Naxos is the largest and most generous of the Cyclades. Fertile valleys planted with olive and citrus trees, marble paths inherited from Antiquity, mountain villages where time seems to have paused between two seasons. It is an island made for slow walking, the kind that lets your gaze settle, your legs find their rhythm, and your mind be carried by the beauty of simple things.
Mount Zeus (Zas): the roof of the Cyclades
The highest point of the Cyclades bears the name of the king of the gods. At 1,004 metres, Mount Zas commands the entire archipelago, and the trail that leads there from the village of Filoti is one of the island's finest walks. You leave the shaded lanes of the village and follow a path bordered by centuries-old olive trees. The air smells of sage and wild thyme.
Halfway up, the trail passes the Cave of Zeus, a deep cavity where, according to mythology, the young god grew up hidden from his father Kronos. The place has something solemn about it, with its damp walls and mineral silence. You pause, imagine the ancient tales, then continue the climb.
The landscape gradually transforms. Olive trees give way to bare rocks, the trail becomes steeper, the horizon opens. As you climb, the neighbouring islands appear one by one: Paros first, then Ios, Amorgos, and on a clear day, the distant silhouettes of Santorini and Mykonos. At the summit, the panorama is circular. You stand above an entire archipelago, with that rare feeling of taking in a whole blue-and-white world at a glance.
The walk takes about three hours return. It is not a sporting feat; it is a walk that rewards a little patience with a great deal of pleasure. The return to Filoti unfolds in the golden afternoon light, and you arrive just in time to sit at a table on the village square, beneath the plane trees.
The Tragea Valley: Byzantine villages and olive groves
The heart of Naxos beats in the Tragea Valley, a vast interior plain covered in an almost unbroken olive grove said to be a thousand years old. Walking through this valley means passing from one village to the next along shaded trails, discovering Byzantine chapels hidden beneath the trees, and uncovering a heritage that few visitors suspect.
Halki, the former capital, retains fine Venetian mansions with carved crests and a distillery producing kitron, the citrus liqueur that is Naxos's pride. You taste this golden drink in three versions (dry, sweet, green) in a vaulted room where time seems suspended. Further on, Apiranthos deserves a visit in its own right. Nicknamed the "marble village," this mountain hamlet unfurls its lanes entirely paved in white marble, its small museums (geology, archaeology, folklore), and its cafes where the elders play tavli over a Greek coffee.
Between the two, Filoti is the island's largest village, set against the slopes of Mount Zas. Its central square, shaded by centuries-old plane trees, invites a stop. You sit down for a simple lunch: Naxian tomato salad, fresh cheese, barley bread. Along the paths connecting these villages, surprises multiply. Here, a 7th-century Byzantine church with frescoes that defy the centuries. There, a Venetian tower overtaken by fig trees. The Tragea Valley is an open-air museum, and the trail is the finest guide.
From Apiranthos to Moutsouna: the old emery road
Naxos possesses a geological treasure that few islands can claim: emery, a rock of exceptional hardness used since Antiquity for polishing marble and sharpening blades. The trail that connects Apiranthos to the small port of Moutsouna, on the eastern coast, is the old miners' path. For centuries, men brought this precious mineral down by mule from the mountain quarries to the loading docks.
The walk begins in the marble lanes of Apiranthos and descends gradually towards the sea. The landscape transforms with every step. You leave the cultivated terraces of the interior and enter a more austere world of grey rock and low wind-swept maquis. Then the sea appears, deep blue, framed by steep cliffs.
At Moutsouna, the emery loading dock is still there, with its rusted rails and abandoned hoppers. This industrial relic, set beside translucent water, has something poignant about it. The village itself is tiny: a few fishermen's houses, a taverna, and silence. You eat the day's grilled fish while gazing at the waves, before heading back. This is a walk that tells a story, of men's labour in a landscape of fierce beauty.
The Tower of Chimarros: marble sentinel
In the countryside south of Filoti, a cylindrical tower stands alone in the fields. The Tower of Chimarros, built in the 4th century BC, is one of the best-preserved Hellenistic monuments in the Cyclades. Constructed entirely from blocks of white marble assembled without mortar, it still reaches about ten metres after 2,300 years.
The path to reach it crosses an open landscape of gentle hills, scattered with holm oaks and dry-stone walls. You walk in a silence broken only by the distant tinkling of a goat bell. The tower appears suddenly, massive and elegant at once, with the golden patina that the sun gives to Naxos marble. Its exact function remains debated: watchtower, fortified granary, or landmark for sailors?
This walk can be combined with the ascent of Mount Zas for a full day. The morning at altitude, the afternoon in the fields: two faces of Naxos, two different lights, one same feeling of fullness.
Southern coastal trails: deserted beaches
The south of Naxos is a world apart. Far from the developed beaches of the west coast, the Alyko peninsula offers a wild landscape where a forest of centuries-old cedars descends to the sand. Discreet trails wind between the trees, leading to coves that seem forgotten by time. The remains of an ancient temple, half-buried in sand and roots, add a mysterious dimension.
Further south still, towards Kalantos, the coast grows steeper, the beaches more secret. You reach them by shepherds' paths that zigzag between maquis-covered hills. The reward at the end of the trail is always the same: a cove of sand or pebbles, crystal-clear water, and that rare feeling of having a shore entirely to yourself. You spread your towel, you dive in, you dry in the sun. Happiness sometimes lies in so little.
These coastal walks require neither special effort nor preparation. Just a swimsuit in the bag, a bottle of fresh water, and the desire to let curiosity lead the way.
Flavours of Naxos
Walking in Naxos also means eating in Naxos, and the island offers at the table a generosity that mirrors its landscapes. The Naxos potato enjoys a reputation that extends far beyond the archipelago: grown in the fertile inland valleys, it is so flavourful that Athens restaurants mention it on their menus as a mark of quality.
Kitron, the unique liqueur made from citron (a citrus relative of the lemon), is produced nowhere else in Greece. The Vallindras distillery in Halki has carried on family know-how since 1896. You taste three versions of this golden elixir, and you leave with a bottle tucked in your bag, a fragrant souvenir of a stop between two trails.
Naxos graviera, a hard cheese aged in mountain caves, accompanies every meal. Shaved into curls over a salad or served in thick slices drizzled with local honey, it embodies the Naxian terroir at its most authentic. Then there is the thyme honey, the wild capers, the village-distilled raki, and the cold-pressed olive oil. In Naxos, the trails always lead to a table, and the table always leads back to the trails.
When to walk in Naxos
The best seasons for walking in Naxos are spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October). In spring, the island is covered in wildflowers, temperatures are mild, and the trails are quiet. This is the season when the Tragea Valley is most fragrant, when the colours are most vivid, when the light has that particular quality that delights photographers.
In September and October, the sea is still warm for swimming, the days remain long and luminous, and the island regains its serenity after summer. It is also the season of grape harvests and the first olive pickings, when the villages return to their authentic rhythm. Summer (July and August) is hotter and windier, with the meltemi that sometimes blows hard, but morning walks and coastal trails remain perfectly enjoyable.
Explore all our trips in the Cyclades, our favourite trails in Greece, and our page dedicated to Naxos to plan your next escape.
Solène Roux
Responsable Éditoriale
