Choosing where to stay in Naxos matters more than I expected because the island is much larger and more varied than many Cycladic islands. On my latest trip in summer 2026, I stayed in both Naxos Town and Agia Anna and explored the rest of the island by car, which made the trade-off very clear: staying in Chora makes transport, restaurants and evenings effortless, while staying beside the west-coast beaches changes the trip into something much more relaxed.
For most first-time visitors, I would choose Naxos Town, Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna or Plaka. Naxos Town is my easiest recommendation without a car; Agios Prokopios gives you the simplest classic beach holiday; Agia Anna worked particularly well for me when I wanted beach life without feeling isolated; and Plaka suits travelers who value space and quiet more than convenience.
This guide compares the best areas to stay in Naxos, their real advantages and drawbacks, and the hotels I would shortlist in each.
Where to Stay in Naxos
Start with these two standout options: one for a convenient first stay in Chora and one for a relaxed beach holiday in Agia Anna.
Naxos DownTown Apartments & Suites
Why choose it: Maximum walkability in Chora, with restaurants, the old town, waterfront and ferry port close by.
Location: Central Naxos Town, ideal for short stays and car-free trips.
Watch out for: Choose the west-coast villages if having a top beach outside your hotel matters more than town convenience.
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Iria Beach Art Hotel
Why choose it: Direct access to Agia Anna Beach with tavernas and village facilities close enough for easy evenings.
Location: On the beachfront in Agia Anna, along Naxos’ popular west coast.
Watch out for: Chora is more convenient for ferries, sightseeing and exploring the island without a car.
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Best Areas to Stay in Naxos at a Glance
For a first trip, focus on Naxos Town, Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, and Plaka. The table below shows the main trade-off of each base.
| Area | Best for | Car? | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naxos Town (Chora) | First trips, short stays, ferries, nightlife | No | Best convenience, but not the strongest beach base |
| Agios Georgios | Families, beach + town, no-car trips | No | Very convenient, but better beaches lie farther south |
| Agios Prokopios | Easy beach holidays, couples, families | Optional | Excellent all-rounder, but busier in peak summer |
| Agia Anna | Couples, relaxed beach stays, tavernas | Optional | Smaller and calmer, with less choice than Prokopios |
| Plaka | Space, couples, longer beach stays | Helpful | Quieter and spacious, but location matters without a car |
| Mikri Vigla | Kitesurfing, windsurfing, quiet beach time | Recommended | Great for wind sports, less convenient for exploring |
| Halki / Filoti / Apeiranthos | Food, hiking, culture, village life | Yes | More atmosphere inland, but beach trips require driving |
| Apollonas / Moutsouna | Repeat visitors, remote stays, road trips | Yes | Peaceful and remote, but perhaps too remote for most short first trips |
Quick rule: choose Naxos Town for convenience, Agios Prokopios for the easiest beach holiday, Agia Anna for a calmer beach base, and Plaka if space matters more than convenience.
Table of Contents
Naxos Town (Chora)
Best for first-time visitors, short stays and Naxos without a car
For most first-time visitors, Naxos Town is still the easiest place to stay in Naxos. The ferry port, main bus connections, restaurants, bars, shops, the Kastro and the Portara are all concentrated here, which makes a noticeable difference if your trip is only a few days long or you don’t want to organize transport every time you go out.
I stayed in Naxos Town during my summer 2026 trip, and the biggest advantage became obvious once the sightseeing was finished. I could simply walk out for dinner, wander through the Kastro or waterfront and head back whenever I wanted without thinking about buses, taxis or parking. For a short stay, that freedom is difficult to beat.
It also works particularly well if you plan to explore different parts of the island by bus or take boat trips from the harbour. You’re starting from the island’s transport hub rather than commuting back to it.
Potential downside: Chora is not where I would stay if the beach is the main purpose of the trip. Agios Georgios is conveniently close, but the stronger beach experience is farther south at Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna and Plaka. The waterfront can also feel busy during ferry arrivals and summer evenings.
Best Places to Stay in Naxos Chora
Budget / Good Value
Mid-Range
Upscale / Luxury
Agios Georgios
Best for families, beach + town convenience and car-free stays
Agios Georgios is the easiest compromise if you want a beach holiday without giving up Naxos Town. The beach begins just south of Chora, so you can swim during the day and still walk into town for restaurants, the Kastro and the Portara in the evening.
