The Naxos bus timetable
How the KTEL bus actually works. The two lines, what each costs, how often it runs, and the one rule that catches first-timers out.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short version
- Two lines
- A frequent beach line down the west coast, and sparse village lines into the mountains.
- The beach line
- Roughly every 30 minutes in summer, early until very late. Just turn up.
- The village lines
- Only a few a day. Note the last bus back the moment you arrive.
- What it costs
- €1.80 to €6.20 one way, by distance. Return is double.
- Tickets
- Buy before you board. The driver does not sell them.
- From the airport
- No bus you can rely on. Take a taxi or a transfer.
- Exact times
- Not listed here on purpose. They change. Read the posted board.
Naxos runs one of the better bus networks in the Cyclades, and for a beach day or a planned village trip it is the easy, affordable way to get around. It is still an island timetable rather than a metro, though, so the trick is to understand its shape here and then confirm the exact minutes on the ground, where they are always right.
Two lines to hold in your head
Nearly everything the KTEL network does falls into one of two shapes. A busy beach line down the west coast that runs roughly every half hour in summer, and a set of quieter village lines climbing into the mountains that leave only a handful of times a day. Get those two clear and the rest is detail.
| Line | Runs to | Frequency (summer) |
|---|---|---|
| Beach line west coast | Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka, Mikri Vigla | Roughly every 30 minutes, early until late |
| Village lines inland | Chalki, Filoti, Apeiranthos, Koronos, Apollonas | A handful a day. Plan the return |
The beach line
This is the line most visitors ride. It runs south out of Chora along the west coast, stringing the town beaches together one after another: Agios Georgios, Stelida, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka, and on to Orkos and Mikri Vigla. It is by a wide margin the most frequent service on the island, so you rarely need to plan around it. The terminus is written on the front of each bus, because not every departure runs the full length, so if you are heading past Plaka check the sign before you board.
The village lines
Inland, the picture changes. A scenic route climbs into the Tragaea valley and up the mountain spine to the marble villages, with branches peeling off to the north coast and the quieter corners of the island. These are some of the best rides on Naxos, but they run only a few times a day even in high season, and the last bus back is early. Note it the moment you arrive, or you may find yourself charming a taverna owner into calling one of the island's thirty-odd taxis. In peak summer, seasonal buses also reach Eggares and Galini, Melanes and the Kouros, Kinidaros, Moutsouna, Sagri, Tripodes and Potamia. Coverage is widest in July and August and thins out sharply the rest of the year.
Every way of getting around, comparedBuy the ticket before you board
This is the single thing that catches first-timers, and it is worth stopping on.
On Naxos you buy your ticket before boarding, and the driver does not sell them. This is not the mainland, and it is not every other island. Step on without a ticket and you have a problem, so the habit to build is: get the ticket first, every time.
- In Chora, buy at the KTEL office by the port before your bus leaves. The window opens ahead of each scheduled departure.
- At the beaches and villages, buy from mini-markets, kiosks, tourist shops or a ticket seller near the stop.
- If in doubt, buy a return in Chora. Sellers are not always present at quiet stops, and a return saves you being stranded without one.
- Keep the ticket until you are off the bus. Conductors do check them during the ride.
The other way people get caught
The village lines run only a few times a day, and the last one back leaves earlier than you would think. A long lunch in the mountains can turn into a two-hour wait, or a taxi you did not budget for. Before you settle in anywhere inland, know the time of the last bus down.
Two questions before you set off for a village: when is the last bus back, and is there anywhere at that end to buy a ticket. If the answer to the second is no, buy your return in Chora before you go.
