You basically have 2 ways to get from Athens to Naxos: by ferry or by plane. I am explaining below which one is the best and most efficient method depending on your situation.
I truly believe that the absolute Best Way to get from Athens to Naxos is by ferry.
Here are the 3 options you have basically:
How Long It Takes | Cost* | |
Ferry (from Piraeus port) | 3.5 to 5.5 hours | 40 to 80 euros |
Ferry (from Rafina port) | 4 to 5.5 hours | 40 to 80 euros |
Flight (from Athens Intl. Airport) | 40 minutes | 150 to 250 euros |
There are several ferries per day from Athens to Naxos that take from 3.5 to 5.5 hours (depending on which ferry and port you choose), and it’s a relatively quick and easy way to travel to the island compared to the check-in process at the airport. As a rule of thumb, if the ferry to a Greek island takes more than 5 hours, then it’s better if you fly to the island.
You can always search directly from here the available ferries to Naxos:
- Ferryhopper is the largest and most safe website in Greece to book your ferry tickets from Athens to Naxos, but you can also use it just for checking timetables and prices between Athens and all greek islands.
- Booking.com Flights has all the available options for flights from Athens to Naxos (JNX is Naxos’s airport code) with all possible airlines (Aegean, Olympic, Sky Express)
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It’s obvious that whatever I am explaining in this post applies to the return trip from Naxos to Athens as well.
Keep reading…
ATHENS TO NAXOS TIPS:
- Best way To get From Athens to Naxos: By Ferry (3 to 5 hours) because it’s simply faster and cheaper; the flight is still worth checking as it’s roughly 40 minutes but you need to consider the check-in process that can take more than 1.5 hours
- Best Website for Ferry Prices & Timetables: Ferryhopper
- Athens has 2 ports with ferries to Naxos: Piraeus (or Pireas – PIR) and Rafina (RAF). Piraeus is the largest port with more ferry options in general, but Rafina is closer to the Athens Airport (El. Venizelos) and it may have ferries that suit your schedule better; in my honest opinion, you should choose Piraeus port if you decide to take the ferry to Naxos
- The ferry port for Naxos in Piraeus Port is E7 (on Google Maps)
(but always check your ticket as this may change)
- Between April-October there can be more than 7 ferries a day from Athens to Naxos (from Piraeus Port or Rafina Port) ; there are far fewer ferry options in the winter (November-March)
- How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Naxos: it varies from 3.5 hours to 5.5 hrs ; the same obviously applies for the ferry from Naxos Athens
- How much does it cost to take a ferry from Athens to Naxos: it obviously changes every year but in general, it can cost from 40 euros to 80 euros per person
- You must book your ferry online and you can then enter the ferry with the barcode that will be on the email that will be sent to you. This will be clearly written on the email you will receive from Ferryhopper and it is now the system that most ferry companies use BUT some smaller companies may ask you to get a printout from a kiosk that is outside of the ferry and it is this print out that will allow you to enter the ferry. As a rule of thumb, if your ticket you got through email from Ferryhopper has a barcode then you can enter the ferry directly.
- How long is the flight from Athens to Naxos: the flight is around 40 minutes long, and checking in is usually quick but you have to be 2 hours in advance to the airport, as with any flight in the world.
- Best Way to go from Athens Airport to Athens main ferry port (Piraeus) to take any ferry is by taking the Athens Airport Bus X96 (X96 Bus Route – X96 Bus runs every 20-30 mins) – X96 Bus ticket costs 6 euros (adult) and 3 euros (kids) or buy an ATH.ENA Card
- Best Way to go from Athens Airport to Rafina Port is by taking another bus (which is called KTEL) that runs around every 1 hour from the Airport.
- Direct International Flights to Naxos: there are no international flights to Naxos as the airport serves only domestic flights to and from Athens
- The Best Airline to fly from Athens to Naxos is Aegean Airlines (Check flights on Booking.com Flights)
- Strikes in Greece: strikes can happen anytime in Greece and for any means of public transportation within short notice; usually, they may happen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays; yes, they may mess up your trip but they are necessary for the hard-working people of Greece so that they can have decent salaries and benefits for their lives. So, get over it and try to find some alternatives for your trip (a taxi is usually the best option).
