Plaka Beach Naxos: A Guide to the Best Beach in Naxos Greece

Of course, whether Plaka Beach Naxos is the best beach in Naxos Greece is a matter of opinion. Naxos is full of pristine soft sanded paradises all over the island, but what’s great about Plaka Naxos in particular, is that it maintains its secluded untouched quality. 

You won’t find rows of bumping beach bars and resorts along Naxos Plaka Beach shores, rather you’ll witness a spattering of a few small Naxos boutique hotels and apartments catered to locals and long-term visitors along its sandy white stretch. 

As an island that has so much to offer in terms of Naxos beach options, you really can’t go wrong with any of the best beaches in Naxos Greece. 

But, if you want to lay the day away on a lounger just steps away from the crystal clear blue waters with only the sound of waves crashing, Plaka Naxos beach is for you. Tucked into a protected harbour allows the waters of Plaka Beach to maintain a calm glassy condition, making it ideal for swimming. 

This guide on Naxos Plaka Beach will give you all the practical information you need on how to get to this best beach Naxos, where to stay in Naxos Plaka Beach, what to expect and more.

Spend an afternoon at Plaka Beach on this epic 10 days in Greece

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Where is Plaka Beach Naxos

Plaka Beach is located on the southwestern coastline of Naxos island Greece. You can reach Plaka Beach on Naxos from the port in approximately 20 minutes heading south by rental car. 

Even though Plaka Naxos Beach is smack dab among the greatest beaches on the island, it remains a quiet and secluded getaway with the majority of the beach bar scene to the north end of the beach.

Don’t confuse Plaka Beach Naxos with the neighbouring beach of Maragas (hard because the two are connected). Maragas sees a lot more liveliness in terms of beach bars and people.
Click on the Plaka Beach Naxos map below to be taken to an interactive version of Google Maps.

Best Time to Visit Naxos Plaka Beach

The best time to visit Plaka Beach Naxos is between the months of June-September. Unlike other Cycladic islands, the summer months don’t bring a huge influx of tourists to Plaka Beach shores. Therefore, you can enjoy the hot and pleasant weather that Greek summer brings without having to be among the throngs of people. 

I visited Plaka Beach in September and there was almost no one on the beach except for a few people out front of your hotel. It really is a paradise.

Other Naxos Beach Destinations
Agios Prokopios Complete Guide
Agia Anna Detailed Guide

How Long Should I Spend
at Plaka Beach Naxos

If you are planning a day trip from your base in Naxos Chora or elsewhere on the island, make sure to reserve an entire day to arrive at and enjoy Plaka Beach. At the south end of the beach, you will find a few unofficial dirt parking spots for your rental car and a couple of rows of sunbeds and umbrellas for rent. When I was there in September they were 10 euros for the whole day.

If having a bit more amenities around including a beach bar and restaurant, I recommend heading to the north end of the beach. Here you will find a couple of spots for healthy food and cold drinks with tables and loungers at the water’s edge.

If you plan to stay at Plaka Beach 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 zen of Plaka Beach.

How to Get to Plaka Beach Naxos

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. 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 Plaka Beach Naxos

Line 1 will take you from Chora Naxos to Plaka Beach in 25 minutes, and makes a few stops along the way. Bus tickets to Plaka Beach Naxos cost around $2 USD (€1.80).

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 gives a call to +30 22850 22444 to contact the RadioTaxi company.

What to Expect at Plaka Beach Naxos

Best Naxos Beach Bars at Plaka Naxos

Due to the untouched nature of Plaka Beach Naxos, you will only find a couple of quieter beach bars along its sandy stretch. Each Plaka Naxos beach bar will be mainly a restaurant with comfortable seating with a few umbrellas and loungers out front. 

These aren’t hopping beach bars in the traditional sense where you will have people basically partying at all times of the day. It’s normal to find people lounging and reading books and sipping on a craft cocktail or coffee. 

Here is the Plaka Beach beach bar Naxos shortlist:

EARTH BAR | Attached to the Medusa Resort, Earth Bar offers craft cocktails like Negroni and Margarita, plus some fresh cocktails using in-season fruits. At noon you can enjoy a greek salad or other meal. A great spot for sunset.

