After our few days in Santorini, we took a ferry to the island of Naxos. It was there that I bravely rented a manual car once again. The last time I rented a manual in Cannes, France, it did not end well. Determined not to let that failure define me though, I decided to give it another try. I figured that being on an island should be a bit easier, with fewer cars and less pressure. The fewer cars was definitely true, but as it turned out, the pressure was still high because the roads were extremely narrow and windy!
We arrived to Naxos right at sunset and picked up our cute little Fiat. I was both excited and nervous the moment I sat in the car and had my hand on the stick shift. Bridge was super encouraging though and kept reassuring me that I could do it.
And….I did it! I was able to get us from the dock all the way to our hotel, which was about a 20 minute drive. I stalled maybe once or twice, which was not bad at all!
We were in Naxos mid October, which was the end of season for the island. Everything was winding down, as there would be less and less tourism until the arrival of Spring. The upside to traveling there in the off season was that there were way fewer tourists and we got upgraded to the best villa in our hotel because they said we were their very last guests of the season. The downside is that we found many of the small shops to have closed for the season already, and many villages/towns we visited felt a bit deserted.
The villa was incredibly spacious with a full kitchen, and we even had our own private pool that overlooked the sea! I loved waking up to this view every morning:
Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades island group, and we explored a different part of the island in our cute little Fiat everyday. Naxos Old Town, also known as Chora, is the classic white village of Greece, and while many of the shops were already closed for the season, we still enjoyed roaming through the alleyways to window shop, take cute pictures, and eat yummy Greek food.
Adjacent to Naxos Old Town is the Portara, also known as the Temple of Apollo, one of Naxo’s most famous landmarks. It is essentially a large door, the entrance to an unfinished temple, constructed in 530 B.C. It is free to visit, and known to be a great spot to see the sunset. We went during the day, but the view was still beautiful, as it sits on a small hill overlooking the sea and a part of Naxos.
Naxos has a mountainous landscape, and tucked amongst the hillsides and mountains are many small, quaint villages. I braved those mountainous roads in the Fiat to take us to a few of them, and each was so fun to explore!
The first village we visited was Halki, which many considers the most beautiful village on the island. It was once Naxo’s capital but is now more of a quiet, sleepy village with a rustic vibe. Upon arrival, we found a pretty cafe for Bridge to journal, while I enjoyed some coffee and sweets. We then strolled along the alleyways and wandered into shops selling local handiworks and ofcourse….gelato. 🙂 It was picturesque everywhere so we also took a ton of pictures!
After spending most of the day in Halki, we made an impromptu decision to hike up Mount Zas in the late afternoon. Mount Zas is the highest point in the Cyclades and according to Greek mythology, is said to be the birthplace of Zeus. There are two routes to get there and we chose the route that began at Aria Spring. Although it is only 1.5 mile to summit Mount Zas, the hike is steep and strenuous. Half way into it, I started having a nagging feeling to turn back. We did not see anyone else on the trail the entire time, and the sun was about to set. The thought of being lost or stuck in the mountains once it got dark felt like a serious risk, so I decided to trust my gut and turned around. Once we began our descend back towards the car, we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the sunset, so despite not summiting Mount Zas, I’m still really glad we made the attempt to!
The next day, we decided to explore the village of Filoti, famous for its olive groves and little Byzantine churches. It was a livelier town than Halki, with more local shops, restaurants, and cafes. We enjoyed a delicious moussaka for lunch, strolled around admiring all the beautiful shops and cafes, and stumbled into a Greek Orthodox Church.
Next village in our afternoon path was Apeiranthos, and it was essentially here that I got attacked by one of the many stray cats on the island while enjoying an afternoon coffee! There wasn’t much to see or do in this village, so we spent most of our time at the cafe chatting and journaling.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to see the statue of Kouros in Apollonas, which dates back to the 8th century.
We’re usually back to our villa by the early evening and spent many nights cooking our dinners there. We eat out so often when we travel. Whenever there is an opportunity (and time) to cook our own meals, it feels especially wonderful! We also made good use of our villa’s remarkable location by enjoying our poolside sunsets!
The last village we visited in Naxos was the fishing village of Apollonas. Back in the days, it served as a port where Naxian marbles was exported. Today, it is a popular day trip for tourists to enjoy the picturesque whitewashed houses, seaside restaurants, and sandy beaches.
We loved Naxos. Perhaps we may feel differently if we went during peak season when it’s hot and crowded, but from what I’ve heard, even during those times it never gets as crowded as Santorini or Mykonos. With Naxos, you get such a mix of landscapes, and it made our exploration by car such a unique experience. Ofcourse, being in a manual was still a bit nerve wrecking for me on those super curvy mountainous roads but I’d like to think I pretty much mastered it by the end of our time there! There were a few crazy moments, like when I stalled on an uphill and then started sliding backwards…..or when I made a turn on a bend and found a million goats charging right at me! These will all be a part of our cherished memories made in Naxos! Admittedly, we were both sad to say goodbye to our trusty little convertible. It definitely served us well during our time there!
