The Close Beaches: Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna

One of the greatest joys of Naxos is how close its acclaimed beaches sit to the main town: you can walk to a sandy bay in 5 minutes from Chora, or hop on the frequent KTEL Bus Line #1 (running every 15 to 20 minutes from the port terminal before dawn) to reach Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna in 10 to 15 minutes.

1. Agios Georgios (Saint George Beach, 5 Mins' Walk South of Chora)

Curving for one kilometre immediately south of the Grotta/Chora headland, Agios Georgios is the most convenient town beach in the Greek Islands. Because the northern end of the bay is so shallow that you can walk out 50 metres in waist-deep, wave-free turquoise water, it is unbeatable for families with toddlers, while the breezy southern end of the bay (Flisvos Lagoon) hosts windsurfing and wing-foiling schools.

2. Agios Prokopios Beach (5 km South of Chora, 12 Mins by Bus)

Protected from the northern wind by the rocky Stelida headland (and backed by rare reddish coastal salt lakes where herons and flamingos stop in spring), Agios Prokopios is a 1.5-kilometre curve of water that shifts from transparent mint-green at the shore to deep cobalt blue:

• Why the "Sand" Never Sticks to Your Towel: look closely at a handful of Agios Prokopios sand, it is actually made of millions of tiny, smooth, rounded grains of golden-white quartz and granite crystal. You brush your hand once over your feet and every grain falls straight off without dusty sand sticking to your skin.
• West End vs East End: the western tip (around the tiny white chapel of Agios Prokopios) is completely unorganized, free towel space and maximally sheltered from wind; the middle and eastern sections have spaced-out straw umbrellas, beach cafés and bakeries.

3. Agia Anna & Maragas (1 km South of Agios Prokopios, Walkable Along the Sand)

Walk ten minutes south along the water's edge from Agios Prokopios around a low rocky point and you step directly onto Agia Anna: a series of smaller, idyllic sandy coves shaded by wild sea-cedar trees and divided by a picturesque little fishing pier and the headland chapel of Agios Nikolaos. Stay in Agia Anna in the early evening to dine at wooden tables placed literally on the sand at sunset.