3 to 4 Days in Naxos: The Portara, Venetian Kastro, Plaka Beach and Marble Villages

This three-day itinerary is structured so that Days 1 and 2 require zero car rental, while Day 3 is your epic one-day inland road trip through the ancient marble sanctuaries and mountain villages. Read our KTEL bus and car rental guide before Day 1.

Day 1: Chora's 1207 Venetian Kastro, Bourgos Labyrinth, St George Beach & Portara Sunset

• Morning: climb through the northern Trani Porta gate into the 1207 Venetian Kastro; tour the Della Rocca-Barozzi Venetian Mansion, the 1207 Catholic Cathedral and the Archaeological Museum, then get lost descending through the vaulted whitewashed tunnels of Bourgos and the Old Market (stopping at the EAS shop to taste 12-month-aged PDO Graviera and Arseniko cheeses).
• Midday: walk 5 minutes south of town for an afternoon swim and windsurf on the shallow turquoise bay of Agios Georgios.
• Evening: walk across the stone sea causeway onto Palatia islet to watch the sun sink into the Aegean right through the 530 BC marble Portara, followed by dinner of Kalogiros beef, hand-cut Naxos potatoes and Melachrino walnut cake in Chora.

Day 2: The Golden Beach Chain, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka & Alyko Cedars

• Morning: hop the 12-minute KTEL Bus #1 south to swim in the transparent aquamarine water and non-stick quartz-crystal sand of Agios Prokopios, then walk 10 minutes along the shore to the cedar-shaded fishing pier of Agia Anna for a beachfront seafood lunch.
• Afternoon: continue 5 minutes south to the 4-kilometre-long dunes of Plaka Beach (or explore the wild sea-cedar forest and street-art ruins of Alyko / Hawaii Beach) before dining with your feet in the sand at Agia Anna or Plaka at sunset.

Day 3: The Inland Marble Loop, Demeter's Temple, Halki, Filoti, Apeiranthos & Kouros

• Morning: pick up a one-day rental car and head 11 km south-east to the restored white marble 530 BC Temple of Demeter at Sangri and 17th-century Bazeos Tower.
• Midday: stroll the neoclassical lanes of Halki, taste PDO Kitron liqueur at the 1896 Vallindras Distillery, and visit the 6th-century triple-domed church of Panagia Drosiani.
• Midday: pause under the plane tree of Filoti (at the foot of Mount Zas), then climb to Apeiranthos for lunch of garlic-wine Rosto pork and a walk along its gleaming marble alleys.
• Evening: on your loop back toward Chora (or continuing north to the 10.7m Kouros of Apollonas), stop in the garden valley of Flerio to stand beside the 570 BC 5.5-metre marble Kouros statue lying under the walnut trees. (Have a 4th day? Take the 40-minute morning boat south to Pano Koufonisi).