- Strong Winds – Ferries Cancellations: in case there are strong winds (which can be pretty common in August in Greece), then the Greek Port Authorities may stop all ferries from departing, so bear in mind this is also a possibility that can mess up your trip; as an average there might be 4-5 days during the summer months that this can happen so get prepared
- Business Seats on Ferries in Greece: in my opinion, they are not worth the extra money as you only get a bit more space and a slightly quiet area to sit but even the standard seats are very spacious
- The Ferry Schedule for all greek islands is announced only 2-3 months before the actual trips, so if you cannot find any scheduled ferries for your trip 3 years from now, please check again 2 months before your actual trip.
Ok, so let’s see all the available options from Athens to Naxos (that also apply to the return trip Naxos to Athens):
Athens to Naxos Ferry Schedule
The Ferry Schedule from Athens to Naxos is only announced a few months before the actual dates of the trips, which means that the times for the busy summer months of May, June, July, August and September are only announced around February or March of the same year.
However, there are not that many changes usually as there are usually ferries that depart sometime in the morning and go through several islands.
Here is an Example of a Ferry Schedule from Athens to Naxos in September from Ferryhopper:
This is just an example of a ferry schedule!
For the latest Ferry schedule, always check on Ferryhopper.
The winter ferry schedule is less frequent with probably 1-2 ferries a day.
BLUE STAR FERRIES
Bluestar Ferries are the biggest you can take to go to Naxos and are the most stable but also the slowest (5.5 hours to arrive)
No matter how bumpy or windy it is, you won’t feel much on Bluestar Ferries, but in case there are strong winds the Greek Port Authorities may not allow any ferries to depart, for safety reasons.
Almost all ferries from Athens to Naxos, visit other islands before they arrive at Naxos, which can give you a very good glimpse of some other greek islands too before they arrive at their destination. You don’t get to see much but it’s nice to feel like you are on a small cruise!
The best way to check for the available Blue Star Ferry times schedule is to visit the Ferryhopper website.
They run all 365 days per year and there are basically 2 ferries per day from Piraeus port to Naxos: one in the early morning and one in the afternoon.
Check the exact timetables on Ferryhopper.
Where can you book Blue Star ferry tickets from Athens to Naxos?
I highly recommend you book your ferry tickets online through Ferryhopper before you even land in Greece. It is the easiest and safest way to guarantee you are going to get a seat. In fact, for July, August and September, I recommend you book the ferry tickets online at least 1 month in advance. To be honest, you will always find a seat on a ferry but if you are planning to get your vehicle on the ferry then you need to book very well in advance as there are limited spaces for cars and motorbikes in their garages.
BE CAREFUL THOUGH:
As long as the email you receive from Ferryhopper has a barcode on it, you will be fine to enter the ferry with these ones. It will be very clear on the email you will receive from them, though. Otherwise, you will get instructions on how to get the printout ticket as some smaller ferry companies don’t have a barcode system on their tickets (very old-fashioned indeed…). This is not a problem however and all you have to do is to go to a kiosk outside of the ferry itself and people there will print out the ticket for you. Ferryhopper will give you instructions on where to go exactly.
How much the Blue Star Ferry ticket cost?
For the latest prices always check the Ferryhopper website.
FLIGHTS TO NAXOS
The best and cheapest website to book or search for flights to Naxos is Booking.com Flights, as it has all the available options (including any available low-cost airlines like Ryanair).
A few useful info to have in mind when booking your flight to Naxos:
- Naxos Aiport on Google Maps
- Athens Airport Code is : ATH (Athens)
- Naxos Airport Code is: JNX
- Every plane that lands on Naxos, takes off after 40 minutes to fly back to Athens.
- The exact times of the flights change and they are not the same throughout the year, so make sure you get the right times from Booking.com Flights as it will give you all the available flights immediately.
- There are more flights from Athens to Naxos between April – October (high season)
- If you book your tickets well in advance (6 months) you could probably find some very good deals with return tickets.
- The cost of the flight from Athens to Naxos may come up to 250 euros during the high season (April-October)
The airlines that fly from Athens to Naxos (April-October) are:
- Aegean Airlines (Olympic Air is basically the same airline with different brand name)
- Sky Express
There are no direct international flights to Naxos as its airport cannot accommodate those.
The only flights that it serves are to and from Athens only.
In my honest opinion, it’s not worth flying to Naxos and you should only choose it instead of the ferry, if you get sea sickness. The time you will spend going to the Athens airport (2 hours in advance) and the whole check in process, is not worth it in my opinion. The fast ferries only get 4 hours to get to Naxos and they are much hassle free than taking a flight.
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO PIRAEUS PORT
The easiest and cheapest option to get to Athens ferry port called Piraeus is by taking the bus X96 that stops just outside of the Athens airport.
