Riadhou

Hi

I will spend 4 whole days in Naxos in the last week of August.I will stay in Naxos old town.I plan to rent a car for 2 days.

As i am not a fan of beaches ,(but only when the color of the sea invites me to have a swim ),

I prefer to discover the interior of the island,visit lovely villages,some museums and intersting archeologic sites,have nice dinners in a lovely and lively atmosphere .

-From your pesonnal experience,
how do you suggest i should spend my days like in order to have a nice time in Naxos island.

-What are the most beautiful villages you advise me to visit in 2 days.

To have the occasion to meet local people ,is it more intersting to visit the villages in the morning or late in the afternoon?.

Does one of them has a good nightlife where i can have a dinner .

Thank you in advance.

Riadhou

Heimdall

With a car you can visit several villages in one day. I'm not sure whether morning or late afternoon would be better, but it will be very quiet between 2pm and 5 or 6 pm when the Greeks take their siesta. I wouldn't think any village would have much nightlife, people would go to Naxos Town for that. There may be a small taverna.

Retsina

Most locals will be working in hi-season, so don't expect much from inland villages and they get very quiet in the afternoon. In the evenings the workers, tourists and nightlife are in the coastal resorts.
The main villages have a couple of tavernas.
Apiranthos and Chalki are probably the ones of most interest, and Apollonas at the northern tip where an unfinished Kouros above the village is the main sight.

travelerjan

Retsina is right, locals work hard, and if they live in the hillside villages, they'll be eating in their homes, not hanging out in cafes to socialize with tourists. Locals who want any nightlife will head for the port town. Also, even tho the restaurants along the harbor, and those a few streets back, are full of tourists from 1700-2100 pm, but after that, many local families will be seen coming in. These are folks who run the travel agencies, and local shops for jewelry, clothing, art objects, furnishings, books, food and wine etc. They close their stores about 21:00 -21:30, and then (because they're too busy all day to prepare dinners at home), they head for local tavernas that serve hearty meals. Often they'll bring small children along, who were at Papa's store all day -- they eat & fall asleep in a lap while the "grownups" relax after a long day. To be realistic, after interacting all day with customers, these locals may not be open to conversing at length with people they do not know. However, you might be welcomed if you made a generous gesture, like noticing what kind of wine a group is drinking, and sending a bottle of it over to their table with your compliments. Worth a try.

kja

I can't imagine that you would have trouble filling your time, but if you haven't found the information you need in any of the excellent guidebooks available for Naxos (and elsewhere in Greece), you might take a look at my trip report. The section on Naxos per se begins with post # 109.
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece