Boat tours from Naxos
There are two kinds of boat day here and they are almost opposite trips. Book the wrong one and you spend eight hours getting somewhere you wanted an hour on.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short version
- First decide
- Do you want an island, or do you want a day on the water? They are different bookings.
- The Small Cyclades
- Koufonisia, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Donousa. Naxos is the hub for all of them.
- Rina Cave
- A sea cave on the southeast coast, and the anchor of most half-day trips.
- Sailing
- A catamaran with a dozen people is a different day from a caique with a hundred. Both are honest.
- Delos
- Apollo's birthplace. About 45 minutes by tour boat, against two hours on public ferries.
- The season
- Roughly May to October. Outside that, almost nothing runs.
- The catch
- The meltemi cancels boats, and it blows hardest in July and August.
Naxos sits in the middle of the Cyclades, which makes it the best base in the archipelago for going to sea. Everything below is within a day of the harbour, and some of it is within an hour.
The two kinds of boat day
Booking sites lump these together under "boat tours" and they should not. Work out which one you want before you look at a single listing.
The boat is transport
You want to see Koufonisia. The boat exists to get you there and bring you back, and that means real hours at sea on both ends for a few hours ashore. You will see an island. You will also spend most of the day looking at the wake.
- Good for
- Ticking off an island you would not otherwise reach
- Out
- Often 08:00 to 18:00
- Ashore
- Maybe 4 to 6 hours, split between stops
- Watch for
- How long you actually get off the boat
The boat is the day
You want to be on the water: swimming off the side in places no road reaches, a cave, a cove, lunch on deck. The destinations are a pretext and that is fine, because the pretext is the point. Usually the south coast rather than the open crossing.
- Good for
- Swimming, snorkelling, doing nothing well
- Out
- Half day, or a relaxed full one
- Ashore
- Barely, and deliberately
- Watch for
- Group size. Eighteen is a different day from a hundred.
And the honest third option, which sells nobody anything: if you genuinely want Koufonisia, take the ferry and stay two nights. It is a short crossing on a scheduled boat, the island is worth a proper visit, and you will see more of it before breakfast than a day trip shows you all day.
The Small Cyclades
A scatter of islands between Naxos and Amorgos, mostly tiny, largely unbothered by the twentieth century let alone this one. Naxos is the gateway to all of them.
Koufonisia
Three islands, not one: Ano Koufonisi where everyone lives, and Kato Koufonisi and Keros, both empty. A white windmill over the harbour, sand like flour, and water at Pori that does not look real. Keros next door is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Aegean, which nobody on the beach mentions.
Iraklia
About a hundred and fifteen people live here. That is the whole pitch and it is enough. A harbour, a village up the hill, a cave, and a pace that takes about ten minutes to adjust to and a week to recover from. If a tour offers you Iraklia, say yes.
Schinoussa
Smaller again, greener than it should be, with a scatter of beaches you walk to and a couple of tavernas that are better than the island's size suggests. Often the lunch stop on a Small Cyclades cruise, and often the bit people remember.
Donousa
The outlier, north-east and off most itineraries, which is exactly the appeal. Rarely on a day trip because of the distance. If you see it offered, you are looking at a long day or a proper sailing trip.
Getting to the small islands, organised.
For scheduled day trips out to Iraklia, Koufonisia and Schinoussa, we recommend Zas Tours. This is the first kind of boat day: the boat takes you there and brings you back.
- Day trips to the Small Cyclades
- Excursions around the island
- Runs through the season
- Book a few days ahead in July and August
The south coast and Rina Cave
Naxos has a whole coastline you cannot drive to, and this is the argument for the second kind of boat day. The southeast in particular is roadless, empty, and full of coves that only exist if you arrive by water.
- Rina Cave. A sea cave near Kalantos on the southeast coast, and the anchor of most half-day trips. You sail in. It is the thing everyone photographs and one of the few sights on this island that genuinely needs a boat.
- Panermos. A shallow, palm-backed bay with turquoise water, good snorkelling, and a road so poor that arriving by sea is easier than driving.
- Kalantos and Agios Sozon. The far south. A long sandy beach and a chapel on a headland, both effectively empty.
- The Alimia wreck. A Second World War aircraft in shallow water off the islet of Alimia, snorkellable, and a strange thing to swim over.
Group size matters more than the itinerary. A traditional wooden boat with a hundred people aboard and a BBQ is a good day out. A sailing boat with eighteen is a different holiday. Both are honest; check which you are buying.
Sailing and catamarans
This is the second kind of boat day done properly. A catamaran is a different animal from a caique with a hundred people on it: fewer aboard, room to lie down, a net to sit in over the water, and a crew who cook lunch while you swim. It costs more and it is a different holiday.
The usual shape of the day is west across to Paros, a couple of swim stops in bays with no road to them, a meal cooked on board, and more swimming on the way home. Sunset sails are shorter and quieter. Private charters will take you to the Small Cyclades, Antiparos, Mykonos or Keros, and multi-day charters will take you wherever you have the week for.