Its shallow water and easy access make it particularly practical for families, and staying here removes much of the logistical friction of a beach-based trip without a car.
I would choose Agios Georgios over central Chora if waking up near the sand matters more than being right beside the port and old town.
Potential downside: convenience is its biggest strength, not necessarily the beach itself. If having one of Naxos’ best stretches of sand outside your hotel is the priority, I would go farther south to Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna or Plaka.
Best Place to Stay in Agios Georgios Naxos
Agios Prokopios
Best for the easiest all-round beach holiday
If your main reason for coming to Naxos is the beach, Agios Prokopios is probably the safest all-round choice. You get a long, excellent beach together with restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, accommodation and useful transport connections back to Chora.
That combination is why it works for such a broad range of travelers. You can have a straightforward beach holiday without feeling isolated, and you don’t necessarily need a car unless you want to explore inland Naxos and the more remote coast independently.
It is also a good choice for a longer stay because there is enough immediately around you that every meal or small errand doesn’t become a journey.
Potential downside: Agios Prokopios is popular precisely because it is so convenient. In July and August it can feel considerably more developed and busy than Plaka or the quieter stretches farther south. If you’re imagining an empty Cycladic beach with very little around it, this isn’t that place.
Best Place to Stay in Agios Prokopios Naxos
What About Stelida?
Stelida, just north of Agios Prokopios, suits a slightly different traveler. Hotels and villas here tend to feel more secluded, with more space and sea views, while still being reasonably close to both Chora and the main beach strip.
I would consider Stelida if the property itself is part of the holiday — for example, a resort, villa or hotel with a pool — and you are comfortable driving.
If you want to walk out every evening and choose between tavernas, shops and beach bars, stay in Agios Prokopios itself instead.
Agia Anna
Best for couples and a relaxed beach stay without feeling isolated
I stayed in Agia Anna during my summer 2026 trip, and for me its strongest advantage was how easy everyday life felt. I could walk to the beach, tavernas and little harbour without having to plan anything, while Agios Prokopios and Plaka were close enough that I never felt boxed into one tiny resort.
Compared with Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna feels smaller and a little less resort-like. Compared with Plaka, it gives up some space and wilderness in return for easier access to restaurants, transport and neighbouring beaches.
That middle ground is exactly why I think Agia Anna works so well for couples and for travelers who want to divide their days between exploring Naxos and actually relaxing beside the sea. After spending part of my trip driving around the island, I particularly appreciated having days when the car could simply stay parked.
Potential downside: the smaller scale also means less choice immediately around you than in Agios Prokopios or Chora, and the beach can feel compact in the busiest part of summer. If you want kilometres of space rather than a small beach village, Plaka is the better fit.
Best Places to Stay in Agia Anna Naxos
Budget / Good Value
Mid-Range
Upscale / Luxury
Plaka
Best for couples, longer beach stays and travelers who value space
Plaka is where I would look if the beach itself matters more than maximum convenience. The coastline stretches for kilometres and becomes noticeably more spacious and less built-up than Agios Prokopios or Agia Anna. It works particularly well for couples and longer stays because you can choose between more developed sections with restaurants and beach facilities and quieter stretches where the surroundings feel far less resort-like.
But there is an important detail that accommodation listings don’t always make obvious: where on Plaka you stay matters enormously. The northern end, toward Maragas and Agia Anna, is the easiest part for restaurants and transport. The farther south you go, the quieter and more attractive the setting can become — but the more likely you are to need your own vehicle for dinners, sightseeing and trips into Chora.
Potential downside: don’t book a beautiful Plaka hotel based on photographs alone and assume everything will be walkable. Check its exact position on the beach. On a no-car trip, the difference between northern and southern Plaka can materially change your holiday.
Best Places to Stay in Plaka Naxos
Mikri Vigla
Best for kitesurfing, windsurfing and a quieter beach-focused stay
Mikri Vigla makes sense when you are choosing your accommodation because of the beach and the wind, rather than because you want an easy base for seeing the whole island.
