Agia Anna Naxos: A Guide to Naxos Greece’s Charming Agia Anna Beach

Agia Anna Naxos is a popular yet charming beach town on the southwest coastline of Naxos Greece. Agia Anna Beach Naxos is situated in a protected harbour with crystal clear azure waters and beautiful golden sand, making it ideal for swimming and lounging the day away. 

Agia Ana is a part of a chain of plush beaches lining the coastline featuring small fishing villages, more developed parts and completely secluded sections. Naxos Agia Anna is also very closely connected to the idyllic beach of Agios Prokopios to the north and around the corner from Maragas and Plaka Beach to the south. 

This central location makes an ideal base for exploring the beaches of Naxos. But, because Agia Anna Greece offers its own slice of Aegean Sea bliss, you can also choose to stay in Naxos Agia Anna and enjoy the simple Greek Island beach life. 

Enjoy lunch on the Agia Anna promenade in this Cyclades Islands itinerary

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Just a 10-minute drive from the main port town of Naxos Chora and 5 minutes from the Naxos airport, Agia Anna Naxos is easily accessible via rental car, bus or taxi. 

This complete guide to Agia Anna Naxos will share all the information you need on how to get there, where to stay in Naxos Agia Ana, boutique hotels in Naxos Agia Ana, where to eat, and more!

Where is Agia Anna Naxos

Agia Anna Naxos and Agia Anna beach are located on the southwestern coastline of Naxos island Greece. You can reach Agia Anna on Naxos from the port in approximately 15 minutes heading south by rental car. 

Even though Naxos Agia Anna beach is among one of the best beaches on the island, it maintains its down-to-earth charm and is incredibly family-friendly.

It’s hard not to confuse Agia Anna beach with Agios Prokopios to the northwest since you can literally walk from one beach town to the next in less than 15 minutes, but the two are distinct in regards to demographics and offers.

Click on the Agia Anna Naxos map below to be taken to an interactive version of Google Maps Naxos.

Best Time to Visit Naxos Agia Anna Beach

The best time to visit Ag Anna Naxos is between the months of June-September. Like most Greece beaches, you can expect an influx of local tourists and long-term travellers in the summer months.

If you can, book your stay at Agia Anna Naxos beach in May-June or September. The bottom line though, Agia Anna Naxos island can be visited throughout those months and you can still enjoy a pleasant stay.  

I visited Agia Anna beach Naxos Greece in September and there were a few people in the beachfront restaurants and lounging on the sunbeds, but it was still a peaceful experience with just the right amount of liveliness.

Other Top Naxos Beach Destinations
Agios Prokopios Naxos: A Detailed Guide
Plaka Beach Naxos: Travel Guide

How Long Should I Spend in Agia Anna Naxos

If you are planning a day trip from your base in Naxos Chora or elsewhere on the island, make sure to reserve a half-day to a full day to enjoy Agia Anna Beach. Tucked back a couple of blocks from the Agia Anna beach is a free dirt parking lot to leave your rental car for the day. 

Most or even all of the restaurants and beach bars can be found within a 3-minute walk along the Agia Anna beach wooden promenade, so everything is within reach. Sunbeds and umbrellas are for rent by most beach restaurants along the sandy stretch, so find your perfect spot and take a seat.

If you plan to stay in Agia Anna Naxos in one of the beach apartments or hotels, plan on staying for 2-3 days along your Greek Cyclades itinerary, depending on how much time you want to relax. If you can, spend your entire vacation experiencing the charming ambience of Agia Anna Naxos.

How to Get to Agia Anna Naxos

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades, therefore warrants a rental car to get around and see all of the Naxos sites, from my experience. If renting a car isn’t on the cards, I’ve outlined a few other options for you including ATV rental, scooter rental, bus and taxi.

Car Rental in Naxos

Naxos car rental is pretty easy to find around the port of Naxos in Chora, but if you are planning your trip to Naxos Greece, I recommend booking in advance with Discover Cars. 

What’s great about Discover Cars is they compare local, national and international rental companies to give you the best price, plus they give you full insurance coverage for only $7USD a day (30% lower than booking directly with a local company). You can expect to pay approximately $280USD base for a one-week economy car rental via Discover Cars. 

Arriving in Naxos Island Greece to find that all the Naxos rent car companies are sold out would be devastating to your trip to Greek Naxos. And, since exploring Naxos by car is the best way to see the island, you want to make sure you book in advance!