If you are choosing between a big shared boat and a catamaran, the honest test is what you want the day to feel like. The big boat is sociable, cheap and fun. The catamaran is quiet, comfortable and expensive. Neither is wrong. They are simply not the same purchase.
When the boat is the whole point.
For catamaran days, sunset sails and private charters we recommend Naxos Catamaran, sailing out of Naxos port. Small groups, crews who grew up on this water, and lunch cooked while you are in it.
- Day cruises with swimming stops and a meal aboard
- Sunset sails
- Private charters to the Small Cyclades, Paros and Mykonos
- Multi-day charters, two to seven days
Delos, and Mykonos on the side
Delos is the sacred island: the birthplace of Apollo, an entire abandoned ancient city, and one of the great archaeological sites anywhere. It is also awkward to reach, which is where the tour boats earn their fee.
Doing it independently from Naxos means two separate public ferries and roughly two hours each way. A direct tour boat does it in about forty-five minutes and gives you three hours on the site, usually with a stop at Mykonos afterwards. That is a real saving of a real day.
Nobody has lived on Delos for a very long time and nobody stays overnight. There is no shade, no cafe worth the name and no shelter. Hat, water, and go early in the day if you have the choice.
Water taxis
Different thing entirely: scheduled boats that take you somewhere and leave you there. No guide, no BBQ, no commentary. Just a crossing.
Water taxis on Naxos are run by Kerras Cruises, going to Agia Anna Beach, Iraklia and Koufonisi, and across to Piso Livadi on Paros. They run four days a week and the fare is fixed per itinerary. It is the cheapest way to reach a Small Cyclades beach and the only way to do it on your own terms.
Seasonal and weather-dependent, like everything else that floats here. Check on the morning rather than the week before.
Wind, season and seasickness
The meltemi decides
This is the thing to understand. The meltemi, the northerly that blows across the Aegean in summer, is strongest in July and August and usually worst in the afternoon. When it is up, boats do not sail, or they sail and you wish they had not.
Cancellations are not the operator being difficult. They are the operator being right. Build a spare day into the week if a boat trip matters to you, and book it early in your stay so there is room to move it.
The rest of it
- Season: roughly May to October. Outside that, almost nothing runs, and what does is at the mercy of the weather.
- Book a few days ahead in July and August, and not much further. Booking three weeks out for a specific date is a good way to be disappointed by the wind.
- If you get seasick, take the bigger boat and take something before you board rather than when you notice. The open crossing to the Small Cyclades is where people regret this.
- There is no shade on most boats. A hat and a long-sleeved something beat sunscreen alone on a six-hour day.
- Check what the price includes. Lunch, drinks, snorkel gear and island entrance fees vary wildly between operators.
Wind is also why the high-speed ferries get pulled first while the big conventional ships keep sailing. If you have a flight the same day, that is worth knowing.
Asked often
What boat trips can you do from Naxos?
Day cruises to the Small Cyclades (Koufonisia, Iraklia, Schinoussa), half and full days along the roadless south coast taking in Rina Cave and Panermos, sailing and catamaran days with swimming stops, sunset sails, and direct trips to Delos and Mykonos. There are also scheduled water taxis, which are a crossing rather than a tour.
Is a Koufonisia day trip from Naxos worth it?
It depends what you want. The crossing takes real hours each way, so a day trip means a lot of time at sea for a few hours ashore. If you want to see Koufonisia properly, take the ferry and stay two nights. If you want a day on the water with a beautiful island in the middle of it, the tour is exactly right.
What is Rina Cave in Naxos?
A sea cave on the southeast coast near Kalantos, reachable only by water, and the anchor of most half-day boat trips from Naxos. Boats sail into it. It is one of the few things on this island that genuinely requires a boat rather than merely benefiting from one.
Can you visit Delos from Naxos?
Yes. Independently it means two public ferries and about two hours each way. A direct tour boat does it in around 45 minutes, gives you roughly three hours on the site, and usually stops at Mykonos afterwards. Delos is Apollo's birthplace and an entire abandoned ancient city. There is no shade, so bring a hat and water.
When do boat tours run in Naxos?
Roughly May to October. Outside that season almost nothing runs. Within it, the meltemi wind cancels trips, most often in July and August and most often in the afternoon. Book early in your stay so there is room to move if the wind decides otherwise.
Do Naxos boat tours get cancelled?
Yes, and it is the wind rather than the operator. The meltemi blows hardest in July and August. A cancellation is the captain being right. If a boat trip matters to you, keep a spare day in the week and book it early in your stay rather than on your last day.
Is a catamaran cruise in Naxos worth the money?
It depends what you are buying. A large shared caique with a BBQ and a hundred people aboard is sociable, cheap and genuinely fun. A catamaran carries a fraction of that, gives you room to lie down and a net to sit in over the water, and the crew cook while you swim. It costs considerably more and it is a quieter, more comfortable day. Neither is wrong; they are not the same purchase.
Which Small Cyclades island is best from Naxos?
Koufonisia has the water everyone photographs and the crowds that come with it. Iraklia has about a hundred and fifteen residents and almost nobody else, which for many people is the better day. Schinoussa sits between the two and is often the lunch stop people remember most.