Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INFORMATION
Services
The post office is north of the Town Hall square in
Náxos Town.
Travel agents
Excursions around Náxos and to other
islands are conveniently booked at Zas Travel
(
T
22850
23330) on the seafront near the jetty. Further down the
promenade Naxos Tours
(
T
22850 23043,
W
naxostours
.net) can also help with all kinds of arrangements.
Activities
Flisvos Sportsclub (
T
22850 22935,
W
lisvos
-sportclub.com) is based at Áyios Yeóryios beach, offering
windsurfing courses and other activities.
GETTING AROUND
By bus
The bus station (
T
22850 22291) is opposite the
main dock. Printed timetables are available.
Destinations
Aperáthou via Filóti and Halkí (4-5 daily;
1hr); Apóllonas (2-3 daily; 1hr; 2hr via scenic coastal
route); Ayía Marína - Zas (4-5 daily; 1hr); Áyios Prokópios/
Ayía Ánna (half hourly; 7.30am-midnight; 15min); Pláka
(half hourly; 7.30am-midnight; 30min); Kastráki-Pyrgáki
(3 daily; 45min).
6
By car and motorcycle
Auto Tour Rent-a-Car
by the bus
station in Náxos Town (
T
22850 25480) rents cars and
offers a wealth of information as well as accommodation
advice. In town parking immediately next to
accommodation is not always possible. The best one-day
drive is Halkí-Filóti-Aperáthou-Apóllonas returning via
the northern coastal route.
By taxi
The central taxi call number is
T
22850 22444.
Náxos Town
As your ferry approaches
NÁXOS TOWN
, you can't help sensing that this a really special
place, if only because of the looming, fortified
kástro
.
Indeed, this is where Marco Sanudo
- the thirteenth-century Venetian who founded the town and established the Duchy of the
Aegean - and his descendants ruled over the Cyclades. A superficial glance at the
waterfront may be enough to convince you that most of the town's life occurs by the
crowded port esplanade, but don't be deceived. There is a lot more life in Náxos Town in
the vast network of backstreets and low-arched narrow alleys that lead up through the old
town,
Boúrgo
, to the
Kastro
itself. And don't miss out on the second centre of activity to
the south, around the main square,
Platía Evripéous
, with more tavernas, shops and cafés.
Portára
A long causeway, built to protect the harbour to the north, connects Náxos Town with
the islet of Palátia - the place where, according to legend, Theseus was duped by
Dionysos into abandoning Ariadne on his way home from Crete. The famous stone
Portára
that has greeted visitors for 2500 years is the portal of a temple of Apollo, built
on the orders of the tyrant Lygdamis around 530 BC, but never completed.
The Kástro
Tours offered by the Venetian museum
at 11am Tues-Sun in season • €15, includes entrance to all the kástro museums
The kástro is normally entered through the
north gate
(also known as the Traní Pórta or
“Majestic Gate”), a splendid example of a medieval fort entrance. A few of the
Venetians' Catholic descendants still live in the old mansions that encircle the site, many
with ancient coats of arms above the doorways. In the centre of the kástro are the plain
stone remains of a rectangular tower, said to have been the residence of Marco Sanudo.
Opposite the tower stands the restored Catholic cathedral, still displaying a thirteenth-
century crest inside. Behind the tower you can find the seventeenth-century Ursuline
convent. Nearby is what was to become one of Ottoman Greece's first schools, the
NÁXOS MUSIC FESTIVAL
One of the highlights of Naxiot evenings is the Domus Festival of classical, jazz, choral,
Byzantine and traditional music held at the Venetian Museum in either the garden or the
basement, depending on the season and weather (
W
naxosfestival.com/naxos-domus-festival).
Tickets should be booked in advance at the museum
(
T
22850 22387) and include a glass of
local wine or
kítron
.
