Day trip

Naxos Island: Highlight Bus Tour with Swim Stop at Apollonas

4.5 / 5

67 reviews

Activity provider: Naxos Bus Transfer
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    Day trip

    Naxos Island: Highlight Bus Tour with Swim Stop at Apollonas

    Activity provider: Naxos Bus Transfer
    Likely to sell out
    Likely to sell out

    From US$ 31.65 per person

    Relax in a luxury air-conditioned bus and enjoy a complete tour of the island of Naxos. Discover charming villages, impressive monuments, and learn more about local culture with several stops throughout the day.

    About this activity

    Free cancellation
    Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
    Covid-19 precautions
    Special health and safety measures apply. Learn more
    Reserve now & pay later
    Keep your travel plans flexible—book your spot and pay nothing today. Learn more
    Duration 8 hours
    Check availability to see starting times.
    Live tour guide
    Greek, English
    Pickup included
    Please wait at the pickup location 10 minutes before the pickup time. The local supplier will contact you by email to confirm the exact pickup details, please check your spam folder. Approximate pickup times: 08:45 AM from Plaka Beach: main road in front of Plaza Beach Hotel/ Three Brothers Restaurant/Aegean Land Hotel/Yazoo Summer Bliss, 08:50 AM from Maragkas: main road in front of Maragkas Super Market/ Paradiso Tavern, 08:55 AM from Ag. Anna: Agia Anna Port/ Margaritis Market, 08:55 AM from Ag. Prokopios: Bus stop in front of Nikos Bikes/ main road in front of Lagos Mare Hotel, 09:00 AM from Stelida: main road in front of Naxos Palace Hotel/ Kavouras Village/ Naxos Golden Sun Hotel, 09:05 AM main road in front of Princess of Naxos Hotel, 09:10 AM from Naxos Town: SPAR-Koutelieris Supermarket (St George area)/Naxos Hospital, 09:20 AM from outside Naxos Port - Naxos Bus Transfer Office

    Experience

    Highlights
    • Discover some of the highlights of Naxos Island
    • Visit Demeter's Temple, a sanctuary dated to the 6th Century BC
    • Explore the marble-paved neighborhoods of Apiranthos
    • See the gigantic statue of Kouros at the ancient marble quarries
    • Enjoy a refreshing swimming stop at the picturesque Apollonas Bay
    Full description

    Start with pickup from a variety of locations on Naxos and first travel to the green valley of Gyroula. While there, visit the marble temple of the Goddess Demeter, which is one of the most important ancient monuments on the island.

    Continue to Chalki village, an ancient commercial center and a place of beautiful Venetian architecture. You can also take an optional visit to a local "kitron" distillery and learn about liquor production, with tastings also included. Next, explore the village of Apiranthos located at the foot of Fanari mountain. Admire the beautiful views of Venetian Towers, marbled alleys, cozy tavernas, verandas, and traditional tiny shops with local products. Take a short stroll through the village and hear about its history and traditions. Leaving Apiranthos behind, drive past Koronos village and the famous emery mines, before arriving at Apollonas. See the ancient marble quarries where you can admire an unfinished marble Kouros Statue of 11 meters which has been standing in the same spot for more than 2500 years. Afterward, enjoy some free time at the picturesque fishing village to swim or enjoy a meal at your own expense. Drive along the west coast, one of the most beautiful routes on the island with an amazing view of the ocean. Reach the village of Eggares and take a guided tour of the small olive press museum. Afterward, be returned to your pickup point.

    Includes
    • Pickup and drop-off from a central location near your hotel
    • Greek/English-speaking experienced local tour guide
    • Greek/English-speaking professional driver
    • Luxury air-conditioned bus transportation
    • All taxes
    • Entrance fee at Demeter's Temple (€4 per person to be paid on the spot)
    • Entrance fee to the kitron distillery (€2 per person, optional)
    • Personal expenses
    • Lunch
    • Gratuities and church donations (customary - not obligatory)
    Covid-19 precautions
    Safety measures in place
    • All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
    • The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds
    Traveler requirements
    • You are required to bring and wear a mask

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Important information

    What to bring

    • Swimwear
    • Towel
    • Camera
    • Weather-appropriate clothing

    Know before you go

    • On Tuesdays, Demeter's Temple is closed; instead, the tour visits a traditional pottery workshop in Damalas Village
    Customer reviews

    Overall rating

    4.5 /5

    based on 67 reviews

    Review summary

    • Guide
      4.3/5
    • Transportation
      4.8/5
    • Value for money
      4.8/5

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    We did this trip as we were only in Naxos a short time and thought it would be a good way to see the island. We enjoyed all the stops, and felt we had enough time to see everywhere. I especially liked the stop at the Temple of Demeter, the Kitron distillery and the leisurely lunch at Apollonas. I felt the stop at the pottery factory could be missed however we weren't there too long. Our driver did extremely well navigating the coach round some of the very steep and winding roads, very impressed! Our tour guide was very informative too and gave us a lot of information about Naxos throughout the day. Given we only had a couple of days on the island this tour gave us a good picture of what there is in Naxos for any future visits!

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    June 20, 2022

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – United Kingdom Verified booking

    Helpful?

    You get to see some spectacular views of the island on this trip, especially the central Highlands and of the coast. The temple of Demeter was a good stop, a little rushed but okay. The pottery workshop and Kitron distillery were interesting to visit. Apollonas is quaint, but very small and two hours there was perhaps a little too long. Beyond lunch and a paddle in the harbour there wasn't much to do. I would have preferred to spend an extra 15 minutes or so at the other sites. Overall, a good tour of the island for what you get to see. Good value for the transportation.

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    June 6, 2022

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – United Kingdom Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Fantastic! Extremely reasonably priced and such a wide varied agenda put into 1 day. For my two kids who are both in their early 20’s & me, we were perfectly fine with seeing as much as we could. We loved all of the stops except as other reviews have stated, the Kitron distillery. We were informed we would have a tour and tasting. The woman in charge was very dismissive and rude. We waited for a tour which we didn’t get, then requested tastings as they weren’t forthcoming, only to begrudgingly given 1 each. She 100% lost her company a large sale. Regardless, the tour… the bus was clean and comfortable, the driver friendly. Our guide was very knowledgeable, organized and passionate about his country. He kept the timetable perfectly. He kindly shared some of his poetry and others’ quotes about Greece which were poignant, lovely & captured exactly what we were observing. This tour would not be for small children or people who’d have trouble w heat or short climbs. Highly recommended!!!!

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    May 30, 2022

    G
    Gina – United States Verified booking

    Helpful?

    Product ID: 399152