Naxos - Chora (town of) Things to Do

4 more images

Rent a car or scooter and drive up to Halki and Filoti there is some very quaint towns with great restaurants and the views are breathtaking. There is also Demeter's Temple which is worth a stop. Or you can go the other way towards Melanes and see the Kouros.

2 more images

If you make the drive up into the mountains of Naxos don't miss the store L'Olivier. Katherina and Alex who are the artists who own the store and are the creators of the art inside are perfectly charming and totally passionate about their work.

Although the beaches at Chora are fabulous.. its worth grabbing a bus (or if theres enough of you a taxi) and disappearing to Plaka Beach for the day. It only takes 10 minutes on the local bus (which picks up all over the place - check the details at the bus office). Stay on the bus still it stops and starts to turn around. This is the quietest bit - clothing optional but no one blinks an eyelid at whatever you wear (or dont). Amazing white sand and the sea is so clear and blue - its stunning. However, you really need to pay for a brolly here because the sun is so strong and the sand so white you will burn in seconds. There are a few really nice Tavernas on the road back from the beach, but don't expect any hassle .. we only saw a natural sponge seller on both days we were there.

Try and catch a film at the open air cinema if you can - its a great thing to do if you are tired of the restaurants and the bars for a night. Really sweet little place, which shows as up to date presentations as it can.

We spent a great late night watching Troy in English with greek subtitles, sitting on garden chairs with little tables, drinking our own beer (although there is a bar) with bats flying overhead and stars twinkling. Extra value for us was fireworks half way through as Greece had just won a place in the finals of the euro footie.

The terraced countryside of the island's interior belies a fertility not found on many of the other Cyclades. High above, are more towns to be explored, more wines to be tasted, more beaches to be discovered.

Naxos is almost as well-known for its ancient marble as neighbor, Paros. The Terrace of Lions at Delos and the marble sphinx at Delphi were both of Naxian marble. 15 km east of the main port of Chora, are the ancient marble quarries at Fleuris. There are two giant 6.4 meters kouroi still lying in an unfinshed state among the olive trees here. Statues were roughed out in the quarries and then sent, finished or unfinished to their final destinations. These kouroi were never finished for unknown reasons and have lain here for millenia since. Probably something to do with an overdrawn VISA card?

The original reason for the causeway was to build what was to be the most glorious building in Greece on the little islet. 522 BC, Lugdamis, the Naxian tyrant/leader, set in motion what would have been another of the Wonders of the Ancient World - a truly monumental Temple of Apollo. It is thought that a local war with the friendly folks over on Samos, brought the project to an end. Only the massive doorframe - lintel - remains, a 'door to nowhere', much to the delight of countless photgraphers looking for that perfect sunset picture.

Just north of the port, lies the little islet of Palatia. An ancient causeway was built, linking the islet to the main island. There is a small sandy beach curving around the causeway, protected by an ancient mole that was rebuilt in the relatively recent time of Marco Sanudo.