The two first weeks of July I spend in Naxos with my family. It's the biggest Cyclade island from Greece. We rented a little house with our own swimming pool up in the mountains, very close to the beach.
We came to the island by boat. A six hours trip trough the Greek waters. If I'm being honest, six hours is a long trip. I wouldn't recommend going by boat. It's definitely easier to fly, which we did on the way back. The cutest airport I had ever seen, where the only destination you can go too is Athens.
This island has so so much to offer that it can be overwhelming. I did some research before we left, just to get an idea of what I could be expecting. I went on Pinterest and found several cute little restaurant and places to discover. We definitely did a lot! I'd like to tell you about everything we did and maybe you'll find some inspiration for your trip to Naxos.
So when you go the 'capital' of Naxos you will end up in a labyrinth. Cute little streets with tavernes, jewel stores, spice stores,... Literally everything you could imagine!
The first time we went there, we had dinner at Apostolis.
A restaurant hidden in the streets on a courtyard, where people just walk trough to get their stuff done.
Not only the atmosphere was nice, also the food was to lick of your fingers. My dad and I shared a mixed grill plate for 2. oh sweet lord! We could have eaten from that with four!
A golden tip I could recommend everyone:
share your food!!
It's so much nicer to get a few starters to share and then, depending on how many you are, 2 or 3 main dishes.
Like this you also get to taste more in less time :)
This lovely place is called Taverne Paradiso. And really! It's like paradise. We went here a few times for breakfast and also for dinner. It doesn't matter at what time you go there, because it's always nice. They have their tables on the sand right on the beach. Prime view to watch the sun go down. When we went there we wanted to sit close to the water and they just took a table and created a whole new line just for us. They are super super friendly and the food is the best.
My brother claims they have the best tzatziki on the whole island and I find that the fried zucchini balls tasted like heaven.
If you're on Naxos you have to make sure, you've been there. It would be a shame if didn't!
About the beaches on Naxos there is not much to say: just go exploring! There are beaches everywhere and it's just what you like. The water is a dream! Crystal-clear and ready to be jumped in.
In Plaka Beach it's more civilized, because there are little tavernes and cafes who offer umbrellas and beach chairs. We discovered a beach called Alyko. It's a bit hard to get there, because you have to climb down the rocks, but once you're downstairs you have the whole beach to yourself.
The first time we went there, there was a big surprise waiting for us when we came back to our car. We followed the music and found the coolest food truck ever. FBI-sa! Food, Beverage and Ice cream. I think they come there every day with their food truck with the best taco's and iced coffee's. Three Greek boys are the owners and you're just having a good time with them while you wait for your food to get ready. I really miss those guys!
In Mikri Vigla you have the surfers beach. It's where the Flisvos Kitesurf school is located and it's a place with only good-looking surfers. My brother and I took a kite surf course and it was amazing! If you'e staying there for a while, it is really cool.
After a long day full of adventure, the best thing is ice cream. In Plaka Beach, but also in the capital there is a place called Waffle House. They absolutely have the best ice cream of the whole island. One scoop is more than enough! Don't make the same mistake as I did and remember to take a cone to reduce plastic waste. :))
Also in Plaka beach there is this place called TOHU. It's a breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktail place. They just got there for like 2 months and they asked me to write something about them. When you get there, you get soaked up in the holiday vibe. The breakfast is like a miracle. We had fresh fruit and juices, which were a dream. They got eggs and breadbaskets as well, which are very good to share.
When we were done with our breakfast, we went for a walk at the beach. It was still quit calm, so we could really enjoy the sea.
If you had enough of the beach and want to explore the inner island, you should go to Chalkio. It's a 30 min ride from Orkos. When you arrive there, you step into a little square with some restaurants and shops and that's it! When we were there it was empty, but the restaurant owners told us that for breakfast it gets pretty packed. We had dinner at the only restaurant on the square. By 20h30 the restaurant was full? It seemed like the whole town came to the same place to have dinner. You really get to see a different view of the island.
If you want to see more of the island except for the beach, you should visit the temple of Demeter. Or if you have a car you should plan to drive to the 'end' of the island. It's trough the mountains and if you're unlucky the road gets blocked because there are goats who are getting moved. But once you get there it's nice to take a walk.
If you are looking to go for a drink, you should check out TOWN or 520. TOWN is located at the beach in the city. It's calm and cozy and if you want you could have an easy dinner in the center. On the other hand you have 520. It's a rooftop bar where you can also have something to eat. But I think it's nicer to just have drink here and find something easy to eat.
If you're in Naxos (the capital) you should wonder around in the labyrinth. Don't follow google maps or something, just get lost in there. I found many lovely places by doing that. The views you get are extraordinary! The only thing is is that no matter at what time you go there, it's going to be hot. So make sure you bring your swimming clothes to head to the closest beach and jump in the water. When you get back to the harbour and you're hungry go to Cream on top. They have the best Club sandwich in the world. But!! share it! It's a massive thing, but it's the best.
If you made it till here: Waauw thank you! I had the most amazing time in Greece and it's so nice I could capture all these moments. It's unbelievable how many things I did. Every single thing fitted to my expectations and even exceeded them.
I hope you'll find something useful here and if not that's fine. I wanted to write down everything for myself anyway!
love, E
