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...Cyclades island walks
About Naxos
Naxos, a 30Km x 20Km oval, is the largest of the Cyclades, and its population of 19000 swells appreciably in the summer when it becomes thronged with holidaymakers.
There’s much promising walking terrain, but so far we have treated Naxos in much less detail than Amorgos, and present just one walk, the arduous but rewarding climb of Mount Zas (Zeus), at 1001m, the highest peak of the Cyclades, and where Zeus is said to have been born.
On Naxos you will find:
- the bustling metropolitan main harbour town, often referred to as Naxia
- a fine Venetian Kastro, from which the Dukes of Naxos ruled most of the Aegean
- the unfinished Temple of Apollo, unmissable as you arrive at the port
- a massive 10.5m Kouros, an unfinished statue from the 7th century BC
- a comprehensive museum and cultural events
From the sea, the island presents a craggy profile, and a look at the map shows there’s much to discover, but for now, we’ll just refer you to the two mountain ranges of granite and gneiss.
To the northwest is Mavrovouni (Μανροβουνι), 999m, partly quarried for marble, with a number of mountain villages and an extensive disused emery mine, including an impressive aerial cable way, and a little interpretation for visitors.
To the south is Mount Zas (Ζας), 1001m, a proud, bare cone of limestone, looming over Filoti (Φιλοτι), another hill town. There’s a number of walks here of course, but the climb from Arion Spring, via the Zeus cave, has to be a five star experience with such a view from the summit, from which you see much of Naxos, Keros and the small Cyclades way below you, out to Amorgos, and other islands way, way beyond in several directions
Getting to Naxos
- Naxos is well connected! As a destination in its own right, as the base for the southern Cyclades, and as a major stop en route to further parts of the Aegean, there’s usually plenty of choice of when and how you sail.
- Also the ferry fleets seem to put their newest, biggest, brightest, fastest vessels on the Naxos run.
- Daily morning sailings from Piraeus will see you sipping a drink at a bar on the sprawling waterfront by lunchtime, and if you miss the first, there should be several more through the day and night.
- The Blue Star and the fast catamarans do the crossing in 3 hours, whilst the slower car ferries take up to 8 hours.
- Flights from Athens take an hour and leave most days.
Getting around Naxos
- Naxos has a number of bus routes linking the main town with towns and villages on the rest of the island, plus tourist buses to beaches and an extensive taxi and vehicle hire service.
- Good, surfaced roads get you quickly across the plain to the mountains, but these decline, as you might expect, and you may encounter long culs de sac, terminating in dirt roads way out in the wilds.
- There are also plenty of day boats and excursions to choose from, and linear walks may well be possible.
Staying on Naxos
Upon arrival, you will almost certainly be greeted by offers of accommodation in the main town, but there are rooms in some of the towns and villages inland too.
There are also three campsites, all in the main beach areas just south of the main town.
Maps and other information
We recommend the Anavasi Topos map, at 1:40,000 ISBN 960 8195 54 3, for walking, details at www.anavasi.gr.
Some websites which include general tourist information for Naxos: