Greek Islands

Naxos Town

Naxos Harbor

Welcome to Naxos Town!

Upon entering the port of Naxos Town, the symbol of the island and the most photographed monument of Naxos comes into view. It is the huge marble gate called Portara. Located on a hill of the small islet, connected to the main island by a walkway, Portara is a "must see" while on the island, but especially during sunset so as to catch one of the most magnificent sunsets in the Aegean. Try to capture it on your camera as the sun disappears into the sea, framed by the gate of Portara. It is a picture that will be worth a thousand words.

Also worth a picture is Naxos town as seen from the hill. On non-hazy days, one can also see the islands of Paros, Delos, Mykonos, and even Syros. Overlooking the harbor, some believe the temple was dedicated to Dionysos because, on this site, Dionysos is said to have found Ariadne, who was left abandoned by Thesseus on their way back to Athens from Crete, where she guided him by a thread out of the Labyrinth, or so Greek mythology tells us.

Just below the hill is the Grotto area, which received its name from the cave located in the area. Here one can see the remains of a Cycladic town under the sea. A number of archaeological finds were made here, with most of them now on display in the Archaeological Museum in town. Also in the Grotto area is St. George church, which was built in 1200 as part of a monastery. The visitor to the church will find a wood-carved iconostasis of interest.

The tiny church, on a tiny islet in the harbor, is the church of the virgin Myrtidiotissa. It is only visited with small boats and is worth a picture from the harbor, only because of its unique location. The church was built as a protector of the harbor by sailors of the island.

Just like a number of other Aegean islands, Naxos Town is filled with narrow, twisting streets, many ending in dead ends. Most probably you’ll be told that this was done to confuse pirates, who often attacked the islands. However, the fact that the same pattern of building a Cycladic city is found on Delos Island, long before any piracy took place, leads us to the conclusion that it was the wind that the people tried to protect themselves against, not pirates! Anyway, if you find yourself getting lost, feel free to ask for directions from the very helpful residents ...Continue

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