How to get to Naxos
Athens has three ports and they are not interchangeable. Pick the wrong one and you lose an hour and a taxi fare before you have even seen the sea.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short version
- From Athens
- Ferry from Piraeus, Rafina or Lavrio. Piraeus has the most sailings and runs all year.
- Flying into Athens
- Sail from Rafina if your boat allows. It is 20 minutes from the airport; Piraeus is an hour.
- How long
- 3¼ hours on a high-speed catamaran, 5 to 6 on a conventional ship.
- What it costs
- €22 to €88 one way as a foot passenger. Around €65 to bring a car.
- By air
- 45 minutes from Athens, on Olympic Air or Sky Express. No other route exists.
- From other islands
- Paros is 25 minutes away. Mykonos, Santorini, Ios, Amorgos and Crete are all direct.
Naxos sits almost exactly in the middle of the Cyclades, about 95 nautical miles from Athens, which makes it one of the easier islands in the group to reach and one of the best places to island-hop from. Nearly everyone arrives by ferry, and the ferry docks in the middle of Chora: you walk off the ramp into the town, and the Portara is five minutes away on foot.
Which Athens port
Athens has three ferry ports and people book Piraeus by default because it is the one they have heard of. That is right about half the time.
| Port | Crossing | Season | Choose it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piraeus | 3¼ to 6 hrs | All year, several daily | You are in central Athens, or you want the most choice of sailings. |
| Rafina | About 3¾ to 5½ hrs | Seasonal, roughly April to October | You are coming straight from the airport. |
| Lavrio | Up to 9½ hrs | Limited sailings | Almost never. The cheapest fares and the longest day. |
Piraeus
The big one, and the default for good reason: sailings all year, several a day in summer, and both kinds of boat. It is a huge working port rather than a single dock, so know your gate before you arrive. Cyclades ferries usually leave from gates E6 to E10, but it varies by sailing and the gate is printed on your ticket. Be there an hour before departure, or ninety minutes to two hours with a vehicle.
Rafina
Smaller, calmer, and the reason this page exists. Rafina is about 15km from Athens airport, roughly a twenty-minute drive, against an hour or more to Piraeus. If you are flying in and heading straight for a boat, Rafina turns a stressful cross-city haul into a short hop. The catch: the Naxos service is seasonal, so it is not always an option.
Lavrio
Rarely the right answer for Naxos. The crossing can run to nine and a half hours on a conventional ship. Worth a look only if the other two are sold out, or if the fare difference genuinely matters more than the day you lose.
From Athens airport to the port
This is where trips go wrong. The flight lands on time, the ferry is booked, and the hour between them turns out to be ninety minutes of metro with three suitcases.
| To | How | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piraeus | Metro, Line 3 (blue), direct | About 60 min | €9 |
| X96 express bus, runs 24/7 | 60 to 90 min | About €5.50 | |
| Taxi | 45 to 60 min, traffic depending | Around €50 to €60 | |
| Rafina | KTEL bus, roughly hourly | 30 to 40 min | About €3 to €4, cash |
| Taxi | 20 to 25 min | Around €30 to €40 |
Several travel sites will tell you there is no direct bus from the airport to Rafina and that you have to go via central Athens. There is one. The airport's own information puts the KTEL Rafina bus on the Arrivals level, between Exits 2 and 3, in the outer lane opposite the Sofitel. It runs about once an hour, so check the timetable rather than assuming.
Leave a real buffer. From wheels-down to standing at your gate, budget two hours for Piraeus and ninety minutes for Rafina. Passport control, baggage and traffic all take longer than you think, and a ferry does not wait. If the gap is tight, take a taxi rather than gamble on the next bus.
If your ferry is very early, consider sleeping at the port rather than in Athens. Both Piraeus and Rafina have hotels within walking distance of the quay, and Rafina is a pleasant harbour town to spend an evening in.
Fast boat or slow boat
Two kinds of vessel run this route and the difference is bigger than the timetable suggests.
| High-speed catamaran | Conventional ship | |
|---|---|---|
| Time from Piraeus | From about 3 hrs 15 min | 5 to 6 hrs, more with stops |
| Fare | Higher | Lower |
| In a swell | Bumpy. Genuinely rough in a meltemi. | Steady. Barely notices. |
| Onboard | Numbered seats, indoors, one cafe | Open decks, restaurant, cabins, room to move |
| Operators | Seajets, Golden Star, Fast Ferries | Blue Star Ferries |
The honest recommendation: unless the two hours genuinely matter, take the conventional ship. It costs less, it handles the Aegean better, and standing on an open deck watching the islands go past is part of the holiday rather than a delay to it. The high-speed boats are enclosed, and in July and August, when the meltemi is up, they can be an unpleasant three hours.
