NAXOS
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Greek |
| Capital | Naxos City |
| Area | 429 km² |
| Population | ca. 21,000 (2021) |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Web | .gr |
| Code. | GRC |
| Tel. | +30 |
Popular destinations GREECE
| Aegina | Alonissos | Andros |
| Chios | Corfu | Crete |
| Hydra | Kalymnos | Karpathos |
| Kefalonia | Kos | Lefkas |
| Lesbos | Mykonos | Naxos |
| Paros | Patmos | Peloponnese |
| Poros | Rhodes | Samos |
| Santorini | Skiathos | Skopelos |
| Spetses | Thasos | Zakynthos |
Vacations and Sightseeing
Naxos was included as the only Greek island in the list of "best islands in the world" by the well-known site Tripadvisor in early 2014. Both the accommodations, the restaurants and the sights received very good reviews and Naxos therefore finished in a fine sixth place. In the top 10 'best islands in Europe', Naxos finished second, along with the Greek islands of Milos (5th), Kefalonia (6th), Santorini (7th) and Paros (10th).
Naxos' sometimes mile-long, often wide sandy beaches are the main tourist attraction on the southwest side of Naxos. The most beautiful landscapes, however, are in the north. Around the island, the most beautiful beaches of at least the Cyclades in Naxos extend for about 98 kilometers. The sea around Naxos is known for its sparkling clear blue and turquoise waters that glisten when the rays of the Mediterranean sun fall on them. The beaches offer sunbeds and umbrellas and opportunities for numerous water sports. The wind facilitates windsurfing and kite surfing. Some of the beaches are ideal locations for snorkeling. Most of the beaches are located on the southwest coast, below is an overview of the most famous beaches scattered around the island:
| Beaches | |||
| south west | north west | north east | south east |
| Agia Anna | Abrami | Apollonas | Kalantos |
| Agiassos | Amites | Lionas | Klidos |
| Agios Georgios | Ormos Abrám | Moutsouna | Pachia Ammos |
| Agios Prokopios | Panormos | ||
| Alyko | Psili Ammos | ||
| Kastraki | |||
| Marangas | |||
| Mikri Vigla | |||
| Orkos | |||
| Parthenos | |||
| Plaka | |||
| Pyrgaki | |||
| Sachara |
The tourist attraction in Naxos Town is the marble Portara temple gate on the islet (mainland is connected by a dam) Palátia, a remnant of probably a never completed temple in honor of Apollo, facing Delos, Apollo's birth island. The temple gate, built in 522 BC, is about 6 meters high and 3.6 meters wide.
The Venetian pentagonal 'kastro' was built in 1207 by the Venetian Duke of Naxos, Marco II Sanudo. The fortress has three entrance gates and twelve towers, of which the Glezos tower still remains in very good condition.
The site of Yria, found only in 1982, a religious place since 1300 BC, is now widely considered the cradle of Ionian civilization and of monumental Greek architecture. The special feature of Yria are the remains of four structures built and demolished on the same site in a relatively short period from 800-570 B.C. Some remains of the last temple are still visible.
One of most special and interesting sights are the three "Kouroi" located on Naxos, unfinished to 10-meter-high marble sculptures of young men from the Archaic period (7th-6th century BCE). One of the kouros sculptures could be an image of Dionysos or of Apollo, according to scientists.
Naxos and Naxos Town are home to a number of particularly interesting museums. The Archaeological Museum of Naxos Town omcat many finds, from about 6000 years B.C. to the Early Christian era. Very special are the marble Cycladic figurines from the Early Cycladic period (3200-2300 BC). The Mycenaean, Geometric (9th-8th century BC), Archaic and Roman periods are also represented in the collection of the Archaeological Museum.
The Mitropolis Museum, opened only in 1999, exhibits remains of a Mycenaean city from the 13th-11th centuries BCE and remains from the Geometric period. The Venetian Museum of Folk Art tells about Venetian Naxos and the history of the Kastro. One of the richest geological museums in Greece is the Geological Museum of Aperathos with a very large collection of stone fossils. Of course the history of the stone amaril is told, but also about rocks from other Cycladic islands, such as volcanic glass from Milos and volcanic rocks from Santorini.
The older part of Naxos town is also a must for tourists, with many old stores, taverns and bakeries still producing pastries in the old style. The church of Panagia, Mirtidiotsa is also worth seeing. In the jewelry stores you can see the Eye of Naxos, the famous stone formed by the unique combined effect of the Greek sun, sea and climate. Naxos does not have as busy a nightlife as, for example, Mykonos.
Also typical of Naxos are the many towers, called "pyrgi". There are still about 30 on the island and they are the remains of fortified mansions, built between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Culinary specialties of Naxos include rosé wines, cheeses (arseniko, xinomyzithra, xenotiri and graviera) and kitron, a lemon liqueur extracted from the leaves of the Naxos lemon tree.
Sources
Wikipedia
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
Last updated October 2024Copyright: Team The World of Info