8 Best Road Trips & Driving Routes in Naxos, Greece

Most of Naxos has no bus at all

Why Drive

The island is bigger than the bus map suggests

Naxos's public buses do an honest job on the corridor between Chora and the west coast resorts. Beyond that corridor, the timetable thins to two or three departures a day, and whole regions — the Melanes valley, the Alyko dunes, the entire east coast — have no scheduled service at all.

What that means in practice is that a bus-based trip is a beach trip. You will see four beaches and one town, and you will be back at your accommodation by early evening because the last service leaves before dinner.

Driving changes the unit of a day. Instead of one destination you get a route: a village for coffee, a chapel you saw from the road, a beach for the afternoon, a taverna in the hills for dinner and the drive home under the stars. That is the trip people remember, and it is the reason the routes below are written as sequences rather than single stops.

New to driving here? Read our honest guide to renting a vehicle in Naxos first — it covers licences, insurance and which vehicle type actually suits your group.

Pick the route first, then the vehicle

A scooter is perfect for routes 1 and 3. Routes 5, 7 and 8 want a car. Compare both from local Naxos companies.

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At a Glance

All eight routes

Jump to any route below. Distances are one way from Chora unless stated; driving times exclude stops.

01 West coast beach run · 7 km 02 South-west coast to Alyko · 23 km 03 Halki & the Tragaea · 17 km 04 Filoti & Apeiranthos · 26 km 05 North to Apollonas · 48 km 06 Melanes kouros valley · 9 km 07 East coast to Moutsouna · 42 km 08 The full island loop · 120 km

8Routes mapped

120 kmLongest single day

1,004 mHighest point reached

3½ hPure driving, full loop

The Routes

Eight itineraries, start to finish

Route 01 · Easy

Chora → Agios Prokopios → Agia Anna

The gentlest introduction to driving here: a flat, well-surfaced coastal road with three of the island's best beaches strung along it. Ideal for a first afternoon, and the one route a scooter handles perfectly.

Stop for: the Portara at the edge of Chora · the salt flats and bird lagoon behind Agios Prokopios · lunch at the Agia Anna harbour · the walk south onto Plaka sand.

7 km · 15 minHalf day

Best vehicle for this routeFlat and short — a scooter handles it perfectly for two, and it is the one route where even a beginner is comfortable. Families take a car for the beach gear. Find the right vehicle →

Route 02 · Easy

Chora → Mikri Vigla → Kastraki → Alyko

Continue south past where the buses stop bothering. The road runs behind the dunes, with turnoffs to each beach, and finishes in the cedar forest at Alyko. The best sunset drive on Naxos.

Stop for: the Mikri Vigla headland for kitesurfers · the Orkos coves · the abandoned mural-covered hotel at Alyko · Pyrgaki for a final swim.

23 km · 35 minFull day

Best vehicle for this routeThe turnoffs end in sand and gravel, so an ATV or buggy shines; a car is the comfortable all-day choice. Small mopeds struggle on the loose approaches to Alyko. Find the right vehicle →

Route 03 · Easy

Chora → Halki → the Tragaea valley

Inland into an olive-shaded valley that feels nothing like a Cycladic island. Halki was the commercial capital of Naxos and still has the mansions and the distillery to prove it.

Stop for: a traditional kitron distillery · the Panagia Protothroni church · the Byzantine chapel of Agios Georgios Diasoritis · the restored Venetian tower on the way in.

17 km · 25 minHalf day

Best vehicle for this routeGentle, paved valley roads suit any vehicle. A scooter is a lovely way to ride the Tragaea; a car wins if you plan to load up on local produce. Find the right vehicle →

Route 04 · Moderate

Chora → Filoti → Apeiranthos

The classic Naxos drive and the one to do if you only do one. The road climbs the flank of Mount Zas and delivers you into Apeiranthos, a village paved and built entirely in marble.

Stop for: the Zas cave trailhead above Filoti · the viewpoint on the Filoti–Apeiranthos road · Apeiranthos's marble lanes and small museums · coffee on the main square.

