Quick facts
Location: the island’s capital and main port, on the west coast, where almost every visitor to Naxos first arrives by ferry.
Layout: 2 historic quarters, the hilltop Venetian Kastro and the Bourgos, the old Greek market quarter, spreading down the hill below it.
Known for: the Kastro’s Venetian mansions and towers, the Portara marble gateway at the harbour entrance, and Agios Georgios, a sandy beach within walking distance of the centre.
Getting around: the old town is pedestrian only, with stone paved alleys throughout both the Kastro and the Bourgos.
Is Naxos Town worth visiting
Naxos Town is not just the island’s arrival point, it is genuinely worth building time into any Naxos trip around, a working port town with a real Venetian citadel on the hill above it, a Mycenaean settlement buried beneath its main square, and the Portara, one of the most recognisable ruins in Greece, standing right at the harbour mouth. Between the Kastro’s mansions, the Bourgos’s market lanes and a sandy beach a short walk from the centre, it rewards more than the hour or 2 most visitors give it between the ferry and the bus to somewhere else.
Highlights
The Kastro, the Venetian citadel on the hill above the port, originally entered through 3 gates, Paraporti, Trani Porta and Piso Paraporti, though only 2 survive today. Inside, the Della Rocca Barozzi Tower houses the Venetian and Folk History Museum, and the Tower of Crispi is the only survivor of an original 12 defensive towers, said to have served as a residence for the Crispi dynasty who once ruled the island.
The Archaeological Museum of Naxos, housed in the old School of Commerce building, where the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis was briefly a student, with a substantial collection of Cycladic marble figurines and vessels alongside Mycenaean, Geometric, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman era finds.
The Bourgos, the old Greek quarter spreading downhill from the Kastro, its stone paved alleys now home to the town’s main concentration of shops, boutiques and restaurants while keeping much of their medieval layout.
The Portara, the giant unfinished marble temple gateway standing on its own islet at the harbour entrance, one of the most photographed ruins in Greece. Read more in our guide to the Portara.
Grotta, the seafront district north of the harbour, built over part of Naxos’s Mycenaean era settlement, dating to around 1300 BC, with some of the ancient remains still visible submerged in the sea just off the coast.
Getting there
Naxos Town is the island’s main port, so most visitors arrive here directly by ferry rather than travelling to it from elsewhere on the island. It is also the hub for onward travel, with the island’s bus station, taxi rank and main car rental offices all based here, see getting around Naxos, Naxos taxi and the Naxos bus timetable. For ferry routes onto the island, see how to get to Naxos.
Map
Where to eat
The Bourgos and the harbourfront both have a wide concentration of restaurants and cafes, from simple grill houses to more polished seafood tavernas along the water, making Naxos Town the easiest place on the island to find a table without planning ahead.
Where to stay
Naxos Town has the island’s widest choice of hotels and rooms, concentrated around the port and the Grotta district, and makes a practical base for exploring the rest of the island given its bus and taxi connections, even for visitors who prefer a quieter village for the rest of their stay.
Nearby beaches
Agios Georgios Beach, a sandy beach within walking distance of the centre, is the obvious choice, with a windsurfing spot nearby at Laguna. For a wider choice of beaches further along the coast, see Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna.
Best time to visit
May, June and September give the most comfortable conditions for exploring the Kastro’s shadeless upper lanes on foot, with noticeably fewer visitors than midsummer. July and August bring the liveliest atmosphere around the port and Bourgos in the evenings, but also the island’s busiest ferry arrivals and the highest prices for rooms.
Back to the Naxos island guide. See also our best villages in Naxos guide.
