Visiting the Greek Island Naxos

One of the islands I visited in Greece and fell in love with was Naxos. This stunning little islands is home to not only abundant beaches, wonderful food and beautiful scenery but also fascinating ancient sites to explore. Upon arriving at the port you are greeted with an ancient Greek ruin called the Portara. Constructed in 530 BC, the Portara is a giant doorway to the never-finished Temple of Apollo. Some highlights of Naxos include Plaka beach, Naxos Town (Chora), and Naxos Kastro (Castle).

We stayed out of the main port area about a 20 minute bus ride over to the Plaka Beach area. We stayed at the most dreamy hotel called Dream on Plaka that came with a hot tub and ocean view, along with cabanas on the sand.

Where to Stay

There are lots of places to stay on Naxos island. We considered a few AirBnb’s includung this apartment with a pool, this cute apartment and this apartment but ended up staying at Dream on Plaka because it was on the ocean and included beach daybeds and breakfast.

Dream on Plaka

The property was gorgeous and the location was amazing. We saw some of the best sunsets of our lives on that beach and it was hard to leave! We kept saying everything was so nice that we couldn’t believe how affordable it was. Our breakfast changed each morning so we never got bored, the room came with a hot tub that we enjoyed every evening and the staff we’re so helpful with recommendations. I would absolutely stay here again.

We spent most of our time on Naxos lounging on the beach but we also rented a peddle boat one day and got to bask in the sun and see the crystal-clear waters from the sea.

Where to Eat + Drink

There was such amazing food on the island of Naxos. We ate at a few spots in Naxos town as well as on Plaka beach and all were amazing. Be sure to eat some local Naxos potatoes while you’re there!

Caya: This stunning spot right on the ocean was our favorite. We had just about everything we could on the menu and loved all of it.

Nomad Beach Bar Restaurant Naxos: Another dreamy location right on the ocean with great cocktails and a cute location.

WITH Naxos: Grab a coffee and breakfast at this spot near the port.

goat in a boat: A cute coffee shop on the Plaka side of the island.

520 Cocktail Bar Restaurant: A rooftop restaurant with view of the port.

Metaxi mas – Mezedopoleio: A classic spot in Naxos town.

Doukato Restaurant: A cute place tucked behind an alley.

Lucullus Taverna: A historical spot in old Naxos.

Caya had the dreamiest interior, views, and delicious food. We loved it so much we went back the next night. Their beach club was also stunning with these pretty pink chairs. The design of this space was overwhelmingly beautiful. I want to live in this stunning restaurant, hah!

Nomad is next door to Caya and is equally a stunning restaurant. We watched the sunset from the restaurant while we had pre-dinner drinks and it was gorgeous.

Things to Do

Visit The Portara ancient ruins

Spend time on Plaka Beach

Explore the village streets of Naxos Town (Chora)

Visit the Naxos Castle (Kastro)

The Portara

At the main port there are must-see ancient ruins called The Portara. The view at sunset is magical and it was really cool to see the history. Constructed in 530 BC, the Portara is a giant doorway to the never-finished Temple of Apollo. Some highlights of Naxos include Plaka beach, Naxos Town (Chora), and Naxos Kastro (Castle).

Naxos Town

Down in Naxos Town there was lots of exploring to do. We walked around the winding streets of the old village and popped into cute shops and explored alleyways. There were so many cute things to see! We got the best ice cream at a place called Waffle House (not the American one, haha) and they had the most insane but delicious flavors like every candy bar you can imagine.

Hope this inspired you to visit Naxos on your next trip to Greece!

Want more travel content? Check out these posts!

Three Greek Islands to visit

Travel guides

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I got back from Greece this summer and fell in love. When it comes to choosing the perfect Greek island for your next vacation, the options are overwhelming. Beyond the more famous destinations like Santorini and Mykonos, the Greek archipelago has magnificent hidden gems of islands that have daily ferries. Here are all of the details on the Greek islands I loved. I visited some of the more off-the-beaten-path islands than your most famous islands like Santorini and Mykonos and they were a literal dream. These are three magical islands to visit in the Aegean Sea.

