki. But there were large parts of the island that we didn’t see, and we didn’t seek out other beaches since it was so easy to base out of our room at Nissaki Beach instead of driving or taking the bus elsewhere. The goal is to explore a little more when we’re back there this summer, but we’ll see if the kids really want to check out other places, or if they’ll be happy once again at St. George. As to the crowds, yes the beach gets crowded, but I never thought there were too many people. With the water so shallow, people are always spread throughout the beach and water.
What a great review. Thank you so much for going to such great detail. We are flying into Athens on June 29th (so in a little over 4 weeks) and taking the first ferry out to Naxos the next morning. I have island hopped around the Cyclades many years ago (pre-children) so this is a refresher for me. This time however, we have 3 children with us (10,8 and 7 year olds). We are fairly adept to travel and have curious little ones who are very excited to travel to Greece for their first Helenic adventure. We had intended to do much more in our 3 weeks in Greece but ferries and the thought of dragging kids to several locations have limited our (ok my) expectations so the plan is to stay in Naxos for 10 nights and then Paros for a further 9. A night on either side of the holiday in Athen rounds off the holiday. Like you I have based ourselves very close to Naxos Chora and I fully intend to do little or nothing in the first few days outside of exploring the town and beaches. We do plan to rent a car for a few days though. In Paros we have booked a sailing day trip to some of the smaller islands. We plan to take this trip on our daughters 9th Birthday to make it extra special.
Thanks again for the blog and I look forward to the adventure.
Your plan sounds perfect. I absolutely agree with basing out of just two quieter islands and letting the Greek lifestyle slowly win over your kids! If you think of it after your trip, please let me know how you like Paros and which island you prefer. We have ferry tickets to Paros booked this summer, but only for a day trip.
Ah totally looking forward to this break. We live in Ireland and it has pretty much rained everyday for the whole weekend and bank holiday so I need some sunshine 🙂 Will be back to update once we get home in late July. We are staying in 2 different places in Paros so am excited to get around the island. Looking at potentially renting a car in Paros and not bothering with one at all in Naxos!
By the way.. I see from your info you are a well seasoned traveller… I also lived in Heidelberg, Germany (for almost 3 years).. married a native in fact 🙂 Spent every free minute I had traveling here there any everywhere from that base in Southern Germany.
On your recommendation, we went to 1739 for drinks (and had the sangría) and then walked down to Zorbas. Thanks for the suggestions – both were wonderful!
Awesome, thanks for the feedback! We can’t wait to be back in Naxos next month!
I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your blog! Thank you so much for sharing this information. We are not good about planning ahead, so I’m trying to get an itinerary together still (leaving for Athens in 4 days!). Spending 5 nights on Naxos. We’ve had amazing trips to Santorini & Milos and can’t wait to experience Naxos (with our 4 and 1 yr old, eeeek!).
Thanks Suzanne! Have a great trip. Greece is always a fun destination for families – it’s great that you keep going back!
This is a great post, and I’m glad I found it before planning our family’s trip to Greece this summer. We were in Naxos, Paros and Mykonos in early July. Paros was our favorite, but Naxos was very bewitching in its own way. We tried to get in at the Nissaki based on your recommendation, but since they were full we ended up at Villa Marandi Suites in Stelida, and we were blown away. Had the best time staying there, service and setting were of the highest quality. Many traveling families there, Americans and others, our kids (9 and 12) were so happy and comfortable, but kids of all ages inc. babies were very welcome. Small, family-run with a super friendly staff. We’ve stayed in 6 or 7 different hotels around Greece (Athens and the islands), and this is by far our favorite. A car is necessary there as it’s about 10-15 mins away from town, but a car will also get you to the mountaintop villages so definitely worth it. Paros was the whole family’s choice as all-around favorite island however and I think that’s mainly thanks to the charm of Naoussa, which we stayed close to, within walking distance, and where we spent every evening from sunset until midnight more or less. Amazing restaurants, shops, cocktail bars, and so many photogenic nooks and crannies. In Naoussa, our top two restaurants were Yemeni and Taverna Glafkos, and in Naxos, two that I didn’t see mentioned in your blog post are Picasso – a Mexican restaurant! But actually really good! – on Agios Prokopios beach and Rotonda (I think?), the cliffside restaurant you pass just before entering Apeiranthos (which is well worth the drive!). Have a great trip and hope to see some photos!
Thank you so much Atissa! I love all of the new information. We arrive in Naxos tomorrow, and we’ll try a lot of your recommendations. We managed to get ferry tickets this summer too for a day trip to Paros, so that will give us a feel of whether we want to travel there next time. We’re skeptical of the Mexican restaurant, but curious at the same time!
