Naxos: any advice on the best way to get there?

Nenen

My eldest son and his gf are hoping to go to the Greek island of Naxos in September. However, they are a bit nervous about doing a do-it-yourself holiday and would actually prefer the 'security' of a package deal! Sometimes I feel that I'm the teenager and ds is the old fogey! The gf (who is lovely but likes her creature comforts) is keen to find something that looks rather more than 'basic'.... preferably on the beach. I'm sure they're missing out on all the fun my dh and I had traveling on the cheap but times appear to have changed! They want to go for a fortnight and have a budget of around £500 each if self-catering or £700 half board

I found a lovely apartment in Naxos for them with rave reviews which they seem keen on. This works out at about £311 each for a fortnight self-catering, meaning they're trying to find a way to travel there for about £200. Is this possible?

I've tried to persuade them to get a cheap flight to Athens and then find a ferry but they would prefer to book everything in advance and fly to Naxos if possible (which I understand you can do from Athens or Mykanos). I've tried all sorts of searches... been at it several hours now and have managed to confuse myself and forget where I started! (note to self.. keep notes of websites and prices as you go)!

Stansted or Leeds would be first choice of airport but they could fly from Birmingham, Manchester or any East Anglian or London airport. If anyone has any advice or info I'd be grateful.

Stephann

Your son could fly with Easyjet to Mykonos and then take a Blue Star ferry (Google them for their website) direct to Naxos. Summer ferry schedules should be published around March time.

MrSmartprice

Doing this sort of trip on a package really misses the point. It's much cheaper, and far more fun, to do it as an 'island hopping' holiday, even if you only do one or two islands.

The best way is to get the cheapest flight to Athens, then get the bus to Piraeus. (You can do this including a stop off in Athens if you wish, it costs no extra as the 3 euro ticket includes an airport ransfer and 24 hours on public transport in the city.) From Piraeus get a ferry to Naxos, it is a direct trip and akes about 4 hours.

Except in the busiest period, you really don't need to book accommodation in advance. The property owners are at the port to meet the boats and usually have a folder of photos of their places. We stayed in some excellent places by doing this. And if you don't like somewhere, you can move on. The book 'Greek Island Hopping' is essential reading.

This is what holidays are about for young people, it is really satisfying to do it and makes you feel like a traveller, not a tourist. (Having said young, I was 48 when we first did this.;)) Tell them to go for it, they will not regret it.

Nobjocki

www.greecetravel.com will tell you all you need to know .
As everyone has said Easyjet to Athens,Bus to Pireaus and ferry to Naxos.
I did it last year with my two kids ( 10 and 8 ) and I did it myself 30 years ago ( although admittedly not with Easyjet )
September is a good time to go as well as there are more rooms available on spec.
It sounds to me like you need to be cruel to be kind and kick their backsides into gear otherwise they'll be forever asking you to sort things out for them.

davidlizard

We have been to Naxos (independently) every year since 1998. Its one of the more accessible islands that has not fallen foul of the evils of package tourism, and IMO has the best beaches in Greece and is not overrun with Brits.

Firstly, fully recommend getting this book: https://www.greekislandhopping.com - it has ferry schedules (last years), maps and general hints/tips etc.

Secondly: September is quiet(er) - don't bother booking accommodation - leave it to when you arrive (and inspect). Ditto ferry tickets.

Thirdly: Getting there: The trick is to tie the flight arrival time with the ferry departure time so you don't have to hang around too long, but allow for delays.

Boats tend to leave from Athens Pireaus at around 7:30 to 0800 in the morning, and a further lot leave at around 4pm. Theres usually a good selection. The Blue Star costs around E30, and takes 5:30 hours, whilst the Highspeeds (Catermarans) take about 3 hours but are double the price. The slower boats take around 6-7 hours, but are usually much less crowded. There are also a limited number of boats from Rafina. Greekislandhopping.com has all the details. Allow a good 90+ minutes to get from the airport to Pireaus.

