Naxos Highlights Bus Tour with Free Time for Lunch at Apeiranthos
Description
Relax in an air-conditioned bus on this guided tour of Naxos Island. Discover charming villages, see impressive monuments, and learn more about local culture with several stops throughout the day. Highlights of our tour: - Admire Demeter's Temple, a sanctuary dated back in the 6th Century BC. - Explore the marble paved neighborhoods of Apiranthos - Photoshoot the gigantic statue of Kouros at the ancient marble quarries - Visit The picturesque fishing village of Apollonas
Tour Options
Itinerary
After paying for your admission ticket at the gate, you will walk uphill through a beautiful garden and reach Demeter's Temple, one of the most significant ancient monuments of Naxos. You will learn about the history of the sanctuary and also have some free time to visit the on spot museum. The Temple of Demeter is closed on Tuesdays and on the 1st of May and instead more free time is provided in Chalki and Apiranthos villages.
At the small village of Damalas, Manolis will warmheartedly welcome you to his traditional pottery workshop and reveal ancient secrets of his art. Afterwards you will visit the restored olive press museum and learn everything about the old procedure of olive oil production.
Continue to Chalki, an ancient commercial center and a place of beautiful Venetian architecture. You will have approximately 45’ free time to explore by yourselves. Don’t miss the oldest distillery of the island – Vallindras distillery - located right in the middle of the village, the sophisticated ceramic art galleries and the cozy shops with souvenirs and local products.
Next, make a long stop at the famous village of Apiranthos located at the foot of Fanari mountain. Admire the beautiful views of Venetian Towers, marbled alleys, cozy tavernas, verandas, and traditional shops. Here, you will have free time for lunch – great opportunity to taste the local recipes of “rosto” and “kalogiros”.
Driving past Koronos village and the famous emery mines, you will reach Apollonas. Get free time at the picturesque fishing village to go for a quick dip and enjoy a coffee or desert by the seaside.
End your tour with a visit to the infamous “Kouros”, an unfinished marble Statue of 11 meters, lying in the same spot for more than 2500 years!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up/ drop off service is provided from central places in the areas Plaka, Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios, Stelida, Naxos Town as below: 08:35 from Plaka Beach 08:40 from Maragkas Beach 08:40 from Agia Anna and Agios Prokopios 08:50 from Stelida 08:55 from the area between the Airport and Naxos Town 09:00 from Naxos Town 09:05 Naxos Bus Transfer Office, right outside Naxos Port - final meeting place Guests are requested to wait at the pick up point 5 minutes before the given pickup time. If you can't find the correct pickup spot for you, provide us with your accommodation info and we will advise the most convenient pick up spot.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We pick up our guests from central places in Naxos Town, Stelida, Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios and Plaka Beach. In other case our guests can meet us directly at our starting point.
- On Tuesdays the Demeter's Temple is closed. Instead we will spend more time in our other stops
- This tour will take place rain or shine. Small changes may apply to the itinerary in case of rough weather
- A big part of the trip is through winding, mountainous roads. Please carry travel sickness pills in case you feel uneasy
- The tour guide is not licensed and thus not allowed to guide you inside Demeter's Temple. You will get all the information about the monument before you enter the gate.
- On the 1st of May the Demeter's Temple will be closed.
- During the spring and autumn months, temperatures in the mountain villages can be 4–5°C (40–41°F) lower than along the coast. We recommend bringing a light jacket to ensure you stay comfortable throughout the tour.
Reviews(1,349)
The very best way to see Naxos. If you are considering renting a car and driving yourself, don’t. Book this reasonably priced tour instead and let a pro like Vasilly, our driver, deal with the crazy traffic and narrow roads. Our guide Thanos was friendly and knowledgeable and even shared his own perspective and experiences as a native Naxian. The tour flowed naturally, with great food available at 3 different stops — don't be afraid to wait if you are not hungry yet. Vasilly even went out of his way to return an important item we left behind. Just a really great day overall and we are so glad we saw more than just Old Town Naxos and Agia Anna beaches. They are lovely too but there is so much more to Naxos! The only thing I wish I had done different on this trip is to bring more cash! Several places will not take cards. 11/10 on this tour.
It was a great way to see the island! We enjoyed the air-conditioned bus and not having to plan or drive ourselves. Our stops in the villages gave us plenty of time to explore on our own and the option to have lunch where we chose. We were a family of 5 adults with different preferences, and we all enjoyed this tour. The tour guide was informative and personable.
Excellent service. We traveled as a family with a 7-year-old child. Experienced and punctual driver. We visited the Temple of Demeter, the olive oil mill, the pottery production, the inland villages, and Apollonas. The guide Angelica was very thorough and also great with the child. Thank you very much for the wonderful experience!
Excellent experience with Naxos Bus Transfer! We took the tour on Wednesday, August 12 with the guide Sandy and the driver George: both very competent, professional, and kind. Sandy was generous with valuable advice on what to see, where to go, and what to taste during the free time breaks, and this made the experience even more interesting and meaningful. The group was very punctual and respectful, so we finished the trip right on time. Having checked out of our accommodation in Naxos and having to catch the ferry to Paros at 6pm, this activity was a perfect filler, and George kept our luggage in the bus trunk during the whole trip. Thank you Sandy and George: well done! Keep it up!
A fantastic full-day tour of Naxos, visiting the Temple of Demeter, Chalki, Apeiranthos, Apollonas, and other beautiful villages. Angeliki was a wonderful guide, sharing just the right amount of interesting historical and cultural information. And Vassilis was the best driver—safe, confident, and excellent on the narrow, winding mountain roads. Highly recommended!
Very informative day. Hearing information was a little patchy but great way to get a feel for the island. Excellent value. Minor points were ease of identifying the pick up points, no map showing them which would have helped. Missed a swim at the end as did not appreciate that the last stop was at a beach! Overall very good. Full day trip.
We were hoping for more in-depth information and historical details, but instead it was a very superficial tour.
Zanos is an incredible guide! Together with the driver Dimitris, they made us have one of the best days in Naxos.
This bus tour is definitely great value for money and so worth doing to see the island, especially if you don’t have a car. The tour stops at some beautiful villages and passes amazing views. Spiros and Sandy were so friendly and welcoming and shared so much interesting information about the island. There is even a swim spot at the end!
So pleased we did this. I don’t usually do tours, but this was brilliant! Thanos our guide was so knowledgeable, fun and friendly. We learned loads about Naxos, including lots of Greek mythology stories connected to the island. The mountain villages were stunning and the interior and coastal countryside amazing. I never would’ve had the confidence (or time) to negotiate the mountain roads of Naxos, so this tour gave us a real good sense of what the island was about. Huge respect to Vassalli our driver for negotiating those tight mountain bends and village roads made for donkeys!! Thank you so much to you both!