TIP | Remember to check if you need an international driver’s permit before booking a rent a car Naxos Greece.

All in all, Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and most definitely requires a car to get around, so make sure to book your car rental Naxos early.

Naxos ATV Rental

If driving a car in a foreign country is not your jam, or if you like the maneuverability of a smaller transport, then I’d recommend hiring an ATV through Motonaxos Rental located in Naxos Chora. You can find this Naxos quad rental company at the Plateia Protodikeiou Square within a 10-minute walk from the Naxos port. They are open every day from 9AM-9PM. 

Make sure you have a properly classified driving license specifically for ATV or quad rentals. You will be denied a rental if you don’t have this. 

TIP | Negotiate the price! There’s always a little wiggle room when it comes to prices on the Greek islands, especially if you offer to pay in cash.

Naxos Scooter Rental

A great alternative to an ATV, Naxos bike rental options are also available. My friend and I rented a scooter for exploring the beaches on the southwest coastline of Naxos for a day. 

Do note that some of the roads at the very end of the route are sandy and cause us to tip over while driving slowly. If that worries you, renting a car in Naxos is your best bet.

TIP | If you are renting a scooter, don’t pay more than €20 a day in cash if you can manage. Prices are also a little bit negotiable on the Greek islands, especially when offering a cash payment.

Bus Naxos

Because most roads in Naxos are well maintained, I recommend renting a car in Naxos for the duration of your trip especially if you want to explore. If that’s not an option for you, you can always hop on the local bus. KTEL runs the Naxos bus system and offers routes all over the island. 

In the height of summer, you will see the most routes being serviced, especially to some of the best beaches in Naxos like Plaka Beach, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna and Mikri Vigla Beach, but they do keep routes running to places like Halki and Filoti all year long. Busses in Naxos come with spacious seats and air conditioning for your comfort.

You can purchase bus tickets from the KTEL Public Bus Terminal across from the Naxos port in Chora. They take both cash (in euros) or credit card and typical bus tickets range from €1.80-5.20 depending on the route. Do note, you can’t purchase tickets on the bus, only at the terminal.

You can check the KTEL website for timetables and serviced routes of your choosing.

Bus to Agia Anna Naxos

Line 1 and 10 will take you from Chora Naxos to Agia Anna and Agia Anna Beach in 15-20 minutes, and makes a few stops along the way. Bus tickets to Agia Anna Naxos cost around $1.80 USD (€1.60). The Agia Anna Naxos bus station is located right the Agia Anna port.

Naxos Taxi

Private transfer services are plentiful in Naxos, especially from the Naxos airport and Naxos port. Just search in Google and you can have your pick of the litter. I will warn you now though, private taxi services are offered at a pretty high price here on Naxos, so I’d opt for a car rental or hop on the local bus.

For a local taxi ride from the Naxos port, you can find them lined up on the promenade or simply give a call to +30 22850 22444 to contact the RadioTaxi company.

How to Get Around Agia Anna Naxos

Agia Anna is considered a small village with one main road and several small lanes. There are many holiday homes, quaint Naxos boutique hotels, and apart-hotels scattered through the arid landscape surrounding the Agia Anna beach with most of the amenities, including restaurants concentrated at the port. 

If you choose to stay in Agia Anna Naxos, book an Agia Anna hotel near the beach and you will have everything within walking distance. You can reach the far south of Agia Anna from the far north in less than 15 minutes by foot along flat terrain. For that reason, I recommend getting around Agia Anna Naxos by walking.

Where to Stay in Agia Anna Naxos

All-inclusive Agia Anna Naxos resorts are hard to come by, rather you’ll find smaller guesthouses, Agia Anna studios, apart-hotels and holiday homes just off the shores of the Aegean Sea. Agia Anna hotels offer anything from traditional Greek Cycladic design to modern whitewashed and boho-chic interiors. 

Luckily, a vacation in Naxos and especially Agia Anna, doesn’t come with a hefty price tag like neighbouring islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Yet, still hold so much island charm and beauty.

Here is my short list of recommended options for a hotel Agia Anna Naxos:

Tours Around Agia Anna Naxos

Most people visit Naxos to experience the quiet beach life on a Cycladic island. This includes visitors to Agia Anna Naxos, too. But, once in a while, it’s nice to experience the sights of Naxos to get a better understanding of what makes up the island culture and history. 