Fares run roughly €22 to €88 one way for a foot passenger, depending on port, vessel and class of seat, with a car averaging around €65. Children under 5 travel free and 5 to 10 usually at half price. Prices on this route are regulated rather than dynamic, so booking early does not make them cheaper. It does make them available.
Wind cancels boats. When the meltemi blows hard in July and August, high-speed services are the first to be pulled, and conventional ships keep sailing. If your onward flight is the same day as your ferry, this is worth thinking about.
From other islands
Naxos is a hub, and that is a large part of its appeal. It is the natural centre of a Cyclades trip rather than a detour from one.
- Paros. 25 to 30 minutes on a fast boat, several a day. The shortest crossing to Naxos and an easy day trip in either direction.
- Mykonos, Santorini, Ios. All direct, all frequent in season. The classic hopping routes.
- The Small Cyclades. Koufonisia, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Donousa. Served by the big lines and by the local Small Cyclades Lines, which is the more characterful way to do it.
- Amorgos, Syros, Tinos, Milos, Crete. All reachable directly, though frequency drops outside high season.
A caution for island hoppers: many sailings call at several islands on the way. A boat that shows six hours to Naxos may be stopping at Syros, Tinos, Mykonos and Paros first. Check whether your sailing is direct before you book, not after.
Flying to Naxos
Naxos has an airport, JNX, and exactly one route: Athens, about 45 minutes, on Olympic Air or Sky Express. The runway is short, so the aircraft are small. There are no international flights and there is no connection to any other island.
It is a small terminal operating from 06:30 to 19:00, not a 24-hour airport. Flying makes sense if you value the four hours it saves and can find a fare; on many days the ferry costs less and the difference in door-to-door time is smaller than it looks once you count the airport.
The airport sits about 3.5km from Chora. There is a bus, but it does not stop at the terminal: the nearest stop is Naxos Camping, a 600-metre walk. Getting around once you land.
Booking and boarding
- Book two to three months ahead for July and August. Deck tickets on the big ships rarely sell out. High-speed seats, business class, cabins and vehicle spaces absolutely do.
- Shoulder season is easier. A week or two ahead is usually enough in May, June, September and October.
- Winter sailings thin out. Confirm the boat is actually running rather than assuming.
- Check in online where the operator offers it, and keep the boarding pass on your phone. Download it before you leave for the port; signal at Piraeus is not always kind.
- Know your gate. It is on your ticket. Piraeus is enormous and the walk between gates is long.
- May Day. There is almost always a general strike on 1 May and ferries do not sail. Do not book travel that day.
We book through ferryscanner.com. It compares every operator and every port on one screen, which matters on a route where four companies run different boats to two different ports, and it issues e-tickets straight to your phone.
Check routes, times and live prices from every operator on one screen:
The boat lands. Then what?
A high-speed ferry puts several hundred people on the quay at once and the taxi rank empties in about ten minutes. There is no Uber on Naxos. Book before you sail and a driver is waiting with your name on a board.
- Online booking and payment, confirmed instantly
- Ferry tracking, so a late boat costs you nothing
- Fixed price, quoted before you travel
- Child seats and extra luggage on request
Asked often
How do you get to Naxos from Athens?
By ferry, from Piraeus, Rafina or Lavrio. Piraeus has the most sailings and runs year-round, taking three and a quarter to six hours depending on the vessel. Rafina is seasonal but far closer to the airport. There are also flights from Athens, around 45 minutes, on Olympic Air and Sky Express.
How long is the ferry from Athens to Naxos?
From about 3 hours 15 minutes on a high-speed catamaran from Piraeus, or 5 to 6 hours on a conventional Blue Star ship. Sailings that call at other islands on the way take longer, sometimes considerably.
How much is the ferry from Athens to Naxos?
Roughly €22 to €88 one way for a foot passenger, depending on the port, the vessel and the class of seat. Bringing a car averages around €65. Fares on this route are regulated, so booking early does not lower the price, though it does secure a seat.
Is there a direct bus from Athens airport to Rafina port?
Yes. The KTEL Rafina bus leaves from the Arrivals level of Athens airport, between Exits 2 and 3, in the outer lane opposite the Sofitel. It takes 30 to 40 minutes and costs about €3 to €4, paid in cash. It runs roughly hourly, so check the timetable against your sailing.
Should I take the fast ferry or the slow ferry to Naxos?
The conventional ship, unless the two hours matter. It is cheaper, far steadier in rough seas, and has open decks and a restaurant. The high-speed catamarans are enclosed and can be genuinely rough when the meltemi blows in July and August.
Are there direct flights to Naxos?
Only from Athens, around 45 minutes, on Olympic Air or Sky Express. There are no international flights to Naxos and no connections from other islands. The airport operates from 06:30 to 19:00.
How far in advance should I book the ferry to Naxos?
Two to three months for July and August, especially for high-speed seats, cabins or a vehicle. A week or two is usually enough in the shoulder season. Booking early secures availability rather than a lower fare.