26 km · 40 minFull day

Best vehicle for this routeSustained mountain climbs to Apeiranthos reward a car’s torque and comfort. A powerful scooter copes; the smallest mopeds will labour on the gradients. Find the right vehicle →

Route 05 · Moderate

Chora → Koronos → Apollonas

The long northern run, and the most dramatic driving on the island. The road threads through the old emery-mining villages before dropping in tight switchbacks to a fishing harbour on the north coast.

Stop for: Koronos amphitheatre village · the emery mine cable-car ruins · the 10.7-metre unfinished kouros lying in the hillside above Apollonas · lunch on the harbour.

48 km · 1 h 15Full day

Best vehicle for this routeLong distances and steep switchbacks to Apollonas make this firmly a car route. Two wheels are tiring over 96 km round trip, and there is little fuel on the north-east. Find the right vehicle →

Route 06 · Easy

Chora → Melanes → the kouros valley

The shortest route here and the one almost nobody takes. Twenty minutes from town, a green valley of springs and orchards hides two unfinished 6th-century BC marble giants lying exactly where they were abandoned.

Stop for: the Flerio kouros in its garden · the second kouros further up the path · the aqueduct trail · Kourounochori's Venetian tower.

9 km · 20 minHalf day

Best vehicle for this routeShort and close to town — a scooter is ideal, with easy parking near the kouros paths. A car is fine too, but the fun is in the nimbleness here. Find the right vehicle →

Route 07 · Challenging

Apeiranthos → Moutsouna → Psili Ammos

A 12-kilometre descent of continuous hairpins from the mountains to the east coast, with the sea opening below you the whole way. Empty beaches at the bottom and, at Moutsouna, the rusting cable towers that once carried emery to the ships.

Stop for: the emery cable-way pylons · Moutsouna harbour for fresh fish · the drive north to Psili Ammos · the Panermos turnoff if your vehicle can take gravel.

42 km · 55 minFull day

Best vehicle for this routeTwelve kilometres of continuous hairpins demand a car for confidence and brakes. Experienced riders enjoy it on a bigger scooter; it is not for nervous two-wheelers. Find the right vehicle →

Route 08 · Full day

The full island loop

Chora → Halki → Filoti → Apeiranthos → Koronos → Apollonas → the north-west coast road → Chora. Every landscape Naxos has, in one circuit. Start by 08:30 and take it anticlockwise so the coast road home faces the sunset.

Stop for: everything on routes 3, 4 and 5 · the north-west coast viewpoints above Abram · a swim at Agia Anna on the way back in.

120 km · 3 h 30 driving8–10 h with stops

Best vehicle for this routeThe full island loop is a car day — distance, mountains and a late return home all favour comfort and shelter over any two-wheeled option. Find the right vehicle →

Sample Plans

One day, or a weekend

Two ready-made plans that string the routes above into something you can actually follow.

One day

South Coast in a Day

08:30 · Chora Coffee on the waterfront, collect the vehicle, drive out past the airport.
09:30 · Plaka First swim while the sea is still flat and the sand is empty.
12:00 · Mikri Vigla Watch the kitesurfers launch from the northern bay as the wind builds.
13:30 · Kastraki Lunch at a beach canteen, then the quietest sand of the day.
16:30 · Alyko The cedar forest, the coves and the abandoned hotel murals.
20:00 · Chora Back for dinner in the Kastro lanes.

Two days

Mountain Villages Weekend

Day 1 morning · Melanes The kouros valley before the heat, then on to Halki for a traditional distillery tasting.
Day 1 afternoon · Filoti Lunch under the plane trees, then the Zas cave path if you have the legs.
Day 1 evening · Apeiranthos Stay the night up here. The marble lanes after dark are the point.
Day 2 morning · Moutsouna Drop to the east coast on the hairpins, swim at Psili Ammos.
Day 2 afternoon · Koronos Climb back over to the emery villages and north to Apollonas.
Day 2 evening · north-west coast The long coast road home with the sun going down over the sea.

