Where Is Naxos Located And How To Get There?

Where Is Naxos Island?

Naxos is an island located in Greece, in the Aegean Sea, and it belongs to the group of islands called the Cyclades Islands.

Other popular islands in the Cyclades group are Mykonos, Santorini, and Paros.

Naxos is situated approximately between Mykonos and Santorini, and it lies approximately 180 km from Athens, the capital of Greece. 

As Naxos is a Greek island, it is also in the EU, so all the rules of traveling within the EU apply. 

How Big Is Naxos?

Naxos covers a land area of 430 km², which is about 6x larger than Santorini. 

It is about 40km long and 30 km wide at its widest point. If you want to drive around the island, the coastline is about 150km long.

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades Islands. It is also the greenest, with lush green hills reminding me of Corfu in the northwest of Greece!

Due to its size, many people decide to rent a car in Naxos and drive around to explore the island.

However, it is possible to visit Naxos without a car, as the island has a great public transport system.

Approximately 20.000 people live in Naxos, most of them in Naxos Chora, which is the main town of Naxos.

Unlike Santorini or Paros, especially Naoussa, which can feel like tourist islands, you can see that people really live in Naxos and that it is not as touristy as its neighbors. 

I suggest you stay in Naxos Chora and visit other villages on day trips around Naxos. If you rent a car, you can also stay on the beach in Plaka because you don’t depend on public transport.

How To Get To Naxos?

Naxos is an island, so how do you actually get to Naxos?

The most common way to get to Naxos is by ferry, but you can also take a flight from Athens. 

The ferry networks work great in Greece, and I’d say it’s more comfortable than taking a bus – unless you get seasick. 

But you don’t have to worry much about that, the ferries are usually so large that you don’t even feel the boat moving!

Taking A Ferry To Naxos

Taking a ferry is the most common way to get to Naxos.

The island is well-connected by a reliable and affordable ferry network to the capital and neighboring islands.

It takes about 5 hours from Athens to Naxos by ferry. 

The ferry usually makes a couple of stops before getting to Naxos so that’s why it takes so long.

You can see all the ferry lines to Naxos on Ferryhopper. 

It is my favorite website to book ferries in Greece, as you can see all the operators and their prices at a glance. 

I suggest you go for the cheapest option (as long as it makes sense time-wise) because every ferry is basically the same. 

The express option will usually only save you 15-30 minutes, which doesn’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things.

I took a ferry from Santorini to Naxos, and it was great. I spent some time on the dock admiring the view, but you can also sit inside where there is air-conditioning. 

⛴️ Browse ferries to Naxos here!

Flying Into Naxos

Naxos has an airport, so it is also possible to fly to Naxos. 

Direct Flights To Naxos

There are no direct international flights to Naxos. Naxos Airport only serves domestic flights from Athens. 

Flights To Naxos From Athens

Only two operators fly to Naxos – Sky Express and Olympic Air.

There are 1-3 flights a day, and a flight takes about 40 minutes.

Prices for both operators are usually similar. Just pick the flight that works best with your schedule. 

I flew Sky Express to Santorini, and the flight went perfectly fine. It is a small plane though, and they’ll probably store your hand luggage because overhead compartments are tiny. 

Flying is definitely the fastest way to get to Naxos. You can get from Athens to Naxos in less than an hour, compared to at least a 4-hour ferry with the fastest operator. 

If you book in advance, you can get the flight for the same price as the ferry! However, if you’re flying in the high season, the flight is at least double the price of the ferry. 

Where Is Naxos Town?

There are about 30 villages around Naxos, but the main town in Naxos is Naxos Chora on the west coast of the island. 

Naxos Chora is also the main ferry port, so that’s probably where you’ll land when you get to Naxos. 

You can reach Naxos Town from virtually every spot on the island by public transport. All Naxos buses depart from Chora!

If you go on sailing tours from Naxos, those usually also start from Chora.

How To Get From Naxos Airport To Naxos Chora?

Getting from Naxos Airport to the city center is not as straightforward as the public bus doesn’t go all the way to the airport.

If you’re on a strict budget, you can take a bus. The bus stop you need is Naxos Camping, about 500m from the airport. Beach bus lines (1 and 10) pass there every half an hour in the summer.

If walking for 500m with heavy luggage doesn’t sound too appealing, you can get a taxi. It is a short 10-minute drive to the city.

Alternatively, you can also book your Naxos transfer in advance with Welcome Pickups if you don’t want to haggle with the taxi drivers on the spot.