Is Naxos Worth Visiting?

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades, and Greek mythology ties it to both Zeus, raised in a cave on its highest peak, and Dionysus, the god of wine, who is said to have fallen for Ariadne on its shores after Theseus left her behind.

Naxos centers on Chora, its port town, where a marble gate called the Portara stands on a small islet connected by a causeway, the sole remnant of an unfinished 6th century BC temple to Apollo. Above the town, the Kastro, a Venetian castle built in 1207, still houses residents behind its walls, and the Archaeological Museum inside holds one of the largest collections of Early Cycladic marble figurines outside Athens.

Halki, the island's former capital, sits inland among olive groves and citrus orchards, its marble streets lined with defense towers and the Vallindras Distillery, where the citrus liqueur kitron has been produced from the same copper stills for generations. Apiranthos, known as the marble village for its stone paved lanes, and Filoti, at the foot of Mount Zas, round out a handful of mountain villages that see far fewer visitors than the coast.

Mount Zas, the highest peak in the Cyclades at just over 1,000 meters, includes a cave where myth places Zeus's childhood, and the hike to the summit gives climbers views across the surrounding island chain. On the coast, Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna anchor miles of soft sand along the western shore, and the Temple of Demeter, a partially restored 6th century BC sanctuary near the village of Sangri, sits among farmland a short drive inland.

Naxos suits travelers who want beaches, mountain villages, ancient ruins, and food and wine grown right on the island, all in one place, and ferries connect easily to Paros and Santorini for anyone island hopping through the central Cyclades.