Naxos help!
 

I am trying to plan a trip from Paris to Naxos from June 18- June 23. I was hoping to fly, as I am just taking a long weekend and wanted to maximize the amount of time spent in Naxos. I looked on Olympic Airlines to it said that weren't any flights available. Is the ferry the only way to get to Naxos at this time of the year?

Thanks in advance.

I don't think there is an airport on Naxos. You could fly with Easyjet from Paris Orly to Athens then catch a hydrofoil. Or try Aegean Airlines.

We've thought of having a long weekend (from London) on one of the Greek islands too, as we love Greece, but have found it's difficult to get to the islands for a short time. Some of the charter airlines fly there but only once a week. Good luck!

Kay

There is an airport.
G.

Yes, there is an airport. Olmypic Airlines have one flight per day on a small airplane, so if it says no flights available, that means all the seats are sold.

Your only other alternative is a ferry. These are the sailings currently shown for Wed 18th Jun: http://tinyurl.com/5pjdxq

You might be able to get a 1-way flight BACK from Naxos; did u try??

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will have to call Olympic Airlines and see if it is at all possible to fly to Naxos from Athens (perhaps they aren't overbooked, but simply don't do online reservations). Perhaps I could fly to Paros instead and then take the ferry to Naxos from there? Otherwise I might try to get a flight back, as you suggested travelerjan.

Thanks again!

Your other alternative is to fly to Santorini. There are lots of flights on both Aegean and Olympic. Santorini is the closest airport to Naxos.
The highspeed ferry is an hour and a half from Santorini to Naxos.
I am not sure if this alternative is better than simply taking the first available ferry from the port to Naxos.

Actually, the Paros airport is closer to Naxos than Santorini, so you might look into flying there instead and taking a ferry across to Naxos. There is only one flight each day to Paros on Olympic.

A few misconceptions here:

1) Olympic Airlines definitely takes online reservations - I have done it many times myself.

2) If the website is showing no flights available, that means they are fully booked on the day you want to travel. Flights to Naxos and Paros fill up very quickly. It's hard to get a seat for a summer flight anytime after March - I speak from experience.

3) Olympic, unless they have cut back their service, has three flights per day to Paros in summer. Problem is, its short runway can handle only small planes - the Dash 8 Olympic uses takes about 30 passengers on inbound flights, and 20 back to Athens (takeoff weight restrictions).

4) I can't see how a flight to Santorini would help at all. In order to catch a morning ferry from Santorini to Naxos, you would have to leave Athens very early, and a ferry from Piraeus to Naxos would get there earlier anyway.

:-)

Right you are. Poor advice. Sorry.

Would Aegean airlines be an option? We are flying from Athens to Santorini in June.

Aegean Airlines is not an option for Naxos or Paros. Both runways are far too short for any plane in the Aegean fleet, so they don't fly there. The runway length is 2,300 feet at Paros, and 2,900 feet at Naxos. the Santorini runway is 6,900 feet. :-)

Thanks for all of the detailed advice. I called Olympic Airlines and they were, indeed, fully booked. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part, hoping that they had two available seats on one of their flights.

I have decided to take the ferry to and from Naxos. Do you advise that I go ahead and book online in the event that the ferries fill up quickly? Also, as it has been three years since my last visit to the Cyclades, what is the easiest way to get from the Athens airport to Piraeus? We do not have a tight connection, as our flight gets in around 11 am and the ferry departs at 5pm.

Parischick, if you can make one of the 0700-0730 ferries, you will be on Naxos earlier than the flight, anyway. Get on the E96 bus, which takes 60-90 min to reach Piraeus. It stops near the Cyclades docks.

You can prebook a ferry if you wish, but it isn't really necessary at the time you are travelling. For peace of mind, go ahead and book - you will need to pick up your tickets from an agent at the port. Otherwise, stop off at Amphitrion Holidays or Pacific Travel when you get to the airport. They are open 24/7, and located in the lobby near the bus stop.