Because Agia Anna Naxos has its own port, you can also find a guided tour departing its shores right in front of your hotel. 

Boat Trip from Agia Anna Port

This full-day south Naxos boat tour departs from the conveniently located Agia Anna Port. Leave the shores of Agia Anna at 10AM and explore the hidden gems and coves of southeastern Naxos, including the cave of Rina and the bay of Kalados. Discover the crystal clear water of Aliko and Pyrgaki Beach. Devour a home-cooked Greek meal for lunch.

Return to Agia Anna port by 5PM just in time to enjoy the sunset on the beach.

Nearby Beaches in Naxos

Best Agia Anna Restaurants in Naxos

What Naxos island has in spades are great traditional Greek restaurants. Agia Anna Naxos is no exception. The three Agia Anna Naxos restaurants I’ve recommended below fall into this category mixed in with a bit of global cuisine.

OSTRIA | Simple global and local cuisine right on the beach

AKROGIALI | Mediterranean dishes with feet in the sand

AVLI | Excellent Greek food in a traditional taverna

How to Get to Naxos Greece

You’ve decided to visit Naxos as part of your Cycladic island hopping adventure, now, how to get there? For most Cycladic islands including Milos, Paros, Santorini and Mykonos, I’d recommend taking the ferry. The ferry is the main transport option, and most frequently used option, in the Cycladic islands and has loads of routes and sailing times. 

Of course, flying into Naxos is also an option, especially from the main international airport in Athens.

Flights to Naxos

A flight to Naxos is totally possible, especially from the international hub of Athens. Naxos flights are provided by airlines like Aegean, Olympic and Sky Express fly this route daily in the summer months of May-September and the flight takes a quick 40 minutes. 

Does Naxos have an airport? Flights Naxos arrive at the Naxos Airport Apollon conveniently located an 8-minute drive south of Naxos Chora (the main town). You can grab a taxi from here costing roughly €15 to Chora. 

Do note, that flights that come into Naxos from other islands usually have to redirect and transfer through Athens anyway, so it’s best to take the ferry in those cases. Flights Athens to Naxos are fast and convenient.

Ferry to Naxos

Transport by ferry is the most common way to get from island to island in the Cyclades. With multiple sailings daily and multiple routes, especially from neighbouring islands like Paros, Milos, Mykonos and Santorini, you will always have an option available to you. Ferry Naxos routes land at the Naxos port located in Naxos Chora (the main town). 

Based on your budget, you can choose from a few different options. Seajets Naxos will get you from island to island the fastest but are the most expensive. Blue Star Naxos will be the slower boat (not that much slower) and will be more economical for your pocket. I used a combination of each of these companies throughout my six weeks in the Cyclades.

You can purchase your tickets ahead of time via Ferry Hopper (this is what I used!), which I highly advise since demand skyrockets in the summer months. It’s not uncommon for sailings to sell out. 

NOTE | Ferries can be cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather, so make sure to schedule a couple of days buffer into your Greek Islands trip, just in case. 

NOTE | The availability of ferry itineraries to the Cyclades will decrease dramatically in the winter months (November-April).

Ferry Athens to Naxos

There are a few different ferry ports offering services from Athens to Naxos, but the main and most convenient one is Piraeus. From the city centre of Athens, take the M1 metro to the port of Piraeus. 

If you’d like to reach Naxos island as quickly as possible, the speed ferries Athens to Naxos take approximately 3.5 hours. Of course, with the convenience of getting from Athens to Naxos by ferry quickly, you will pay twice as much as ferry lines like Blue Star ferries Naxos. 

I used Blue Star via Ferry Hopper for the majority of my ferry crossings in the Greek Islands and can recommend them. A ferry to Naxos from Athens via blue star will take 5.5 hours.

Mykonos to Naxos Ferry

Ferries from Mykonos to Naxos run multiple times daily during the summer months of the year. Because Mykonos is located a short distance north of Naxos, you can take a ferry Mykonos to Naxos in a breezy 40 minutes. 

If you are travelling from Mykonos to Naxos, remember that the ferry port is located outside of Mykonos Chora and you will need to either take a taxi for the 10-minute journey, or the local shuttle boat that departs from the Chora harbour.

