naxos
Charming Filoti
Filoti
Filoti
Mount Zas Trailhead
Tina on the Mount Zas trail
Views from Mount Zas
Views from Mount Zas
Levgassa Spring
Agia Marina Church
The whole gang at the highest point of the Cyclades, Mount Zas summit: 3,280 ft
Plaka Beach
Plaka Beach
Plaka Beach
Plaka Beach
Down by the chora
Sunset views from the Temple of Apollo/Portara
Chora at sunset
Sunset views from the Portara
Sunset views from the Portara
Sunset at the Portara
Sunset at the Portara
Man juxtaposing his wine in front of Portara
Naxos Town
Naxos Town
Naxos Town
Naxos Town
Naxos Town
Naxos Town
Kastro of Naxos
View of Naxos Town at night
Strawberries at the market in Filoti
Roadside honey and olives in Filoti
Greek salad at Platanos Cafe
A unique take on saganaki at Platanos Cafe
Pizza at Platanos Cafe
Saganaki from Santana at Agia Anna Beach
Beachside negroni from Santana at Agia Anna Beach
Beachside mojito from Tohu Beach Bar at Plaka Beach
Beachside freddo cappuccino from Tohu Beach Bar at Plaka Beach
Naxos is the largest and tallest of all the islands in the Cyclades, is extremely green and fertile, and still had that authentic vibe about it. The food was probably my favorite of all the islands and was also very affordable. We had the best/most beach time on Naxos and even climbed to the top of Mount Zas—the highest point of the Cyclades at 3,280 ft.
Upon arriving we quickly checked into our Airbnb, got the lay of the land from our lovely host, then took advantage of the sunshine and hurried to Agia Anna Beach. We cozied up at Santana Beach Club and enjoyed some snacks and cocktails, happy to finally be basking in some sunshine. That night we attempted to catch a good sunset at the Temple of Apollo (Portara) but were disappointed with a dark grey kind of night and headed off to dinner instead. We wandered the maze-like streets of Naxos Town, stumbled upon the Kastro Naxos (castle) and wandered into a hilltop joint overlooking the main square and harbor, Taverna to Kastro. The food was just okay and the service was horrible—the owner and our servers were openly mocking our Americanness to our faces before asking us to make sure we wrote a nice review on Tripadvisor, ha!
The next morning we went to the most heavenly bakery, Liophagos where we enjoyed fresh orange juice, freddo cappuccinos, breakfast pastries, and desserts for just a few euros. Then we made the drive up the winding roads to the base of the Mount Zas hike. The views on the way up were stunning with rocky greenery as we passed colorful wildflowers and the natural Levgassa Spring. The sun was shining and the skies were so clear we could see many of the surrounding islands. On even clearer days it’s said that Asia Minor can be spotted! At the top we met a family from none other than Boulder, CO and took a few quick photos but had to hurry down quickly due to the number of gnats and huge beetles swarming around us.
We ventured into the most charming little village of Filoti for some lunch at Platanos Cafe where a mother-daughter-duo crank out delicious pizzas, sangria, lemonade, and the most unique version of Saganaki we had on any island. I bought some fresh produce from the corner market next door including some of the most delectable strawberries and on the way down to the beach we also picked up some roadside local honey and olives. Our best beach day was had at Plaka Beach lounging at the Tohu Beach Bar downing mojitos and freddo cappuccinos. The waters were crystal clear and so refreshing and it was really special getting to enjoy the beach with some of my favorite beach bums. Since the weather was so good we knew we would sunset conditions would be far improved over the previous night’s. So we hurried home to change and hurried back to the old temple door and caught an epic postcard-worthy sunset. We ended our night with 3-euro gyros at Yasouvlaki!.
I wish we had more time to explore the charming mountain villages and gorgeous beaches but overall, Naxos was one of our favorite islands of the trip and we would definitely go back!
