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Santorini vs Naxos

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Santorini vs Naxos

Posted by lcthmb3 on 07/14/26 11:14 PM

I will be traveling to Greece with a tour group (Wilderness Travel) for a hiking trip in September and will be visiting Athens (1 day), Tinos (4 days), Naxos (4 days), Amorgos (4 days). The trip ends in Naxos. Two questions:

1) Would you recommend staying in Naxos for an additional 3 days OR would you recommend going to Santorini for 3 days. Given that I am so close to Santorini, I am wondering if it is worth the trip? Is there another, easy to get to island near Naxos that you would recommend?
2) If I spend time in Santorini, where would you recommend that I stay? I would be looking for a location that is quiet, safe and has good places to eat nearby and is close to a bus stop. I am not looking for high end hotels, prefer guesthouses or boutique hotels.

BTW, I am a solo, 60+ experienced traveler and would be looking to enjoy the local culture (no spas, romantic sunset cruises or wine tasting).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Posted by stanbr

Nanaimo, BC, Canada

07/14/26 11:32 PM

1710 posts

Naxos needs at least a week to take in all it has to offer. You can easily use one of those days to take a day excursion to Santorini from Naxos as there are several companies that make that trip.

Here is what Naxos is like.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720334044112/

Posted by bonnybarr

07/18/26 03:11 PM

1 posts

I stayed on Naxos for a week and enjoyed it. You can do day trips to Delos, Paros, Mykonos. Lots of hiking trails. Great beaches.

Posted by BethFL

07/20/26 04:16 PM

3594 posts

Santorini has gorgeous views and a lovely hike by the water. We enjoyed our time there but I would not say you are going to experience local culture.
It just is really touristy. I would only go if you really want those iconic views.

We went to Greece with our young adult children. They were super enthused about Santorini which we visited first. Two of them then went off on their own when arrived on Naxos. When we met up for dinner, the sentiment was Naxos was even better than Santorini.

We had four nights in Naxos and would have liked to have more.

Posted by moserdes

07/22/26 09:16 AM

2 posts

If you're looking for something more authentic and slower pace, I would highly recommend Koufonisia. We have been to 8 islands so far and it's still my favourite. Amazing people, amazing atmosphere, great food, not jam packed with tourists, and very affordable.

You can taxi to other islands every 15 mins for about 10EUR, rent your own boat (no license needed) for about 30EUR or pay for a private day island hopping tour for about 100EUR per person.

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