Thoughts on Naxos?

[Florabella]

I'm trying to get ahead of the game before EasyJet flights are released for next summer.

I really fancy the look of Naxos, but have never been.

I want somewhere not too big and busy that I don't have to drive, can walk to a beach and have a few tavernas and shops. I also want to be able to take a bus to other points in the island and maybe a trip out on a boat as well. I'm going with two teenagers who will be happy as long as there are a few nice beaches to go to. Would Naxos town fit the bill? Or any other suggestions?

Have a look at Sifnos. It's also in the Cyclades - you'd need to get a ferry, as it has not airport, so could fly to Athens, Santorini (or possibly Mykonos but not sure on that one) depending on your easyJet options. We flew to Athens mostly to go there, but also Santorini once, then down to Piraeus for the ferry. It's a wonderful island. Sandy beaches, lovely small towns, great bus connections around the island, can book boat trips around the island. We've always stayed in Kamares, the port town, which has a lovely beach, very pretty, nice tavernas and a few bars but laid-back vibe. Busy when the ferries come in and then relaxes.

We have always used a Greek travel agency to arrange any overnights, accommodation and ferries etc - can recommend Aegean Thesaurus for Sifnos (they are based on the island). Matt Barrett's Greek Island guides can give loads of useful info too - worth having a look at Naxos on there to see if it fits the bill.

Depending on your UK airport and options, you could easily book flights to Athens and then work out the onward steps afterwards, either with connecting flights or ferries. Alternatively, Santorini connects to quite a few islands BUT the port there can be nightmare, and I know people have almost missed flights before trying to get out of the port, so Athens may be the better destination.

I'm also trying to figure out options ahead of the flight release albeit in other island groups :)

Sifnos is lovely , also Milos

I went as a teenager (a long time ago!). I can only say I remember it being really beautiful. Lovely scenery, restaurants, cafes etc. Would love go back.

Skiathos would fit your bill I think, a lovely island!

Thanks, that's great. I'm off to do research on those now

Naxos is pretty my favourite island. The town beach is long and sandy and doesn't get too crowded .
It's great if your idea of a boat trip is to take a ferry to other islands. There also proper boat trips but the boat we went on wasn't particularly stable and DS got very seasick.

The restaurants around the harbour are open at silly o'clock due to the ferries. Our children loved being able to sleep on the ferry and then go out for food when we got back.

We've just booked flights to Skiathos next June with easyJet and we are looking for pretty much the same as you.

Naxos is a big island, and can be busy in places. If you want to stay in one beach resort rather than explore the island, you might want to consider whether the extra ferry/internal flight time and costs are worth it.

Just back from Naxos for the first time and it was nice. We were further south of the port/town.
Pluses: Generally less crowded than other Greek Islands we've been to. Very few brits, mostly Greeks and Italians. A few lovely beaches. Ferry journey across is very nice.
Minuses: The wind! Very windy most of the time we were there (in August) - it's very common for the Cyclades in summer. Beaches that were sheltered from it were quite busy compared to ones that weren't. The food was OK. It's not a huge island but I wouldn't fancy getting busses around in the heat.

This came up on active and I thought it was a baby name suggestion 😲😂

Sorry, I haven't been there and have no insight so I'll get my coat...!

I went to Naxos earlier this year and it was heaven. Plaka beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I've been to in Europe. There's a bus that runs from the old town in Naxos where the ferry and bus station are to Plaka beach with lots of other beaches on the way. You can also day trip to a smaller island Koufonisia (I also stayed there for a few nights) which is known as the Maldives of Greece - beaches are wild and unspoilt here and the sea is even more blue. There are lots of other small islands you can take a ferry to - they run on the cheap, local ferry route.

I know others have recommended other islands but I definitely think Naxos fits what you're looking for. I have some Greek friends and Naxos is where they spend their summer holidays.

I love Naxos so much I've been 9 times! DH, DS & I went to Sifnos for the first time this summer and really liked that too.
Naxos does get busy in peak season, especially in the town and in Agios Prokopios, but it's a lovely, buzzy kind of busy. I've always stayed in Agia Anna. The bus service is excellent and there are plenty of taxis - we haven't bothered hiring a car for the last 3 or 4 visits.

We were hoping to return to Naxos next summer, but in Easyjet's summer flights release all the routes from Luton we could use to get there (Mykonos, Santorini and Athens) were missing, which makes things logistically far tricker for us😕

It's a lovely place. If you go in land, it's high and cool. Mostly it's Greeks with summer houses away from the coast, so the food is better and it's quieter. The harbour is too small for cruise ships so it's a lots more civilised than some of islands.

I'm following for inspiration too - DD went to the Cyclades on her own a couple of years ago and loved it so I'm planning for DH and I to go next year. I just haven't told DH yet....