Paros

With an incredible natural landscape and coastline, Paros is one of the most beautiful Greek islands. It has endless golden-sand beaches, traditional Cycladic architecture and stunning sandy beaches with transparent waters. The island is reachable by ferry, so I flew into Santorini and headed straight to the port to catch my ferry over to Paros. While the main port area of Paros was wonderful we chose to go a bit deeper to a more off-the-beaten-path of the main area called Naoussa. There was an incredible little fishing village along Naoussa that was lined with lovely shops, restaurants, and nightlife. While on the island we rented a car and explored a few different historical villages in the area including Lefkes and Marpissa. We spent 4 days in Naoussa and could have stayed there forever. A true hidden gem of a place.

Naxos

Our next stop was Naxos, home to not only abundant beaches, wonderful food and beautiful scenery but also fascinating ancient sites to explore. Upon arriving at the port you are greeted with an ancient Greek ruin called the Portara. Constructed in 530 BC, the Portara is a giant doorway to the never-finished Temple of Apollo. Some highlights of Naxos include Plaka beach, Naxos Town (Chora), and Naxos Kastro (Castle).

Mykonos

On the more well-known spectrum of Greek islands there is Mykonos. This windy island is home to the iconic windmills. While there is partying on all of the options Mykonos is sort of the hub with nightclubs open all-night and a vibrant party scene. Though still beautiful and magical like the other Greek islands Mykonos was much more packed with tourists, generally less clean and did not have great beaches. I would call Mykonos the Las Vegas of Greece. It’s perfect to fly out of on your way out of the islands and visit for a day or so. Highlights include dinner at Kastro’s, the beautiful windmills, and delicious food.

The post 3 Greek Islands to Visit appeared first on Erika Carlock Blog.

We just got back from our European summer and I’m soaking up all of the amazing memories. We spent 5 weeks abroad and it was the trip of a lifetime. There are so many things I wanted to take back with me and lifestyle changes that I want to implement into daily life like long, delicious meal times, lots of walking, and enjoying beauty in every day things. We split our time between a few places we’ve been before and places we’ve never seen. We stayed in Paris, Greece, and Italy and did the perfect mix of city and countryside. I’m still savoring every minute of it. Here’s a quick recap of where we went!

10 Days in Paris

We jetted straight to Paris to kick off this trip. Paris one of our favorite cities ever and we really wanted to spend a good amount of time there as if we actually lived there. We stayed in a few different neighborhoods, and spend a good chunk on time in the Montmartre neighborhood. We hopped around to different hotels, drank tons of wine, and ate the most magical food. I already miss sitting along the rivier siene at sunset, drinking delicious cocktails, and strolling the streets.

A Week Hopping Around the Greek Islands

Greece was top of our list for travel and we had to finally make it happen this trip. During the pandemic when we were stuck at home we listened to the Purple Noon album by Washed Out on repeat and kept saying that we would be listening to that album in Greece in a year. It took a few more years than a year but we finally made it and it was an absolute dream. We did some island hopping and went to Paros, Naxos, and Mykonos. It was such a dream and I literally cannot wait to go back to Paros as soon a possible. The most magical sunsets, delicious food (gimme all the Greek potatoes!), and stunning charming towns.

Two Weeks in Italy

After relaxing and getting all of the sun in Greece we headed to Italy. We started off in the southern part of Italy in Puglia and hopped around to a few towns. We stayed in the most stunning Italian farmhouses (also called masserias) and it was an absolute dream. I was literally looking up real estate the entire time we were there. It was pure magic. It was so cool to be so close to the beach and visit the most stunning beaches, lounge at the dreamiest pools, and literally be in farmlands. After the Italian countryside we headed back to the city and spent a few days in Rome. We stuffed ourselves with pasta and wine and walked all over the city. It was so dreamy and tiring. I can’t wait to go back again. Talk about the trip of a lifetime!

Stay tuned for the full guide from everywhere I went! Want to see more of my trip? Check out my Instagram and TikTok.

xoxo Erika

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