Fares and journey times
These are the operator's published adult one-way fares. Fares are stable and vary only by distance, so this table stays true across the year. What changes is the clock: exact departure times shift by season and sometimes every couple of weeks in summer, which is why you will not find a minute-by-minute list here. For those, read the posted board at the port.
| Destination | Fare | Journey time |
|---|---|---|
| Agios Prokopios · beach | €1.80 | 15 min |
| Agia Anna · beach | €1.80 | 17 min |
| Plaka · beach | €2.00 | 25 min |
| Mikri Vigla · beach | €2.60 | 35 min |
| Galini and Eggares · village | €1.80 | 10 to 15 min |
| Chalki (Tragaea) · village | €2.30 | 30 min |
| Filoti · village | €2.60 | 35 min |
| Apeiranthos · village | €3.50 | 1 hr |
| Koronos · village | €4.20 | 1 hr 10 min |
| Apollonas · village | €6.20 | 1 hr 45 min |
Return is double the one-way fare. Reduced fares for students and young children are offered on some routes, but the rules are best confirmed at the ticket window on the day, since they are not published in one fixed place. Have small notes and coins ready either way. What everything else costs.
Finding the buses
The station is not really a station. It is a ticket office and a departure area on the harbour road in Chora, directly opposite the ferry port. Walk off the ferry, follow everyone toward town, and you pass it within a minute: look for the KTEL signs, the ticket window, the posted schedules and the buses lined up along the road. Departures leave from across the street from the office, just before you enter the port.
The posted board at this office is the most reliable timetable on the island, more current than any website, this one included. If you want exact times before you set out, KTEL Naxos can be reached on +30 22850 22291.
When the timetable does not fit the day
The bus is built for beach days and planned village trips. It was never built for a late ferry, an early flight, a villa on a hillside no bus climbs, or a dinner in a mountain village with no bus home. For those, a car or a private transfer simply fits better.
Some journeys the timetable was never built for.
We recommend Naxos Private Transfers, a local, family-run service that meets your ferry or flight and takes you door to door on your schedule, not the timetable's. Flat, agreed fares, drivers who know every track, and no waiting for the last bus down the mountain.
- Meets your ferry or flight, luggage and all
- Door to door, on your schedule
- Flat, agreed fare with no meter
- Local drivers who know every road
And if you would rather drive yourself, that is a legitimate answer on an island with a real mountain interior. What hiring a car costs, and the one clause that voids it.
Asked often
Can I buy a Naxos bus ticket from the driver?
No. On Naxos you buy before boarding, from the KTEL office at the port in Chora, or from kiosks and shops near the stops out on the island. This catches a lot of first-time visitors, so if you are unsure a seller will be at your return stop, buy a return ticket in Chora before you set off.
How much is the bus in Naxos?
Adult one-way fares from Chora run from €1.80 for the nearest beaches and villages up to €6.20 for Apollonas on the northern tip, as of July 2026. Beach fares are €1.80 to €2.60, Chalki is €2.30, Filoti €2.60 and Apeiranthos €3.50. Return is double the one-way fare, and fares vary only by distance.
How often do the buses run in Naxos?
The west coast beach line runs roughly every 30 minutes in peak summer, from early morning until very late, so you rarely need to plan around it. The inland village lines are far sparser, with only a handful of departures a day, and they run less often in spring, autumn and winter. Always note the last bus back before you head inland.
Is there a bus from Naxos airport?
Not a dedicated one you can rely on to meet your flight. Naxos airport is small and operates from 06:30 to 19:00, and the bus network is not timed around arrivals. Most visitors landing at Naxos take a taxi or a pre-booked transfer for that first trip into town.
Where do I find the exact Naxos bus timetable?
On the posted board at the KTEL office by the port in Chora, which is the most current source on the island. Exact departure times change by season and sometimes every couple of weeks in high summer, so a fixed online minute-list goes stale quickly. You can also call KTEL Naxos on +30 22850 22291.
Can I reach the beaches by bus in Naxos?
Yes, easily. The west coast beach line serves Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka and on to Mikri Vigla, and it is the most frequent service on the island. The remote southern beaches like Alyko and Pyrgaki are another matter, with little or no bus service, so those need a car or a taxi.