What to do

In summer, most of our guests spend their days mainly with swimming and relaxing at the beach. The bathing season starts in May or June and lasts until October or even November, but all year round you may jump into the sea on calm and sunny days. The small idyllic sand beach directly in our bay with its shallow water is ideal for children, especially with calm weather. In summer it is often rather wavy at our beach because of the meltémi-northwinds, but even with stronger waves it is safe to swim as there is hardly any current. In winter and more rarely in spring a big storm can carry the sand of our beach away so that there is for some time little or no sand left.

The small bay directly at our property and the adjacent areas are also well suited for snorkeling. The diverse sea bed with rocky parts, sandy bays and sea grass meadows is inhabitated by many interesting organisms such as fish, crabs, sponges and much more. If you are lucky you might even see dolphins, a sea turtle or the extremely rare monk seal which still occurs in our area.

more pictures of our beach: Photo gallery “The beach”

In the area you can visit many small beaches and bays, each beautiful in its own way.

In spring and fall, when the weather is cooler, you can go hiking and explore the area with its olive groves, maquis and dwarf bush vegetation, or walk along the dry riverbeds lined with oleander. On gravel roads you reach the neighbouring village of Moutsoúna, Cape Stavrós, or the emery mines. Naxos is an ideal hiking island and there are many amazing trails especially in the central part of the island. Please note that the paths on Naxos are always stony and that much of the vegetation is thorny. Sturdy shoes are important!

If you rent a car, you can visit different parts of the island and enjoy the varied landscape in interesting tours and excursions. Small villages are to be discovered with cosy tavernas, shops featuring local handicrafts, folklore museums, traditional oil mills and many sights and monuments. The olive groves and vineyards around the villages provide networks of paths suitable for small easy walks or longer hikes. You can visit ancient temples, towers or cemeteries, Byzantine churches and monasteries, Venetian towers and castles. Nature-lovers can discover lonely mountains, lush springs and rivers, hidden bays, beautiful pebble beaches and rocky cliffs. We are happy to help you with tips and information about the archaeology, history, folklore, botany, ornithology and geology of Naxos.

About 70 bird species breed on Naxos and many more can be seen during migration, quite a few of them rare and interesting.

The flora is also very rich with many beautiful and rare species especially in spring.

In the off-season, when life in the mountain villages still runs in its old ways, you may get the opportunity to become acquainted with Greek traditions and folklore, maybe joining one of the many local festivals. Or you can take part, if you wish, in the gathering of grapes, olives, wild herbs or wild vegetables.

You can also book a boat tour or participate in sports and activities of all kinds on the island, but for most of those you have to go to Naxos-town.

To help you to really get to know Naxos we offer presentations about the culture and nature of the island with many beautiful photos and detailed informations as well as guided tours.