It is one of Naxos’ best-known kitesurfing and windsurfing areas, with a much less developed atmosphere than Agios Prokopios or Agia Anna. For active travelers who expect to spend most days around the water, that can be exactly the appeal.
There are accommodation and food options locally, but this isn’t somewhere I would choose because I wanted variety every evening.
Potential downside: a car makes life considerably easier. Chora, the mountain villages and many restaurants are less convenient from here, and the exposed conditions that attract windsurfers will not suit everyone looking for a calm beach holiday.
Best Places to Stay in Mikri Vigla Naxos
Apollonas & Moutsouna
Best for repeat visitors, road-trippers and genuinely remote stays
I would treat Apollonas and Moutsouna as deliberate escape choices, not alternative versions of Agia Anna or Plaka.
Apollonas feels more like a self-contained seaside village, with a small waterfront, tavernas and the huge unfinished kouros in the quarry above it. It suits travelers who like the idea of waking up in northern Naxos and accepting that the long journey from Chora is part of the experience.
Moutsouna, on the east coast, feels even more removed from the island’s main tourism strip. Staying here is about quiet coastline, slower days and being somewhere most first-time visitors only see briefly on a road trip.
Both can be rewarding if you’ve already experienced the obvious parts of Naxos or have enough time to deliberately slow the trip down.
Potential downside: location. Neither is a sensible base for a short first visit if you still want to see Chora, the west-coast beaches and central mountain villages efficiently. A car is effectively part of the decision, and evening dining and transport options are naturally much more limited than on the west coast.
Best Places to Stay in Apollonas & Moutsouna Naxos
Halki, Filoti & Apeiranthos
Best for food, hiking and experiencing inland Naxos
Staying in one of Naxos’ mountain villages creates a completely different trip from staying beside the sea.
Halki is the easiest inland base to combine with the Tragea Valley, Byzantine churches and good food. Filoti feels larger and more everyday, sitting beneath Mount Zas and making particular sense for hikers. Apeiranthos is the most visually distinctive of the three, with its marble lanes, mountain setting and stronger sense of separation from the coast.
I wouldn’t recommend an inland village as the default base for somebody visiting Naxos for the first time and dreaming primarily about beaches. But for travelers who care more about food, walking, village life and the mountainous interior, staying here rather than simply visiting for lunch lets you experience a side of the island that disappears once the day-trippers leave.
This is also one of the few accommodation choices where I think a split stay can make more sense than committing to one base for the entire trip. A few nights inland after Chora or the west coast would give you a genuinely different experience rather than simply moving between two similar beach resorts.
Potential downside: you are trading coastal convenience for atmosphere. You will want a car, the beach becomes a deliberate outing rather than something outside your door, and restaurant and nightlife choices are naturally much narrower than in Chora or the western resorts.
Best Places to Stay in Halki, Filoti & Apeiranthos Naxos
Budget / Good Value
Mid-Range
Upscale / Luxury
Where to Stay in Naxos Without a Car
You can absolutely visit Naxos without renting a car, but your base matters. For a first trip, my first choice is Naxos Town because it gives you the most flexibility for ferries, buses, restaurants and evenings out.
Naxos Town — Best Overall Without a Car
Maximum flexibility. Walk to the port, Kastro, Portara, restaurants and shops, then use buses for beaches and several inland villages.
Agios Georgios — Best Beach + Town
A sandy beach within walking distance of Chora, making this the easiest compromise between beach time and town convenience.
Agios Prokopios — Best for a Beach Holiday
Plenty of restaurants, shops and hotels nearby, with useful bus links to Chora. You only really need a car for wider island exploring.
Agia Anna — Best for a Relaxed Beach Stay
I stayed here myself and found it easy to manage without using the car every day. The beach, tavernas and Agios Prokopios are all close.
Plaka — Possible, but Location Matters
Northern Plaka is easier for restaurants and buses. Farther south, the beach gets quieter but you become much more dependent on transport.
My recommendation: choose Naxos Town for maximum flexibility, Agios Georgios for beach + town, or Agios Prokopios / Agia Anna if you want the trip to revolve more around the coast.
Should You Split Your Stay in Naxos?