Hello,
I have just discovered your blog and it is helpful, especially about the ferries schedule.
For a first trip to Greece, would you say that Naxos is a good choice ?
I will not rent a car so, would it be better to go to another island where I could use buses and boats to go around ?
Thank you and many more trips to you and your family !
Céline
Hi Céline. Naxos is an excellent choice for families. If you are traveling by yourself, I think the more popular islands of Mykonos or Santorini may be better for you. Both are charming and unique, and they’re only crowded during the summer months. Rhodes is nice too, but it’s larger so you would likely want a car. Naxos, Mykonos and Santorini can easily be seen without cars. Paros could be a good choice too. Or base out of Athens and do some day trips to the islands near there.
Thank you for this blog! We decided on Greece for our family vacation this year with our 3 kids and your above blog was one of the reasons I chose to spend the bulk of our time on Naxos. I knew nothing about Greece when we booked the trip so I was starting from scratch. I read as many blogs on family travel as I could but yours was so informative and helpful. We also did a couple of days on Santorini and finished up with a full day in Athens. Naxos was amazing and did not disappoint! We had an amazing airbnb with wonderful hosts.
Hi Cindy – thank you so much for the message! I love knowing that people are taking my advice and not being disappointed! Did you mainly eat at your Airbnb on Naxos, or did you explore the restaurants? Any favorites? We’ll likely head back next summer.
We always ate breakfast at the Airbnb and then would pack a lunch and hit the beach for a few hours. We ate out every night for dinner. We actually had a nice meal at the Naxos Grill although our Airbnb host wasn’t a fan of it. Anywhere we ate along the waterfront was great! We love the Creperea especially for me as they had gluten free crepes and they were amazing! The kids loved each choosing their own crepe. We also drove around the island one day and stopped in Moni and had a great lunch at Cafe Panorama. The giant beans were so good!
Thank you for the suggestions Cindy! We just booked a week back there next summer.
Hi! Can you share the name of the AirBnB where you stayed, Cindy?
Loved reading people’s insights. Great travel blog. We have booked our stay for Naxos with our family if 4 – 2 teenagers with us. We initially were looking at basing ourselves in Naxos for 13/14 nights and doing day trips to both Paros and Santorini until we also saw the ferry timetables and realized Santorini was not possible as day trip. So we are looking now to stay in Santorini for 4 nights but not sure of Kamari as it’s more affordable or Fira/ oia. Difficult to find a place for 4 which has pool and is affordable. Maybe Kamari? We are flying in from Paris so not aware of direct flights so will go through Athens. Then we plan to take ferry across to Naxos. Which ferry to do suggest for comfort and speed? Then we will base ourselves in Agios Prokopios at the new Melidonas Suites which has pool and close to walk to beach. Plus it is a 2 bedroom hotel like with breakfast but hoping the close by resteraunts and supermarket will give us options for food.havent been able to find anything through Airbnb etc for a villa or house but it’s close to beach and lots of eateries and we will have car to drive to Naxos town.
Hi Mack. It sounds like a great trip! Will be a little bit of an adventure, but if Greece was too easy, it wouldn’t be as much fun!
We’ve never taken the ferry from Athens so I can’t recommend a specific one. I’d take the fastest one you can find.
I don’t know Kamari at all. Yes, Fira and Oia get expensive, but there are only so many places to stay, and there’s a lot of demand in the high season.
Please keep me posted on Melidonas Suites. At some point we won’t be able to book Nissaki Beach on the dates we want and I’ll need a backup!
I just googled “day trip from Naxos to Santorini” and found your blog. We’re going to Naxos, Paros and Athens this August AND staying at the Nissaki (in the two bed suite!). I’m SO GLAD to read positive reviews and now I’m REALLY excited.
OIff to read the rest of your blog now!
Thanks Rebecca!! We love it there so much. Hopefully we’ll be able to make it back in the next year or so.
Hi Eric, I’ve been an avid reader of your travel blogs since the pandemic, and you have really inspired me to travel to Greece (I live in a faraway land in Malaysia 😂)
I am finally going to Greece and the islands in April next year. Planning for Santorini & Naxos. However I am worried that many shops are not open during that time as it is shoulder season.
Have you been to the Greek islands in April & what’s your experience like?
Thank you
Hi Pamela. We’ve been to Santorini in April and things were open. On the islands that mostly shut down in the winter, April through October are safe times to visit. And Naxos is a year-round island – you may have a few places that are closed, but in general that should be a great time to visit – fewer tourists and cheaper prices. Also not extreme heat yet.
Thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it 🙏 and you were really fast too ☺️