The 14 best beaches in Naxos 2026, ranked and mapped

Agios Prokopios - the one to go to first

Six kilometres south of Chora and regularly rated among the best beaches in Greece, Agios Prokopios is 1.5 km of fine pale sand with water that stays clear and waist-deep an improbable distance out. It has everything organised - sunbeds, several beach bars, tavernas across the road, showers - without feeling like a resort, because the village behind it is small and low-rise. The bus runs here every hour in summer and parking is easy outside July and August. If you only get one beach day on Naxos, spend it here: it is the most reliable combination of good sand, calm water and somewhere decent to eat lunch on the whole island.

Agia Anna and Plaka - the long southern run

Agia Anna picks up where Prokopios ends: a small fishing harbour with tavernas literally on the sand, which makes it the easiest beach on the island to spend a whole day at with children. Keep walking south and Agia Anna becomes Plaka without any obvious boundary - and Plaka runs for almost four kilometres, broad enough that even in mid-August the middle section stays genuinely uncrowded. The southern half is naturist by long-standing local convention. Bus frequency to Plaka varies by season, so a car makes it far more practical; park along the access road and pick your own spot rather than the first beach bar you reach. Together these two are the best argument for basing yourself south of Chora.

Alyko - the cedar forest and the painted hotel

Alyko is the most beautiful place on the Naxos coast and the least like anywhere else in the Cyclades: a protected forest of juniper and cedar growing straight out of the dunes on a headland, with three small beaches tucked below it and water the colour of a swimming pool. Inside the forest stands the shell of a hotel abandoned mid-construction in the 1970s, every wall of which has since been covered in murals - entirely unofficial, constantly changing, and genuinely worth the walk. Park at the signed area on the paved road and go in on foot; the sand tracks beyond are excluded from every rental agreement on the island and the tow-out is expensive. Bring water and shade - there are no facilities at all.

Mikri Vigla - two beaches, two completely different days

A rocky headland 17 km south of Chora splits Mikri Vigla in two, and the difference between the sides is dramatic. The north face (Parthena) is sheltered, shallow and calm - a good family beach. The south face (Sahara) takes the full meltemi and is one of Europe's better-known kitesurf and windsurf spots, with schools operating through the summer and 30 or more kites in the air on a strong afternoon. Even if you have no intention of getting on a board, it is worth driving down to watch. The paved road ends at a signed car park; walk from there. No organised sunbeds on the south side, so bring shade.

When the meltemi blows: go east

This is the single most useful thing to know about beaches on Naxos. The meltemi comes from the north-northeast, and the entire west coast - every beach above - is exposed to it. On a 6–7 Beaufort day, sand blows, umbrellas fold and the water goes choppy from Agios Prokopios all the way to Pyrgaki. Meanwhile the east coast is in the lee of the mountains and completely calm. Drive to Moutsouna (55 minutes over the pass, and a spectacular drive in itself) or Panormos in the far south-east, and you will find flat water and almost nobody. Check any wind app each morning: if it shows more than 5 Beaufort from the north, the day plans itself.

Naxos beaches compared