Village lanes are narrower than they look

Driving Tips

What to know before you set off

Road conditions Main routes are good asphalt. Mountain roads are narrow, sometimes without barriers, and occasionally have gravel washed across bends after rain. Beach access tracks at Alyko and Panermos are unsurfaced.
Fuel Stations cluster around Chora and the airport road, with a few inland at Halki and Filoti. Nothing on the north-east coast — fill up before routes 5, 7 and 8.
Parking in Chora Do not drive into the old town; the lanes are pedestrian and the ones that are not are barely a car wide. Use the large free lots near the port and by the sports field, then walk in.
Local etiquette A short flash of headlights usually means “you go”. Pull into a passing place rather than reversing 200 metres. Expect goats, farm trucks and tractors on any inland road.
Speed and enforcement Limits are 50 km/h in villages, 90 km/h on open road. Seatbelts front and rear are mandatory, helmets are compulsory on scooters and quads, and the drink-drive limit is low and enforced.

Along the Way

Where to stop for food and coffee

Not restaurant recommendations — those change every season — but the places on each route where you should plan to be hungry.

The mountain squares

Filoti, Apeiranthos and Koronos each have a central square shaded by plane trees, with two or three kafeneia serving Greek coffee, spoon sweets and, at lunch, whatever was cooked that morning. This is the cheapest and best eating on the island.

Routes 04, 05, 08

The harbour tavernas

Agia Anna, Moutsouna and Apollonas all have small working harbours where the fish comes off the boat in front of you. Prices are by the kilo and worth asking about first. Moutsouna in particular repays the drive.

Routes 01, 05, 07

Halki, for the in-between

The Tragaea's village has the island's best concentration of small producers — traditional kitron distilling, village patisseries, olive oil and cheese sellers — all within two shaded streets. The obvious mid-route stop on the loop.

Routes 03, 08

At a Glance

Every Naxos route, summarised

Screenshot this before you drive. Distances are one way from Chora except the loop.

Naxos driving routes: distance, time and highlight
#	Route	Distance	Driving time	Difficulty	Highlight
01	Chora → Agia Anna	7 km	15 min	Easy	Three beaches on one flat road
02	Chora → Alyko	23 km	35 min	Easy	Cedar forest and sunset dunes
03	Chora → Halki	17 km	25 min	Easy	Kitron distillery, Byzantine chapels
04	Chora → Apeiranthos	26 km	40 min	Moderate	The marble village on Mount Zas
05	Chora → Apollonas	48 km	1 h 15	Moderate	The 10.7 m unfinished kouros
06	Chora → Melanes	9 km	20 min	Easy	Kouroi lying in an orchard
07	Apeiranthos → Moutsouna	42 km	55 min	Challenging	Hairpins down to the east coast
08	Full island loop	120 km	3 h 30	Full day	Every landscape on Naxos

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Questions

Driving in Naxos FAQ

Is it easy to drive in Naxos?

Yes, with a little care. The main roads from Chora to the west coast beaches and inland to Filoti are wide, well surfaced and clearly signposted. Mountain roads are narrower with tight bends, occasional missing barriers and livestock on the asphalt, so speeds are naturally low. Traffic volumes are light outside Chora, and the island is small enough that no drive is long. Drivers used to city traffic generally find Naxos relaxing rather than stressful.

Do I need an international driving permit in Greece?

It depends on where your licence was issued. Licences from EU and EEA countries are valid in Greece as they are. Licences from many non-EU countries — including the United States, Canada and Australia — must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit, which you obtain in your home country before travelling. UK photocard licences are currently accepted without an IDP. Always confirm with your rental company when you book, because they are the party that has to accept your documents.

How long does it take to drive around Naxos?

A full circuit taking in the west coast, the mountain villages, Apollonas in the north and the return along the north-west coast is roughly 120 kilometres and takes about three and a half hours of pure driving. Nobody does it that way. Realistically, allow a full day of eight to ten hours with stops for swimming, lunch and villages.

What is the best driving route in Naxos for first-time visitors?

Chora to Filoti and Apeiranthos (route 04). It is about 26 kilometres each way on good asphalt, it climbs from sea level into the marble villages through the green Tragaea valley, and it gives you the single biggest contrast on the island in half a day. Add the descent to Moutsouna if you want to make it a full day out.

Where do you find petrol stations in Naxos?

The reliable cluster is on the ring road around Chora and along the airport road towards Agios Prokopios. There are further stations at Halki and Filoti in the interior. There is effectively nothing on the north-eastern side of the island, so fill up before driving to Apollonas, Koronos or Moutsouna, and do not plan on refuelling late in the evening, when many stations close.

Your Vehicle

Eight routes. One set of keys.

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