I split my own Naxos stay between Naxos Town (Chora) and Agia Anna, and for a longer trip I would happily do the same again.
The two bases created noticeably different versions of Naxos. In Chora, evenings were effortless: restaurants, the Kastro, Portara and waterfront were all within walking distance, and being close to the port made arrival and departure simple. In Agia Anna, the rhythm changed completely. I could walk to the beach and tavernas, leave the car parked when I didn’t need it and spend much less time thinking about logistics.
For a three- or four-night trip, I wouldn’t bother changing hotels. Naxos is large, but moving accommodation still costs time, and one well-chosen base is enough for a short stay.
With six or seven nights, however, splitting the trip can make a lot of sense. My preferred combinations would be:
- Chora + Agia Anna — the best balance of town, transport and an easy beach stay.
- Chora + Plaka — better if you want the second half of the trip to feel quieter and more spacious.
- Beach + inland village — a more unusual option for a longer trip if food, hiking and village life matter more than spending every night near the sea.
I would usually spend the first part in Chora and finish beside the beach. That makes ferry arrival easy and lets the trip gradually become slower rather than doing it the other way around.
My recommendation: split your stay only if you’re spending around six nights or more on Naxos. Below that, choose the base that best matches your priorities and stay put.
Starting in Chora? See my recommended hotels in Naxos Town above, including Naxos DownTown Apartments & Suites and Anatoli Hotel.
Finishing by the beach? For Agia Anna, I would start with Iria Beach Art Hotel; for a quieter Plaka stay, see Valena Mare Suites & Apartments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Where to Stay in Naxos
Short answers to the accommodation decisions that matter most before you book.
Is it better to stay in Naxos Town or at the beach?
Choose Naxos Town if convenience, ferries, buses, restaurants and evening walkability matter most. Choose a beach base such as Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna or Plaka if you want to wake up beside the sea and make beach time the center of the trip. For a short first visit, I would usually choose Naxos Town; for a longer stay, a beach base becomes more appealing.
Is Naxos Town or Agios Prokopios better?
Naxos Town is better for first-time visitors, short stays, ferries, nightlife and no-car travel. Agios Prokopios is better if your priority is staying beside one of Naxos’ best beaches while still having restaurants and bus connections nearby.
Is Plaka too remote without a car?
Not necessarily, but the exact location matters. Northern Plaka is closer to restaurants, bus stops and Agia Anna, so it can work without a car. Farther south, the beach becomes quieter and more spacious, but you are much more likely to depend on buses, taxis or your own vehicle.
What is the best area to stay in Naxos for first-time visitors?
For most first-time visitors, I would choose Naxos Town (Chora). It gives you the easiest access to the ferry port, buses, restaurants, shops, the Kastro and the Portara, and it works especially well if you are staying only a few nights or do not want to rent a car.
Where should families stay in Naxos?
Agios Georgios is my easiest recommendation for families who want a shallow beach within walking distance of Naxos Town. Agios Prokopios works better if you want a more classic beach-resort stay with more space, restaurants and accommodation choices nearby.
Is Agia Anna or Plaka better in Naxos?
Choose Agia Anna if you want a smaller beach base with tavernas, easier transport and quick access to both Agios Prokopios and Plaka. Choose Plaka if you value more space, quieter evenings and a less developed beach setting more than immediate convenience. I stayed in Agia Anna myself and liked it for that balance between beach time and easy daily life.
Can you stay in Naxos without renting a car?
Yes. Naxos Town is the easiest base without a car, followed by Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna. Plaka can work if you choose the location carefully, but Mikri Vigla, the inland villages, Apollonas and Moutsouna are much easier with your own transport.
Final Thoughts: Where I Would Stay in Naxos On My Next Trip
For a first trip, I’d narrow the choice to Naxos Town, Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios or Plaka. I stayed in both Naxos Town and Agia Anna, and they gave me very different versions of the island: one much more convenient for evenings, transport and sightseeing, the other much easier for slowing down by the sea. The best area to stay in Naxos really depends on how you want the trip to feel, so I’d decide that before choosing a hotel rather than simply booking the prettiest property.
For the rest of the planning, see my Naxos travel guide and how to get to Naxos.
Last Updated on 08/09/2026 by Panos