Ferry from Santorini to Naxos

A ferry Santorini to Naxos is common, especially due to the popularity of Santorini on most people’s Greek island trip. Depending on what ferry itinerary you choose, you can make it from the Santorini port to Naxos port in 1.5-3 hours, with multiple direct Santorini to Naxos ferry options daily. 

You can either book your tickets with a local office on Santorini or Naxos, or book in advance with Ferry Hopper, which is advisable in the busy months of summer. 

NOTE | If you are staying in Oia on Santorini, and you’d like to purchase ferry Santorini Naxos tickets, you will have to transport to Fira to purchase locally.

Ferry from Paros to Naxos

You can reach Naxos from the neighbouring island of Paros in as little as 30 minutes via a Paros Naxos ferry on Ferry Hopper. If you opt out of the more expensive jet boats, you can arrive in Naxos from Paros in less than an hour. The proximity makes it easy to visit Naxos on a day trip from Paros, too.

Ferry Milos to Naxos

Milos is located on the far west of the Cycladic island group in Greece. Therefore ferry itineraries between these two islands are not as plentiful.

In the summer months, you may be able to find one or two trips a day, and they may be indirect sailings. The sailings between Milos and Paros are also more expensive, coming in at 70-80 euros each.

Ferry from Crete to Naxos

Located in the far south of the islands in Greece, Crete is the furthest island in the country. A direct ferry from Crete to Naxos is hard to come by. You may find a single sailing a day in the high season. 

Indirect options that transfer through Santorini or Athens are more common, yet take a long time. If you do decide to try your luck via a Crete Naxos ferry, you will most likely be paying upwards of $100 USD +. I’d recommend planning your trip so that you can spend a night or two on Santorini halfway through your trip from Crete to Naxos.

Best Tours of Naxos

If you are one of those people who just want someone else to take care of the planning so you can spend your hard-earned vacation time on things that actually matter (I don’t blame you!), then guided Naxos island tours and Naxos day trips are for you. 

Whether you want to stick to land and enjoy the historic sites that Naxos tours have to offer, or want to take to the sea on one of the Naxos boat tours, you will have access to a knowledgeable guide and a local’s perspective on what makes Naxos great.

Full-Day Historical Bus Tour

Enjoy the historic sites of Naxos from the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. This 8 hour Naxos excursion will have you visiting highlights like Demeter’s Temple, Citron distillery, the famous marble village, old emery mines and the 10-metre tall Kouros Statue. 

Catamaran Day Cruise with Lunch

Swim, sunbathe and snorkel in the picturesque secluded bays of Naxos. Enjoy stops for snacks, coffee and local wine, beer and raki. You will also enjoy a delicious lunch prepared on board made up of local products and ingredients. Returning to port at 5PM.

Half-Day Cooking Class at Family Greek Tavern

Enjoy a 4-hour cooking demonstration and class exploring the secrets of Naxian cuisine. With plenty of hands-on cooking time, you can take what you learn home with you and cook for your friends and family! Take a short walk to the river with the instructor and collect the ingredients straight from the garden.

Sunset Castle Walk Tour of Naxos Chora

Take a leisurely evening stroll through the highlights of Naxos Chora. You will be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide who will speak to you about the past and present of Naxian culture. Visit sites like the Naxos Old Town, Naxos castle and Glezos Tower.

Spend sunset at the famous Portara (Temple of Apollo) overlooking Naxos Chora and the Aegean Sea. 

Best Day Trips from Naxos

Due to the convenient central location of Naxos to neighbouring islands like Paros, Mykonos and Santorini, Naxos day trips are common. Especially because compared to other islands Naxos enjoys lower accommodation prices, so many visitors decide to base in Naxos and travel elsewhere on day trips.

Koufonissi Island Boat Trip from Naxos

Catch the 2-hour boat from Naxos to Koufonissi to explore this little island paradise for the day. Explore the sea caves of secluded Kato Koufonissi, hike or rent a bike to see the east side of Pano Koufonissi, walk through the centre of town to discover beautiful Cycladic architecture.

Delos + Mykonos Day Trip from Naxos

Explore Delos, the birthplace of Apollo for 3 hours then move on to discover the whitewashed alleyways and windmills of Mykonos for 3 hours. Have access to a knowledge guide for any questions you may have about culture in the area. Sail back to Naxos in the early evening.

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