If you’re exploring the Greek Islands, chances are you’re island hopping to several different islands and are looking to have that really authentic, relaxing Greek islands experience. We visited 3 islands and Naxos was our favourite. There were a few factors in this, including its relaxed vibe, and the fact that it was nice and quiet. Not to mention how many things there are to do in Naxos on a budget!

The bus system in Naxos is affordable and was convenient for everything we wanted to do. The bus office was perfectly located in the town. While it may be more flexible with a vehicle (which is definitely an option), you can definitely see everything you want to using the buses.

There are also so many beautiful and interesting things to see and do, and they’re budget friendly. Read ahead for our favourite activities we did on the island plus our favourite thing we ate at the end!

Cost: Free

Most people arrive in Naxos via ferry (more about the ferries here), arriving in the main port in Chora. The first thing you will see is the Temple of Apollo sitting out on a headland. This remain (which is actually called Portara, meaning The Great Door) is a huge 80 ton (about 72,000 kilos) gate that is the only standing part of the unfinished temple of Apollo built back in 530 BCE.

It can be accessed in only 10 minutes from Chora, via a stone walkway that is open 24/7. It is definitely a must visit, as it is quite an extraordinary piece of history. The fact that it is still standing all these years later is hard to understand.

As it is out on a headland the view back to the main town and out to the landscape of Naxos is just beautiful, and if the weather is clear you can see other islands too! The frame of the door creates a really nice photo opportunity, as you can see Chora through it. The temple ia also a particularly lovely spot to see the sunset.

Do keep in mind that because of its location it does get very windy. If the weather is bad enough, the walkway over to the temple might be inaccessible.

Cost: Free

The main town of Naxos, where the ferry terminal is, is called either Chora, Hora or just simply Naxos main town. It is an absolutely beautiful and definitely where we would recommend you stay when you visit.

The town is exactly what you think of when you think of Greek Islands. It has the beautiful white buildings, the small winding cobbled streets, the bougainvillea, and lots of shops and restaurants to keep you entertained and fed. This was our favourite place we visited in the Greek Islands because the town is just so gorgeous. We were so happy to wandering around for hours looking at all the handmade jewellery and clothes. Everywhere you look there is a photo worthy view so allow lots of time when you’re exploring the streets.

It is also worth exploring at night as the towns of the Greek Islands really come alive after sunset! There are more shops open, more people around and so much more happening after dinner.

As well as all the shops, in the middle of the town there is the Venetian Castle of Naxos, or Kastro, which is a great place to visit, and its free! It’s a 13th century castle that sits up on a hill and has been incorporated into the town itself. It has two remaining gates and once inside, it is noticeably different from the rest of the town and the whole area feels quite tranquil.

There are no roads inside the castle, meaning there are no cars. The streets are small, steep and winding, which really adds to the special feeling of this area. It feels different to the rest of the main town and definitely has an older feeling to it which is quite an interesting change.

Inside the castle you will find shops and restaurants, a Catholic Cathedral and an archaeological museum that are both free to enter. It’s a great place to add to your list while you’re walking around the main town. There really is so much to do to keep you entertained for ages!

Cost: Free if you’re happy to sit on the sand. Bus tickets range from €1.80 to €6.20 per bus depending on distance.

If you’re visiting Naxos and you’re wanting to swim, you’re in luck! There is no shortage of beaches on the island. Unlike some other European coastal countries (looking at you, Italy) there is lots of free beach space in Greece! Because the beaches stretch vast amounts of the coast without interruption, while there are certainly spots with beach chairs that will cost you to sit at, there is also lots and lots of free space for you to set up a towel and relax. Your hardest decision will be which beach to choose, but whichever one you choose will be beautiful.

Some of the most popular ones are Plaka Beach, Agios Prokopios Beach, Agios Georgios Beach and Agia Anna Beach. Agios Georgios Beach is the closest one to Chora, being only a 15 minute walk from the ferry terminal. This does mean it’s the busiest and probably the dirtiest, as it’s near the ferry terminal. Next down the coast is Agios Prokopios, then Agia Anna, and lastly is Plaka.

This entire stretch of beaches can be reached by one bus from Chora, so it’s really easy to get to the quieter and nicer beaches.You can ask the staff at the Naxos bus station to point you to the right bus (we found they were super helpful and informative) or just find one that lists the beach names on the front of the bus. From the main town it takes roughly 20 minutes to reach Agios Georgios and around 40 minutes to Plaka.

You can of course also drive if you’ve hired a car or bike.

We chose to go to Plaka and it was just stunning with crystal clear water, huge stretches of empty sand, and a free shower to wash off. We had a lovely view over to the neighbouring island of Paros. Make sure you take a photo of the bus timetable so you can time your journey back to Chora. Plaka beach had a few cafes and shops but not much in terms of food or shopping. We wouldn’t recommend relying on finding food out there, the main town is much better for that instead.

Whichever beach you choose, you’ll have a lovely relaxing beach day you’ve been looking for, with some of the most gorgeous water we’ve ever seen (and that’s saying something coming from Australians!).

