Hiking in Naxos
The greenest island in the Cyclades, with a real mountain in the middle of it. Mount Zas has two routes up, and most people do not know which one they are on.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short version
- Mount Zas
- 1,004m, the highest point in the Cyclades. Two routes up. Pick deliberately.
- The easy way
- From Agia Marina chapel. Signposted, gentler, about an hour up. Trainers are fine.
- The good way
- From Aria Spring via the Cave of Zeus. Steep, loose, red dots and cairns. Real shoes.
- The best way
- Both. Up past the cave, down via Agia Marina. Three to four and a half hours.
- When
- April to June, or September to October. Start at first light in summer, or not at all.
- Beyond Zas
- More than thirty marked trails: the kouroi at Flerio, the Temple of Demeter, waterfalls.
This is the thing that separates Naxos from the rest of the Cyclades. Most of these islands are rock and coastline; you walk along the sea because there is nowhere else to walk. Naxos has an interior: a mountain range, springs, a fertile plateau, centuries of dry-stone terraces and old mule tracks that shepherds still use. There are more than thirty marked trails, and almost every visitor stays on the beach.
Mount Zas has two routes, and they are not the same hike
Almost every guide says "hike Mount Zas" as though it were one thing. It is two, they start in different places, and one is considerably harder than the other. People set off on the steep one in trainers because they read about the gentle one. Here is the difference.
From Agia Marina
The chapel above Filoti, with a track starting a few minutes' walk away. Signposted the whole way, a steady climb rather than a scramble, and no route-finding to do. This is the one to take if you want the summit without the adventure, or if you have children, or if all you brought is trainers.
- Up
- About an hour, chapel to summit
- Grade
- Moderate. Steady, not steep.
- Footwear
- Trainers are fine
- Marking
- Signposted
From Aria Spring, via the cave
Starts lower, at the spring, and climbs past the Cave of Zeus. Marble slabs at first, then a real trail: loose rock, steeper gradient, and route-finding by red dots and cairns. The final section runs along exposed rock and is usually windy. This is the better walk and the harder one.
- Up
- Two hours or so, with the cave
- Grade
- Hard. Loose rock, scrambling near the top.
- Footwear
- Proper shoes. Not sandals.
- Marking
- Red dots, cairns, small metal "2" signs
What we would actually do
Both, as a loop, anticlockwise. Climb the steep way past Aria Spring and the cave while your legs are fresh and the air is still cool, then come down the gentler Agia Marina side, which is easier on the knees and far less likely to end in a slip on loose rock. Round trip is three to four and a half hours depending on how long you sit at the top, and it is roughly 500 to 600 metres of climbing whichever way you go.
Descending the steep route is where people come unstuck, literally. Loose rock, tired legs and gravity are a poor combination. If you only do one direction on that side, make it upwards.
Walking it
Mount Zas is 1,004 metres, the highest point not just on Naxos but in the whole of the Cyclades. Zeus was raised in a cave on its flank, according to a story the island has been telling for three thousand years, and an eagle gave him thunder at the summit. A concrete post marks the top.
From up there you can see most of the Aegean laid out: Paros next door, the Small Cyclades scattered south, Amorgos, Ios, and on a clear morning the silhouette of Santorini on the horizon.
The cave
About twenty minutes above Aria Spring, and worth the detour, though manage your expectations: it is a large dark opening in the mountainside rather than a show cave. The myth is the draw. Bring a torch if you want to go more than a few metres in, and your phone light is not really enough.
Three things that catch people
- There is no shade. None. Not a tree, not an overhang, for the whole climb. This is the single most important fact on this page.
- The summit is windy. The last rocky stretch runs along exposed rock and the meltemi funnels over it. It is cold up there even in August, so carry a layer, and take care on that section.
- The trail past the cave is easy to lose. It turns left just before a wide swath of gravel in the gully, and people miss it. Watch for the red dots and the cairns rather than trusting your sense of direction.
Carry more water than you think you need. Two litres a head in summer is not excessive, and there is nowhere to buy any.
The other trails
Zas gets the attention and the rest of the network is quieter, gentler and in some ways more Naxian: old paths between villages, past chapels and marble quarries and things left lying where they fell.
| Trail | Distance | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanes, Mili, Kouros of Flerio | 6.1 km, about 3 hrs | Easy | Walks you to a 2,600-year-old marble youth lying in the garden where he was carved. The best easy walk on the island. |
| Tsikalario to the Temple of Demeter | 7.2 km, one way | Moderate | Ends at a marble temple older than the Parthenon. One way, so plan the return. |
| Routsouna waterfalls, from Keramoti | 4.2 km, about 2 hrs | Moderate | A waterfall. On a Cycladic island. Best in spring when there is actually water in it. |
| Filoti, Cave of Zeus, summit, loop | 9.2 km, about 4 hrs | Hard | The full Zas loop described above. |
| Agia Marina to Zas summit | About 2 hrs up | Moderate | The gentle way to the top. |
The Flerio walk is the one to do if you only do one that is not Zas. It is short, it is shaded in places, it is genuinely easy, and it ends at something extraordinary that almost nobody is looking at.
