| Naxos
has the longest and some of the best beaches in the Cyclades, although
you wouldn't know it looking at the crowded Ayios Yioryios beach just south
of Hora. The next beach south is Ayios Prokopios, around the headland of
Stellida. This fine-sand beach is less crowded at its northern end. Ayia
Anna, the next cove south, is much smaller, with a small port for the colorful
ca?ques that transport beachgoers from the main port. Both Ayios Prokopios
and Ayia Anna are accessible by public bus in the summer.
South
of Ayia Anna you'll find *Plaka Beach, the best on the island, a 5-kilometer
(3.1-mile) stretch of almost uninhabited shoreline where clothing is optional;
you can reach it by walking south from Ayia Anna. Further south, 16 kilometers
(9.9 miles) from Hora, are Micri Vigla, known for its windsurfing center,
and Kastraki Beach, with waters recently rated the cleanest in the Aegean
and a 7-kilometer (4 1/2-mile) stretch of beach; both remain relatively
uncrowded, even in peak season. Further still, 21 kilometers (13 miles)
from Hora, Pyrgaki, the last stop on the coastal bus route, offers excellent
swimming in the large protected bay. The 150 meters of sand and cobble
beach in the sheltered cove of Abrami, about 6 kilometers (4 miles) past
Apollonas at the north end of the island, is secluded and uncrowded. It's
500 meters in from the main road on a rough one-lane dirt track. |