Cost: Villages are free to enter + bus tickets range from €1.80 to €6.20 per bus depending on distance

One of our favourite things we did in the Greek Islands was to have what we called a “villages day”. Seeing more authentic and local places on the island was very interesting, and it was great to explore somewhere a bit quieter for the day.

We chose to visit Halki and Apeiranthos but Naxos has a number of great villages to visit, including Koronos, Filoti, Kinidaros and Eggares. Getting to the villages can be a bit tricky, especially if you want to see more than one on the same day. To see both villages in one day we had to take 3 buses and this cost us €8.50 each. The buses do not go often, sometimes only 4-5 times a day. The staff at the Naxos bus station are incredibly helpful and will tell you exactly which buses to catch.

We started off our day in Halki (or Chalki), which used to be the capital of Naxos. This was one of our favourite villages we visited on the Greek Islands. It is located 16km (about 45 minutes by bus) from Chora in the hills of the island. The village itself is reasonably small but has lots of restaurants, cafes and shops so you’re covered if you get hungry or want to do some browsing.

Our favourite part of Halki though was that it has some amazing Byzantine churches within walking distance of the village. Just a short walk through the surrounding olive groves, you can find heaps of these beautiful old churches. Just have a look on google to see which one might interest you. We chose to go to the Church of Saint George Diasoritis, which was about 10 minutes on foot from Halki and it so interesting. The inside is absolutely covered with frescoes. It is free to visit, so we definitely recommend this church if you’re looking for something different on Naxos.

After Halki, we headed another 15 minutes by bus to Apeiranthos, which had a completely different feel to Halki. You can also get an amazing view of the island! Apeiranthos is located in a valley in the hills of Naxos, so it’s a unique view of the island as you can’t really see the water. Apeiranthos is interesting because a lot of the buildings and ground is made of marble. While it is very slippery (we both almost fell over several times), it also gives the village such a unique and beautiful appearance. There are more shops and restaurants here than in Halki. There are of course some marble souvenirs you can buy too.

The actual town is beautiful, with lots of white winding streets that you will definitely get lost in. The town and the streets are so small they don’t even show up on google maps, so you really will just have to wander around until you find your way. But that’s part of the fun of the Greek Islands! There are also five museums, which is crazy considering the size of the village. They are the the Apeiranthos Archaeological Museum, the Geological Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Visual Arts Museum and the Folklore Museum.

There is also a tower in the centre of town called the Zevgoli Tower. It is now part of a private residence, so you cannot go inside, but you can visit the outside and see the view over the town and valley. The tower is up a sort of hidden staircase behind the seating area of a restaurant. It is worth it as it’s only a 5 minute climb and was completely empty when we visited.

We would definitely recommend the two villages that we visited, as they are easy to do in the same day. However, if you were hiring a car or bike on the island, you would have your pick on which villages to visit. We’re sure whatever villages you end up visiting it will be a lovely day of exploring somewhere unique.

Cost: Hike is free + bus tickets range from €1.80 to €6.20 per bus depending on distance

Something very popular to do on the island is to climb Mount Zas or Mount Zeus. This mountain is believed to be the birthplace and childhood home of Zeus, and at the top of the hike you can visit the cave where he is believed to have been born. At the top is also an incredible view as it is actually the highest spot in the Cyclades. The walk itself takes around 2-4 hours, has an elevation of 500m and is around 5km return, so is definitely not an easy walk. We didn’t actually end up doing the Mount Zas walk, as it was quite warm during our time in Naxos.

The walk starts at Fontaine d’Aria (on google maps) and while you can drive here, it’s also possible by bus! The staff at the Naxos bus station will be able to help you with which bus you need and the schedule. You’ll catch the bus from Chora heading towards Apeiranthos. There is a bus stop at the base of Mount Zas. It’s worth letting the driver know when you board that you want to get off at Mount Zas, as they won’t always stop if no one is getting off. When we visited Apeiranthos, there were a few people who got off and on at this stop.

Hopefully we’ll be able to do this walk next time we visit the Greek Islands and if you do it, let us know how it is!

While on Naxos, we kept seeing Naxian Potaotes mentioned on menus all over the island. We soon found out that the island is famous for their potatoes (an absolute delight to Katherine, who’s favourite food is potatoes). What makes these potatoes so different is the unique soil and climate conditions that the island gets. It makes the potatoes have a beautiful flavour, as well as a great texture that makes them perfect for cooking.

We tried them sliced and then fried and absolutely loved them. They hold their shape when cut and cooked but are also nice and creamy and have a really lovely earthy taste. Definitely worth a try if you’re on the island!

While Greece can be a budget friendly destination, lots of activities and days out can add up. Hopefully these tips have helped you come up with some cheaper ideas of what to do in Naxos. And we hope you enjoy the island as much as we did, it is just so beautiful and your biggest problem is wanting to stay forever!

We vlogged everything we got up to in Naxos, which you can check out here:

• The 6+ Best Budget Friendly Activities in Athens
• A Complete Guide To The Santorini Public Transport System