When to walk, and the heat
April to June and September to October are the hiking seasons. In spring the interior is genuinely green, the wildflowers are out, and you can walk all day. In autumn it is dry and gold and still comfortable.
July and August are a different matter. It is not that you cannot hike Zas in midsummer; it is that you have to start at first light and be off the mountain by eleven. There is no shade, and the exposed rock holds heat.
| When | First light | Sunrise | Be off the hill by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-April | 06:17 | 06:44 | No great hurry |
| 21 June | 05:27 | 05:59 | Midday |
| Mid-July | 05:39 | 06:10 | 11:00 |
| Mid-August | 06:06 | 06:35 | 11:00 |
| Mid-September | 06:34 | 07:00 | Midday |
| Mid-October | 06:59 | 07:26 | No great hurry |
Start at seven in July and you will pass almost nobody going up and a steady stream of people going down, most of them looking like they have made a mistake. The heat builds fast on the descent, which is the part everyone forgets to plan for.
Getting to the trailhead
Filoti is about 25 minutes' drive from Chora, and both Zas trailheads are above it. The complications are these:
- Parking is limited at both trailheads, which is another argument for starting early.
- The bus reaches Filoti and the Agia Marina stop, but it is a walk up to the track from the village, and the timetable is not built around hikers. Check the return before you commit.
- The loop returns to a different point from where the steep route starts, so if you drove to Aria Spring you have a walk back along the road to your car at the end.
- Some trails are one way. Tsikalario to the Temple of Demeter is 7.2km in a straight line. There is no loop and no bus at the far end.
A one-way trail needs someone at the other end.
Dropped at Aria Spring at first light, collected at Agia Marina four hours later. Or walked Tsikalario to Demeter in a straight line without doubling back. No parking, no road walk, no driving a mountain road on legs that have just done six hundred metres of climbing.
- Drop at one trailhead, collect at another
- Early starts are the point, not a problem
- Drivers who know where the tracks actually begin
- Fixed price, quoted before you travel
Asked often
How hard is the Mount Zas hike?
It depends which route you take, and this is the thing most guides miss. From Agia Marina it is moderate: signposted, a steady climb, about an hour up, and trainers are fine. From Aria Spring via the Cave of Zeus it is hard: loose rock, steeper, some scrambling near the summit, and route-finding by red dots and cairns. The full loop is three to four and a half hours with roughly 500 to 600 metres of ascent.
Which route up Mount Zas should I take?
Both, as a loop, going anticlockwise: up the steep Aria Spring route past the cave while your legs are fresh, down the gentler Agia Marina side. Descending loose rock on tired legs is where people slip. If you only want the summit with no adventure, use Agia Marina both ways.
How high is Mount Zas?
1,004 metres, which makes it the highest point in the entire Cyclades. A concrete post marks the summit. On a clear morning you can see Paros, the Small Cyclades, Amorgos, Ios and the silhouette of Santorini.
What should I bring to hike Mount Zas?
More water than you expect, two litres a head in summer, because there is nowhere to buy any. Sun protection and a hat, because there is no shade anywhere on the climb. A layer, because the summit is windy and cold even in August. A torch if you want to go into the cave. Proper shoes for the Aria Spring route.
When is the best time to hike in Naxos?
April to June and September to October. Spring is best: the interior is green, the wildflowers are out and the temperature is comfortable all day. In July and August, start at first light, around 05:40, and be off the mountain by eleven.
Can you hike Mount Zas without a guide?
Yes. The Agia Marina route is signposted and the Aria Spring route is marked with red dots, cairns and small metal signs. The one section that catches people is just past the cave, where the trail turns left before a wide gully of gravel. Watch the markers there rather than following your instinct.
Are there other hikes in Naxos besides Mount Zas?
More than thirty marked trails. The best easy one is Melanes to Mili and the Kouros of Flerio, 6.1km and about three hours, ending at a 2,600-year-old marble figure lying where it was abandoned. Tsikalario to the Temple of Demeter is 7.2km one way. The Routsouna waterfalls near Keramoti are best in spring.