Unforgettable Naxos in 6 Hours: Villages, Tastings & Lunch
Description
We’ll begin our journey at the magnificent Temple of Demeter, one of Naxos’ most iconic ancient sites. Next, we’ll stop at a traditional pottery workshop to admire local artisans at work and learn about Naxos’ rich pottery tradition. Then we’ll visit the colorful village of Chalki, where you’ll taste Naxos’ famous citrus liqueur. After that, we’ll head to the charming village of Kaloxylos for a full tour of an olive press, where you’ll discover how some of Greece’s most aromatic and flavorful olive oils are made — and enjoy a tasting of the best local oils. Our final stop is the mountain village of Apiranthos, with its stunning marble-paved streets and timeless atmosphere. To complete the day, we’ll enjoy a hearty, traditional Naxian lunch, full of flavors you’ll love. Note: On Tuesdays, the Temple of Demeter is closed, but don’t worry — we’ll visit another beautiful local site so you won’t miss out!
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will start our excursion from the Temple of Dimitra located in the village of Sagri. Please note: On Tuesday Dimitras temple is closed.
We visit our next destination which is a pottery workshop in the village of Damala.
We arrive at the beautiful and picturesque Halki where we will go to visit the citrus distillery.
Right next to Chalki village is Kaloxylos a really small but beautiful village. We will visit the old olive press museum that has just been renovated.
We are heading to the last village of our excursion, where we will take a stroll along the marble street. For the end we seat and having lunch in a local tavern.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note: To ensure a seamless start to your tour, we kindly ask for your arrival details if you’re coming by plane or boat. If you’d like us to pick you up from your hotel, please provide your accommodation information.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(63)
Calli is a family business and you can tell the family has a deep history on the island. They have a great pride in their business and that shows through with the care they took in showing us all the great places around the island. Konatantina was our guide. She was amazing. All around the island, everyone knew her and we heard more than once that “she’s the best” from the locals. Having a local show us around made all the difference. We got a rich history of the island and visited some amazing spots across the island. I highly recommend this tour. Well worth the cost. We had an amazing time! The tour was topped off with a couple hand made gifts.
We were only in Naxos for a day and half so this tour worked out really well for us since we got to see several different villages in a short period of time.
Stelios was the best tour guide, on any tour, we have ever had. He was incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, friendly, and gregarious. He made us feel like long lost friends, and, even as tourists, welcomed to the island. we talked about everything from history to politics to professional basketball. if you want an immersive trip through most of the island, this is your tour. we stopped first at the ruins of a temple and there was a museum on site. Stelios could not go in with us, but told us everything to look for while there. the next stop was the last remaining pottery workshop in Naxos. this was our favorite stop! we spent like $500 on the unique and beautiful, handmade pottery. Seeing the smaller towns and all the scenery, while also going through the mountains on our drives, was incredible, especially with all the information along the way. Lunch was fantastic, authentic, Naxian food. Stelios knew everybody along the way personally, and we felt like we got special treatment because we knew him. "Unforgettable" is the perfect word for this tour.
Wonderful trip, our guide Stelios was absolutely incredible as his in-depth knowledge and charisma made the tour both fun and a super great learning experience. Definitely recommend to other families or anyone visiting!
We truly appreciate your words 🙏
Guide was nice but not very knowledgeable about the island or the things we saw. The stops were not timed well and we were mixed with large tour groups on a couple of occasions. Lunch was not well organized. Overall low value for the money.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you found your guide friendly and welcoming throughout the day. We are sorry that certain aspects of the experience did not meet your expectations. As Naxos is one of the most popular islands in the Cyclades, some attractions, villages, and tasting locations can occasionally be busy during peak season, despite our efforts to schedule visits at the most suitable times. Regarding lunch, we work with traditional local tavernas where dishes are prepared fresh upon arrival rather than being pre-served. While this may sometimes require a short wait, it allows our guests to enjoy authentic, freshly prepared local cuisine. Our tours are designed to combine culture, local experiences, tastings, transportation, and a relaxed pace that allows guests to experience the authentic side of Naxos. We appreciate your comments and will continue working to provide the best possible experience for our visitors. Kind regards, Calli Exceptional Tours
If you do just one thing in Naxos, make sure it’s this tour! We went out yesterday and had the most brilliant day from start to finish. We were picked up in a lovely, brand-new 6 seater van that was incredibly comfortable and spotlessly clean, the air conditioning was an absolute godsend! Our driver, Dimitris, was so lovely and an excellent driver on the winding mountain roads that we felt completely relaxed. Our superb guide, Rita, was just the BEST!. She was so lovely and friendly and full of local knowledge, it felt like being shown around by a best friend. We learned so much from her as we explored, including our stops at the ancient temple, the pottery workshop and the olive press museum at Kaloxylos where we could try different olives and oils.A real highlight was visiting the lovely historic village of Chalki, which we learned used to be the island's old capital. These were such beautiful, traditional spots that we simply never would have found on our own. To top off a perfect day, we finished with a superb Naxian meal at a lovely taverna with the most spectacular views. The food was delicious and the scenery stunning. We bought some lovely unique gifts to take home with us. We had a fantastic time, learned a huge amount about the island, and would highly recommend this tour to anyone. A massive thank you to Rita and Dimitris for looking after us so well!
When clients became a family member 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Rita and Dimitri’s appreciate your review!!
Car trouble for our (novice)driver-guide Christos was an ominous beginning for the tour. There were just the two of us for the tour of the island, crammed into a typical sub-compact car. Christos was a great host and driver, but his knowledge of Naxian history was limited. We enjoyed an olive oil and Kitron tasting, and some wonderful scenery. We were denied entry to a monastery by an old woman who castigated Christos for not making a donation Kind of funny. Lunch was in Apeiranthos, a cool 9th-10th century village. Lunch was a Greek salad, cheese pie, and a pork dish smothered with gravy. Would have liked to order off the menu. Overall, a fun day, but for $250/couple, we didn’t get enough value.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the scenery, the olive oil and Kitron tastings, and that Christos made you feel welcome throughout the day. Regarding the vehicle issue, an unexpected mechanical problem occurred shortly before the tour, and we informed you immediately while ensuring the tour could still operate safely and comfortably. We appreciate your understanding. As for the monastery visit, we were equally disappointed by the situation. Unfortunately, access decisions are made solely by the monastery staff and are outside the control of our guides or company. Lunch in Apeiranthos is included as part of the experience and is served in one of the island’s most highly rated traditional tavernas, where guests are introduced to authentic local dishes. While many visitors enjoy this approach, we understand that dining preferences can vary. Our goal is always to provide an authentic and memorable introduction to Naxos through local culture, history, tastings, transportation, included admissions, and personal service. We are sorry to hear that the experience did not fully meet your expectations and appreciate your comments as we continue to improve. Kind regards, Calli Exceptional Tours
Quaint cute island! Fun to learn about the history of the island. Visits to distillery, olive oil business and oldest bakery on island were fun! Lunch was very good as well
We only had two days in Naxos and wanted to see as much as possible without overdoing it. This was the perfect solution! We saw a lot but weren’t rushed. Now we have another day without plans but good recommendations from a local and perspectives we wouldn’t have had before taking this tour.
Heather 🙏🙏thank you 🩷
Loved that it was a different perspective of Naxos. The visit to the distillery & the olive oil company was very interesting, with delicious tastings. Our guide was friendly & informative, & willing to answer all our questions.
