THE NAXOS GUIDE TO TRAVELING TO (AND FROM) NAXOS
By Ferry:
Various shipping lines operate ferries to Naxos and they can and do change from summer to summer. The travel time is between six and eight hours. Boats leave from two ports, the well known Piraeus and the lesser known Rafina which is, in fact, closer to the new airport. There is also a catamaran - the High Speed - which, in theory, cuts the sailing time to Naxos to about three and a half hours. From Naxos to Piraeus, we have always found it to take far longer than the claimed time.
For how to get from the airport to Piraeus click here.
Under normal circumstances, there is at least one ferry every morning leaving Piraeus at 8 am. arriving at Naxos between 2 pm and 3pm. There is then, usually, one or two in the evening departing between 5 pm and 8 pm and arriving, therefore, between 11 pm and 2 am. See the Timetable. This gives a good general guide to times but should never be taken on trust - always try to check and double-check these times. They vary throughout the year and such things as strikes, fiestas, elections can either cause them to be canceled or to be so full that, at best, the journey is unpleasant, at worse, you won't be able to get on. Since the tragic sinking of a boat close to Naxos a couple of years ago, safety precautions are much more strictly adhered to - which includes limiting the number of tickets issued for each boat and stringent checking of these.
THE PAROS
Leaves Piraeus at 7.25 and takes only 5.20hrs but you need to get the 5.20 bus from the airport to get on the boat early to ensure a comfortable seat. For such a posh, new boat there is very little seating particularly if you want/need to sleep. Our pattern on these journeys is: Read, sleep, eat, read, sleep, read, sleep, coffee, read, sleep, retsina - arrive. Lots of cafés and such like and clean loos.
The best bet is to check www.ferries.gr for the most up to date ferry timetables and, also, www.paleologos.gr - enter Piraeus in the drop down list and NOT Athens.
Another site for all Greek ferries is
Greek
Ferry Schedules and Ferry Boat Information
http://www.greek-islands-travel-ferry-schedules.com
See ZAS Travel 22850 23330/1 Piraeus 010 4141140; Athens 010 3226400/800
GA Ferries: www.ferries.gr/gaferries
Strinzi Blue Star Ferries: www.ferries.gr/strinzi
Minoan Lines: www.ferries.gr/minoan
Even with the sleek, new boats, this is always something of Casey's Court, confusion reigns. There are always queues on the stairs long before the tailgate goes down. And there will always be some yayas panicking and pushing there way through the crowd as well as some crew members charging against the tide. Usually the exit is through the car deck and like on all ferries everywhere, all the drivers, despite the signs and commonsense, switch on their engines long before necessary and so, if you've negotiated the stairs and have reached the exit, you will have to stand for ages in the reek of the petrol fumes. Nowadays, at least, pedestrians are given a short right of way - in the old days you had to rush off the gangway with lorries and cars lurching around you. Hot and grateful for the cooling wind that always blows down by the port, you reach terra firma. Before you stretches a long, concrete, shimmering quay - just walk straight ahead, heading away as fast as you can to avoid the vehicles. Your first impression of Naxos will probable not be favourable - quite often the dock is bathed in a white light making every thing look bleached and the town seem arid and dusty. It is not recommended you stop for your first ouzo at the ouzerie dockside (Provlita), save that place for leaving, get to the sanctity of town as soon as possible. There are now several booths on the dock giving information about hotels, etc. At the end of the quay there will be people offering rooms. If you've got nowhere in mind, it's worth stopping to see what's available, they will have photos of their places, and you will probably be able to negotiate a good price if arriving out of season. Make sure you know where you're being offered (see Villages or Maps). For many years, our first stop would be our friends', Barbara and Yanni, place, Remezzo but, alas, that is yet another favourite to disappear. Where it was, to the left at the end of the quay, is Portara which is, I'm sure, just as good, so you might like to try it. After negotiating the "Rooms! Rooms!" you come to a square where the buses leave to all parts of the island - beyond, at the end of a long, closed-up-looking building is the bus office where you can get a timetable. To the right, at the beginning of the Paralia, (the café, taverna, bar lined promenade and main street of Naxos) is the taxi rank. There is a fixed rate to all the main stops such as the airport, Procopios, Aghia Anna and Plaka. To anywhere else, ask the price - I think you'll find that everybody charges the same so bargaining will rarely help. €7 to Procopios in 2004/2005.
Small planes fly to and from Naxos operated by Olympic Airways. At peak times there should be two flights a day, leaving Athens at about 9 am and 4.30 pm. However, these times - like everything else in Greece - are variable and, off-season, they do not run every day. Contact Olympic Airways for details - www.olympicairways.co.uk. The flight time is only about 30 minutes and the fare about £35-£40 one way. If you are flying to Naxos on the next plane after your international flight, you will be charged just one lot of airport taxes - so book before leaving Britain and, if booking on Naxos, show your ongoing tickets.
NOTE: If flying overnight to Athens, there is a perfect connection: a plane leaves for Naxos at between 6.50 and 7.30 am - you can be on the island just after 8 - everyday except Friday (2004/5). In late 2005, this flight no longer seemed to exist and, if you can wrest flight times from the re-vamped Olympic site - well, I can't. Check with a tourist shop.
There is nothing at Naxos "Airport" apart from a small waiting area and toilets. As there are frequent delays we would advise taking, at least, some water with you. AMENDMENT: in 2003 a coffee shop has opened with various bits and pieces. For Olympic Airways Timetables click HERE
There is no public transport to and from the airport but usually plenty of taxis with reasonable prices (10 euros) to all the holiday destinations. Very few hotels meet the plane but, if you pre-book, ask if they will meet you and then ring again from Athens to confirm. To get your bearings, the airport is about halfway between town (Chora) and Procopios. Looking out to sea (as usual) Procopios is to the left, town to the right.