MISHA BEACH BAR | Great spot to get a plate of fresh fruits and a coffee. Try one of the rental umbrella and sunset combos out front. Family-friendly.

MANDALA | Shaded sunbeds for rent at the secluded south end of Plaka Beach. Coffee, soft drinks, cocktails, beer, and salads are available for purchase.

Naxos Beach Bars Near Plaka Beach

These popular beach bars and Plaka Beach Naxos restaurants are located on neighbouring Maragas Beach. Maragas Beach is a lot more lively than Plaka Beach, so if that floats your boat, here are your options:

TORTUGA BEACH BAR | Boho chic restaurant offering upmarket global cuisine on the beach. Luxurious shaded sunbeds for rent. 

PETRINO BEACH | Traditional Greek cuisine set back from the beach. Large sunbeds for rent at the water’s edge. 

Parking at Plaka Beach Naxos

There are two places where you still find parking at Plaka Beach, on the north and south end of the beach. 

At the north point by the Plaka bus stop, there is a large row of dirt parking lots right across from the beach, free of charge. At the south end before continuing on to Orkos, you can park in a small dirt parking lot that can fit a few cars or anywhere along the road as long as you aren’t blocking traffic. 

Depending on what experience you’d like to have at Plaka Beach Naxos, will depend on where you park. North equals more beach bars and access to Maragas Beach. South equals secluded sunbeds with very little in terms of facilities. 

If you arrive at Plaka Beach by bus, you will be dropped at the northern end of the beach at the Plaka bus stop. 

Facilities at Plaka Beach Naxos

There are no public washrooms, changing rooms or showers to speak of at Plaka Naxos. Rather you will find these services in the private beach bars and resorts along the beach. 

Further up at Maragas Beach you can find Plaka Watersports for windsurfing and SUP rental. If you decide last minute you want to rent a car to explore Naxos island and you are already located in Plaka, you can head to the Plaka Cars for any last-minute rentals. 

Best Naxos Beach Hotel Options
at Plaka Beach

Even though Plaka Beach isn’t a hotspot for bumping beach bars and resorts, you can still find some top-notch quieter boutique villas and Naxos beach resorts here along the beach. 

When it comes to a Naxos beach resort located at Plaka Beach, you can expect quaint rooms and a shared pool in quiet surroundings. Perfect for reading a book on a lounger by the pool. 

When it comes to Plaka beach Naxos hotels, you can find mainly well-designed boutique suites and some that are self-catered with small kitchenettes. The Naxos Plaka Beach hotels are catered to locals and long-term visitors.

Nearby Beaches in Naxos

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 has 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.

Best Restaurants in Naxos

Quality restaurants in Naxos are plentiful, whether you are looking for global cuisine or authentic Naxian cuisine, you will undoubtedly have a great experience here. 

Of course, you will find more restaurants in Naxos catered to tourists around tourist hot spots like Chora’s promenade, Agia Anna’s beachfront etc, but even those restaurants will have some top-notch options. 

Best Naxos Town Restaurants (Chora)

The best restaurants Naxos town are a combination of global cuisine and local delicacies. From quick bits to leisurely meals, and everything in between. 

MELIMILON BISTRO | A charming breakfast place with global and local classics

BOSSA CAFE | Quality International breakfast and lunch catered to tourists with harbour view

AYAKI SUSHI BAR | Great specialty rolls and sashimi in trendy digs

LITTLE MIX JUICE BAR | Green juices and protein smoothies, plus some dang good coffee

NAXOS BAKERY | Delicious local baked goods, I loved this place

Best Agios Prokopios Restaurants

SYMPOSIUM | Modern Greek cuisine in boho-chic beach bar-style space

TAVERNA O GIANNOULIS | Busy Greek restaurant offering traditional cuisine

DEL MAR CAFE | Greek and Italian classics in a modern beach bar

MACAO BEACH PROJECT | Modern Mediterranean cuisine in bright space at the beach

Best Agia Anna Naxos Restaurants

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

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