X96 bus takes between 50 mins to 80 mins (depending on the traffic) to go to the Athens ferry port (Piraeus) and the X96 bus route to Piraeus ferry port is the following:
This is how to get from the Athens Aiport Exit to the X96 and X95 bus stops just outside of the airport:
Naxos Ferries depart from E9 Port Gate so you have to stop at the bus station which is called: STATION ISAP (this is also a metro station).
Or in greek : ΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ ΗΣΑΠ
In case you feel lost you can just ask the bus driver (they always speak english if you speak with a very clear accent like an italian mafioso in a away… ????)
But in reality you will find some brand new GPS screens showing you where you actually are:
The X96 bus runs 24/7 and there is a bus every 30 mins roughly (in Greece time runs in a very strange way…so never expect something to be on time…that’s just a small tip from greeks…you’d better get used to that unfortunately).
But there is a X96 bus every 20-30 minutes, so there will be one for you too!
For the X96 bus, you have to buy tickets from a kiosk which is just outside of the bus stop (and also just outside of the airport, just follow the “Bus” signs in the airport).
For adults the Athens bus ticket (called “ATH.ENA) costs 6 euros and for kids (under 6) it costs 3 euros.
You can also take a taxi from the Athens airport to the Piraeus Ferry port which costs 50-60 euros but it’s really not recommended because it’s not worth it in my opinion…
The X96 bus is pretty fast and it costs only 6 euros!
Also, BE CAREFUL:
Sometimes the X96 Athens Airport Buses say: “AEROLIMENAS-PEIRAIAS”
Don’t get confused.
This is a greek version of saying: “Airport – Pireaus” , so it’s the same really…
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO RAFINA PORT
The easiest and cheapest way to get from Athens aiport to Rafina port is by taking a KTEL bus.These are different buses than the blue ones (like X96 or X95) and the bus stop is just across the street from the airport exits (see picture above). You can buy the ticket on the bus from the driver and it costs around 3 euros (there might be a slight difference every year).
The timetables for the bus Athens Aiport to Rafina are on the following table but you should always check the official website of KTEL Buses for the latest timetables:
HOW TO GET FROM ATHENS AIRPORT TO CENTRAL ATHENS
To go from Athens Airport to Syntagma Square (the most central point in Athens), you have to take either the metro from the airport (it’s actually overground for some stations and then it goes underground) or the bus X95 which will take you to Syntagma Square within 30-40 mins.
The X95 bus stop is next to the X96 bus stop and the tickets are exactly the same and are sold from the same kiosk.
This is Bus X95 route (from Athens airport to Syntagma square – central Athens):
You can also take the metro line 3 to get to Syntagma Square from the Athens Airport.
Check on this link the timetables for Athens metro lines
These are the timetables of Athens Metro Line 3 to and from the Airport (there is a train every 36 minutes):
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is the ferry ride from Athens to Naxos?
The ferry ride to Naxos is usually 4 hours with the fast ferry (Seajet, Highspeed) but it can also be up to 5.5 hours with the slower but cheaper ferry (Blue Star Ferry).
What is the best way to travel from Athens to Naxos?
The best way to travel from Athens to Naxos is by ferry because it is relatively quick and easier than going through the hassle of another flight.
Is it better to fly or ferry to Naxos?
It is better to take the ferry to Naxos because the fast ferry takes around 4 hours which overall is the same time you’d spend with the plane (including the check in process and security) and flying is way more expensive. Also, by taking the ferry you get the opportunity to see a few more greek islands before arriving in Naxos.
CONCLUSION
You basically have 2 options to get from Athens to Naxos: by plane or by a ferry. My honest recommendation is to take the ferry instead of flying because a flight costs around 3 times a ferry ticket and you won’t be saving much time, to be honest.
If you do take the ferry, make sure you have plenty of movies loaded on your tablet, crosswords and books in hand… (it’s also a good idea to have some food with you because even though there are some snack shops they might not have everything…). You also get to see some other greek islands before you arrive in Naxos (ok…it’s just the port but you can still take a selfie with another greek island on the background).
For me, the best way to check timetables and even book your ferry tickets online has been Ferryhopper for the last few years, and I highly recommend it to everyone looking to get a ferry to Naxos from Athens.
I still remember the days when I was a kid (or even recently…) when, as a family, we had to visit a specific travel agency to book and get the ferry tickets, but these days are long gone! No matter how you choose to travel from Athens to Naxos, it is for sure that your heartbeat will rise when you are approaching the island… And there is no way you won’t be surprised by the amazing blue colour of the Greek sea!