How to get to Naxos by plane or boat

How to get to Naxos? The island of Naxos is located in the center of the Cyclades archipelago, you can reach the island of Naxos by plane and ferry. Its small airport only serves domestic flights, which means that to get to Naxos by plane, you have to make a stopover at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. This option is not always the most convenient. The planes that depart from Antenas to Naxos are small, with a maximum of 50 passengers.

The cheapest solution to get to Naxos is to take a flight to other nearby islands and from there continue by ferry. The closest island is Mykonos, then Santorini follows.

From Athens, you can also reach the port of Piraeus from the Airport by metro and embark. Before booking, I recommend checking the schedules of the planes and boats because sometimes it is necessary to sleep in Athens and embark the next day (the same thing could happen on the way back).

How to get to Naxos via Mykonos

You can get to Naxos from Mykonos by taking a direct flight from Europe or Greece, and from there taking a hydrofoil which takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the boat and the route.
Among the 3 options (Mykonos, Santorini and Athens), Mykonos is the closest town to Naxos and therefore it takes less time by ferry, they have more options without risks of delays or cancellations due to rough seas.
There are numerous shipping companies operating on the Mykonos-Naxos-Mykonos route: among the best known: BLUE STAR FERRIES, SEAJET, HIGHSPEED, ZANTE FERRIES and others.

How to get to Naxos via Santorini

If you want to get to Naxos from Santorini, you can take a direct flight from many European cities and from Santorini take a ferry or hydrofoil which takes anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on the ship and the route.
Among the most used companies:
– The Catamarans of the company SEAJET.
– The Ferries of the company BLUE STAR FERRIES.

BLUE STAR FERRIES ships are quite large vessels and therefore guarantee greater punctuality even in rough seas.

How to get to Naxos from Athens

In high season, from Athens to Naxos and vice versa, there are on average 4 or 5 ferries per day. Therefore, it is not complicated to organize the trip "in the day" avoiding the nights in Athens.

From Piraeus to Naxos and vice versa, the following are available:
– HIGH SPEED FERRIES from the companies HELLENIC SEAWAYS or HIGHSPEED: large 850-seater catamarans that also accommodate cars, taking just under 4 hours to reach Naxos;
– FERRIES from the BLUE STAR FERRIES company: large ships with 1,100 seats, which also transport cars, and which take around 5/6 hours.

If you arrive in Athens by plane, you can take a bus or the metro to reach the port of Piraeus. Here you can see more information: how to go from Athens airport to Piraeus.

More about Naxos and other destinations in Greece

If you visit Naxos, don't miss our best posts about this wonderful island and other famous destinations in Greece: