Hello all, really helpful forum. I have a group of us that will be visiiting a couple of the Greek islands in end of may /first week of June. We will have 3 nights in Paros and 2 nights in Santorini and our last stop of the islands will be Naxos. I am thinking since this will be our last stop of the islands, we will be looking for some relaxing and beach time. I have read of many beautiful beaches in Naxos. Would like some information on what area to stay. I think I have narrowed it down to 3 places(but am open for other suggestions). Agios Prokopios I have read is very beautiful. Agia Anna is another area that have read is a nice place to stay. The 3rd place is Saint George Beach, I have just recently added Saint George Beach to my list of choices, because a lot of people have recommended it. Our group is made up of 25 to 55 year olds and one toddler. We are all pretty chill. Just curious if any of you have visited the above choices and thoughts and info about them. any info would be appreciated. Thanks and have a wonderful day
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1441 posts
Well you have picked three good companion islands all on direct ferry routes.
Speaking about ferries Paros is the first stop from Athens. Naxos is right next door so that makes sense to be your next stop with Santorini last. Blue Star ferry gets you into Naxos by 12:30. While it is possible to take a direct ferry to Santorini which gets you in around noon. The reason I am suggesting this routing is it is a very long trip back to Athens which takes 5 hours on the fast ferries. If you check high speed ferry costs versus flying you might be surprised to discover the cost to be fairly similar. I would choose a 45 minute flight over a 5 hour ferry trip every time. Santorini has a lot more daily flights than Naxos does so you have lots more options to fit in with your plan.
For first time visitors I recommend St George beach. It is a decent sandy beach lined with hotels in every price range. The far end of the beach is undeveloped so you have the choice of beaching in the more heavily used area or the dune area way over to the left(facing the sea). St George is part of Naxos town so you have all the amenities of the ton just a 10 minute stroll along the waterfront into town. Naxos town is lovely so you will want to be spending time wandering the back alleys and the Kastro area. It is also the center of transportation.
If you really just want a beach holiday then Anna and Prokopios are good choices. Both have villages so you have dining options. They are 7km from Naxos town bu tin July the buses run twice an hour so you can get back into town when you feel like an urban adventure.
My personal favorite however is Plaka beach. Its further south than the other 2. It does not have a village but is serviced by a string of hotels and tavernas so lots of options. It is really the best of the larger beaches.
Hope some of this helps.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/
Trip around Naxos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157634605629689/
Naxos trip 2019 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157711294807761
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632113170279/
Plaka beach tavernas hotels https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157655106193251
Aggia Anna and Ag Prokopious beach areas
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157656297072028
Naxos sunsets https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157700728046481
Posted by
2784 posts
We stayed in St George and used a rental car to visit other beaches. The advantage of that (or buses) is that you are centrally located and can do other things but go to the beach. We went to Naxos for the beaches but then did not spend very much time on them!
We were there the same time frame as you and it was too windy one day to be enjoyable just laying around. We went exploring all the beaches trying to settle on our favorite. According to the man at the desk of our hotel, the one we liked best was called “no name beach”!
Anyway, the other reason we didn’t spent that much time at the beach is there were so many other things to do on Naxos!
We had a wonderful lunch on Plaka beach which is the beach Stan recommended.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15781 posts
I stayed on St George beach in mid October and loved it. It's walking distance to good restaurants and to the center of town. If you want to swim, it is not a good choice, though. The water is very shallow - great for little kids. If you want to swim, you need to wade way out to get to water that is even waist deep. For that reason it attracts families, luckily for you, you'll be on Naxos well before summer vacation starts. One day I took the bus to Agios Prokopios, much nicer beach.