Naxos is an exceptional island to explore while vacationing in Greece! We travelled to Naxos in October 2025, making it the offseason. It was our first time here, and it left quite an impression! It is the largest of the Cyclades Islands, offering stunning beaches, mountain terrain, and quaint villages.
What the Weather is Like
The weather here in October is a bit of a mix. You’ll experience nice sunny weather, overcast, and rain all in the same day. It is key to dress in layers as you never quite know what the weather will be. The temperature here in mid-October ranged from 17-24 degrees, and it rained a little bit most days that we were there.
What to Bring
You’ll want to be prepared for cooler weather when travelling to Naxos in October. Wearing layers will be helpful, as in a single day we wore t-shirts in the morning and by mid-day were in sweaters or jackets. An umbrella would be a good idea too! The streets in Naxos are a bit rocky, so wearing secure footwear is definitely a great idea.
How to Get Around the Island
We opted to rent a car for our stay on the island. This was incredibly helpful as the sites are a bit farther apart, and it was convenient to move around at our own pace. We rented from Discovercars.com, and the cost of our car rental was approximately 188.00 CAD for 5 days.
Things to Do!
Naxos is a stunning island, and it’s definitely worth exploring! It offers incredible views while driving on the roads and features both beautiful beaches and quaint villages. No matter the time of year, it’s a great place to be! Although there are many villages to get to, we travelled to three that were located in the middle of the island. These villages were also closer to our Airbnb and made the most sense for us to travel to.
Where to Stay
We chose to stay in a beautiful Airbnb and were amazed at the spectacular view! Having a car rental is definitely a must because it was a bit of a trek to get there. This Airbnb had everything we needed, including 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a pool, and 2 outdoor dining areas! Although it was a bit cold to enjoy the pool, we had a great time and loved waking up to this stunning view!
2-Day Itinerary Suggestion
Day 1 – Explore the Naxos Town area & Go for a Horseback Ride!
There are plenty of bars, cafes, and restaurants in this area, making it a great place to explore, especially if you arrive by ferry. You’ll see many souvenir shops, and even a couple of beaches nearby. You can easily spend a few hours here exploring the quaint streets! We especially enjoyed a nice coffee and tea at Gemma Naxian Bistro! Being that we were in Naxos in October, it was not busy at all, but I can imagine the old town area being much busier in the summer months!
Head up to the Temple of Apollo, just a few minutes walk from the old town area, and a bonus if you can get there at either sunrise or sunset! It’s a quick climb up and only takes about 5 minutes to reach the top. It is right next to the water and offers a neat view of the old town as well.
In the afternoon, head to Naxos Horse Center to enjoy a nice horseback ride! You’ll enjoy a relaxing horseback ride for about an hour through a nice trail and towards the beach and back again to the center. Our group that went was full of beginner horseback riders, ages ranging from 5 – 70 years old. The horses that our group was paired with were gentle and very friendly, and a smaller horse was paired with the youngest in our group. Our group was led through the trail, and they travelled at a nice and slow pace.
For a small group horseback riding experience, it costs 50 Euros per person. Even though we opted to join a small group, our group was actually the only one there. You can also decide to do a private tour. Although I personally did not join this trip, I heard lots about it, and everyone who went had an incredible time, so I added it to this list!
Day 2 – Explore Beautiful Villages and then Head to the Beach
We mapped out a quick ride from our Airbnb to head to 3 different villages. Each one was about a 15-minute drive apart, making for an easy road trip! Having the cars was a must for us, and it made the day trip quite easy. Most villages have specific public parking spaces. We noticed that even these parking areas seemed to fill up while we were visiting, so I can imagine that in the summer, it may be difficult to find parking.
Vivlos – This village was the closest to us. We did enjoy the views of the old windmills as we drove through, although we didn’t spend too much time here.
Filoti – This village was our favourite! We enjoyed exploring the picturesque streets, window shopping at the souvenir shops, and having a tasty Greek lunch filled with Gyros and Moussaka! We especially enjoyed visiting the Panagia Filotitissa Church and spending some time at the Folklore Museum. This museum operates on donations rather than charging an admission fee to enter.
Apeiranthos – Our last stop on our tour day. Another quaint village to explore with some cafes, more souvenir shops and museums! Although we didn’t get a chance to go in, we noticed that there was a Geological Museum, Fine Arts Museum, and Folklore Museum all connected. It cost 5.00 Euro to go to all three! This is a really interesting area, and you could spend a few hours here!
A trip to Naxos Island would certainly mean a visit to one (or many) of its stunning beaches! Our Airbnb was located in the SouthWestern part of the island, and so visiting Plaka beach was quite easy for us.
Some beach chairs and beach umbrellas could be rented a bit farther down on the beach area, and could be a relaxing choice if you are looking for more of a comfortable and relaxing environment to soak up the beach scene.
The beach is a sandy beach with beautiful, clear blue water. My family enjoyed spending time in the water, even in October! We lucked out on the day as it was one of the days that was quite sunny out! Just a reminder that the weather in October is pretty unpredictable, so make the most of the beach days when the sun is out!
Additional Things to Do in Naxos Island!
While this was a quick 2-day itinerary to see some of the main highlights, including staying in Naxos Town, exploring the villages, and heading to the beach, there are still plenty more things you can do.
Go Beach Hopping!
Naxos has some amazing sandy beaches! We only ended up going to Plaka Beach; however, some more notable ones that might be worth going to are Saint George Beach, Agios Prokopios Beach, Agia Anna Beach, and Mikri Vigla Beach.
Go Scuba Diving or Snorkelling!
Join a discovery dive or a snorkelling tour on Naxos Island! With multiple dive centers to choose from, it could be a really fun adventure to enjoy watching sea life around Naxos Island!
Take a Day Trip to Paros Island!
Paros Island is another fun island to explore, and it’s less than an hour ferry ride away. This could certainly be a good option for anyone looking for a fun day trip that is close by!
Overall, there are so many fun things to do in Naxos! It was such a fun island to explore, and we certainly enjoyed our time there, even in the off-season! Which of these places are you most looking forward to exploring?