For flying, you can get a flight (Olympic) from Athens to Naxos, but there is usually just 1 a day.

Alternatively, you can go via Mykonos, but connections to Naxos can be limited (2-3 per day) so it may be necessary to overnight there. Flying to Santorini and getting a boat from there is also an option, but one may have to overnight it again.

Personally, we always get the last BA flight from Heathrow (often cheaper than Easyjet!), which puts us down in Athens at around 2am. We usually find somewhere quiet to kip in the airport until 5am, then make our way down to Piraeus (buses cost E3 - don't bother with taxis), and kip on the boat.

One thing that is essential is getting back in time for the flight home. Ferries can get delayed/cancelled if the wind picks up. We usually stop off in Agistri (a small island round the back of Aegina and 1 hour on a flying cat from Athens). If they have not been that way before, then there is plenty to see and do in Athens itself.

Random Tips: The local buses are excellent to get around, but hire a car for a couple of days to explore the hilly bits of the island. Don't bother going self catering - theres loads of places to eat, and save money by eating in a few nights. The best beaches are those on the west coast, and get better the further south you go.

We normally pay around £100-£150 return for the BA flights, then E20-25 per room per night (ensuite, telly, aircon, balcony, cooker, fridge).

Go for it!!

Nenen

Thank you so much for such a full and informative reply davidlizard... very helpful and I'm sure my son and his gf will be extremely grateful
:beer:

davidlizard

You're welcome. We should be going there again in September as well, but am holding off booking the flights as my wife is due to give birth next month. We usually go for around 3+ weeks at a time, and usually do 3 or 4 islands, spending a week sometime during the month in Naxos.

If they are going for a fortnight, why not compromise by booking the first 3 or so nights. If they like where they are, they could stay longer (the chances are it won't be full), or they could move on to another studio, or even another island as the mood takes them - thats the great thing about this sort of holiday - from Naxos there are daily boats to just about every other island nearby. I stress they will have no problem at all finding accomodation. If the worse comes to the worse, there is a kiosk on the Naxos ferry quay where they will find accommodation for them, if they don't want to face the people offering rooms at the sea front!

I do stress that as well as getting there, make sure they end up somewhere where there are several boats a day to Athens, and book the tickets as soon as they know when they will return (loads of places sell tickets, and its all computerised so the prices will be the same). We always used to come back directly from Naxos to Athens via Pireaus, but after a near miss (ferry delayed, and we checked in 25 minutes before we took off!) we finish our holiday much closer to Athens for the last 2 nights (Andreas Hotel on Agistri for the last couple of nights, as recommended by this forum - its only an hour on the boat from Athens and one can also get a beach boat over to Aegina where there are probably 30 boats a day to chose from - see their website) .

Many Greeks go out to the islands on Friday (so avoid Friday if a choice is available - but its unlikely any boats will be full except the Highspeeds), and return on Sunday. There is often 1 day a week where only about half the number of boats seem to ply the Naxos-Athens route, so the boats can be busier than usual. But we have never had problems getting tickets at short notice for that route either going out or coming back.

If they have any questions, feel free to PM me!

hook

if you go to the greek islands then there is only one way to travel and that is by boat. i would never dream of getting a flight to naxos there is nothing better than spending a few hours out on the deck and seeing the islands. i used to go by british airways to athens then a ferry to which ever island i wanted i never booked a hotel ahead even in the height of summer there is always something around. out of the 10 years or more that i went to naxos i booked a hotel only twice online and that was cause my mother decided to come and she wouldnt trust me to get somewhere but we found a lovely apt just behind st georges beach and for 3 people in a room it was 70 euro an night and that was in august. if you want more details and her phone number pm me...september is quiter so there is much more of a choice. if they just turned up and spent a short time looking for something im sure they would get a bargain and save some extra cash..

hook

sorry i meant her e mail address not phone number