Self-Guided Naxos & Santorini

Your trip starts at Santorini Airport (JTR) where you will be met by a taxi which will take you to the port for your ferry to Naxos. The ferry journey between the islands takes around two hours. On Naxos you will be met at the port and taken to your hotel. If time allows you can do a 4.4km walk to Chrisostomos from the port (approximately 1.5hrs).

Please note that the ferry to Naxos departs at 15.30 so you will need to arrive to Santorini Airport no later than 13.00. Stay: Hotel Grotta (Comfortable)

You will start today by taking either a local bus or a local taxi to Chalki in the heart of the Tragea plain. From here you will explore the fertile countryside of central Naxos, with olive groves and rich vegetation. There are some olive trees that are over thousand years old! You walk on cobbled paths via the Venetian Fortress, Ano Kastro, to an ancient marble quarry where you find a 10m high statue dating back to the 6th century BC. The walk ends in the nearby village Melanes from where you can take either a taxi or local bus back to the hotel. If you continue, you come through the villages Potamia. Through lush valleys you walk back via Ano Kastro to Chalki. Your walk today is 13kms and takes approximately 4.5 hours. The total ascent and descent is +300m / -350m. Stay: Hotel Grotta (Comfortable) (B)

After a short transfer to Kynidaros, enjoy a gentle walk to the small village of Eggares. Explore its picturesque churches and two restored olive presses one of which dates back to 1885. Enjoy lunch in one of the tavernas on the stone-built main square before returning to your hotel. You may wish to visit of the olive press in Eggares on arrival.

Your walk today is 10.3kms and takes approximately 3 hours. The total ascent and descent is +300m / -400m. Stay: Hotel Grotta (Comfortable) (B)

Today you will take another public bus or taxi to the village of Filoti to start today's walk. From the village, built at the foothills of Mt. Zas (also known as Mount Zeus), you climb to the summit of this legendary mountain. En route keep an eye out for the cave in which, according to the legend, Zeus the father of all the gods, was nursed by an eagle. Upon reaching the summit you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of Naxos and the surrounding islands. After descending back down you have the option to extend your walk to Apiranthos. From Apiranthos you can walk back via the saddle of Mt. Fanari to Filoti, a beautiful walk with breathtaking views! You can take a taxi or public bus back to Naxos Chora from either of these end points.

Your walk today is 12kms and takes approximately 4 hours. The total ascent and descent is +650m / -650m. Stay: Hotel Grotta (Comfortable) (B)

This morning you have the opportunity to visit the Castle and museum in Naxos town (Chora), or you can relax on the sandy beach of Agios Georgios before catching the ferry back to Santorini at around midday. As the ferry arrives through the submersed volcano crater you will be impressed by the views to the steep coloured cliffs of this ancient volcanic island and the whitewashed villages on top. It is said that the eruption that happened here 3,600 years ago , ended the Minoan Civilization. It may also have been the source for the legend of Atlantis.

You'll spend the next three nights at your hotel in Akrotiri village in the south west of the island.

Your walk today is 7kms and takes approximately 2.5 hours. The total ascent and descent is +100m / -400m. Stay: Hotel Villa Kalimera (Comfortable) (B)

Today a transfer will take you to Perissa, from where you start climbing via an old path to an exposed saddle. This part of the island is one of the very few places that pre-dates the devastating volcanic eruption. First you walk up to Ancient Thira - the capital of the island in Ancient and Roman times, then descend via an old path to the quiet interior of the island, walking through vineyards and through picturesque villages. Continuing through the volcanic landscape and along a black beach you walk back to Akrotiri village.

Your walk today is 13kms and takes approximately 5.5 hours. The total ascent and descent is +580m / -550m. Stay: Hotel Villa Kalimera (Comfortable) (B)

This morning you'll catch a public bus to Fira, the capital of Santorini. Here you can explore the narrow alleyways of this whitewashed town, built on the top of the volcanic cliffs. You may also wish to visit the museum of prehistoric Thira and the Archaeological Museum. In the afternoon you make the famous walk from Fira to Oia. You will mainly walk along a well maintained mule-path with fabulous views of the lagoon and the spectacular steep cliffs. When you reach the small town of Oia you will be picked up and transferred back to your hotel.

Your walk today is 10.3kms and takes approximately 3 hours. The total ascent and descent is +300m / -400m.Stay: Hotel Villa Kalimera (Comfortable) (B)

Your trip ends today after a short transfer to Santorini Airport (JTR). (B)