A Naxos catamaran cruise is a three to nine hour sail out of Naxos Town marina down the island’s south-west coast to Mikri Vigla, Alyko and Pyrgaki, or across to the Small Cyclades, with lunch and drinks aboard from 85 euros. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the day: what it costs, where the boats leave from, the route, the Small Cyclades, how much is under sail, the beaches, the sunset option, the season and how to book.
What does a Naxos catamaran cruise cost?
From 110 to 180 euros a head for a full day with lunch and drinks on a shared catamaran, 85 to 140 for a semi-private day with fewer guests, 90 to 130 for a sunset cruise, and 1,200 to 2,500 for a private charter.
The day price covers the skipper and host, the fuel, a cooked lunch, wine, beer and soft drinks, and the snorkelling gear. A naxos catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Semi-private products cap at ten or twelve guests against the twenty a standard shared boat carries. The naxos catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
Private charters divide by the party, so ten people split 1,800 euros rather than paying ten fares. The naxos catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Children go half price to twelve and the operators set a minimum age of four to six.
Card payment is taken at booking and the crew tip is cash at the end of the day.
Where do the catamarans leave from?
Naxos Town marina beside the old port, with a smaller number sailing from Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna on the west coast. Boarding runs from 09:30 for a full day and 17:30 for a sunset cruise.
The marina sits five minutes on foot from the Portara and the town waterfront. Every naxos catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Parking along the port road is free and fills by ten in August. Guests on a naxos catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Agios Prokopios departures suit guests staying on the west-coast beaches and reach the southern coves faster. Crews brief it on deck before a naxos catamaran cruise leaves harbour.
Hotel pickup is included on the premium products and named on the voucher.
Ferries to Paros, Mykonos and Santorini use the same harbour, so the quay is busy at departure hours.
Where does the cruise go?
South along the Naxos coast to Mikri Vigla, Kastraki, Alyko and Pyrgaki, or east to Rina cave, with the longer days crossing to Koufonisia, Iraklia and Schinoussa in the Small Cyclades.
The southern run covers the island’s best beaches with three or four swim stops in flat water. A naxos catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
Alyko has a cedar forest behind the dunes and an abandoned hotel shell that has become a graffiti gallery. That is the naxos catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
Rina cave on the east coast is entered by tender and the water inside turns pale blue. It decides which naxos catamaran cruise format fits the party.
The Small Cyclades crossing is a nine-hour day and reaches islands with one village each.
The skipper picks the coast by the morning wind rather than by the brochure.
What are the Small Cyclades?
Koufonisia, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Donousa and Keros, a scatter of small islands south-east of Naxos with a few hundred residents between them, reached by sailing cruise or by the local ferry.
Koufonisia has the clearest water of the group and a coastline of sea caves and rock pools. This is what a naxos catamaran cruise delivers down the west coast.
Schinoussa and Iraklia hold one village each and a handful of tavernas. A naxos catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the snorkels for it.
Keros is uninhabited and archaeologically protected, and no landing is permitted. The naxos catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
The full-day sailing cruises reach one or two of them and never all five.
The ferry version of the same trip sits at Small Cyclades from Naxos.
How much of the day is under sail?
Two to four hours when the meltemi fills in, less on a flat morning. Naxos sits in the middle of the Cyclades where the north wind is strong, so these boats sail more than the sheltered gulfs allow.
The meltemi blows from the north through July and August and pushes the boats south down the coast. The naxos catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
Morning departures sail out and motor back against the wind on the windier days. The naxos catamaran cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
A catamaran stays flat under sail, which is what makes it the family boat here. A naxos catamaran cruise fills first on that count in early August.
Guests take the helm on request and nothing is required of anyone.
Monohull day sails cost less, take fewer guests and give more actual sailing.
What is included on board?
A welcome snack, a cooked lunch served at anchor, wine, beer, soft drinks and water, snorkelling masks, towels, and a paddleboard on most of the newer catamarans.
Lunch is a Greek spread of salads, dips, cheese, grilled meat or fish and fruit, prepared aboard. A naxos catamaran cruise starts with this settled at the quay.
Drinks are unlimited within reason on the shared departures and counted on a few. A naxos catamaran cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the ticket.
Dietary requests are handled with a day’s notice and vegetarian is the default alternative. The naxos catamaran cruise timetable is shaped by it more than by demand.
What is excluded is the transfer to the marina unless the listing names a pickup.
Crew tips run 5 to 10 percent of the fare in cash at the end.
Which beaches does the boat reach?
Plaka, Mikri Vigla, Kastraki, Alyko, Pyrgaki and Agiassos on the south-west, and the rock coves between them that the road never touches, with the anchorages in two to six metres over sand.
Plaka runs four kilometres of sand and is the longest beach in the Cyclades. The naxos catamaran cruise route is set by it rather than by the clock.
Mikri Vigla splits into a windsurf side and a sheltered side on either side of its headland. Every naxos catamaran cruise is planned around it before the lines come off.
Alyko’s dunes and cedars back a set of small bays with no facilities at all. Guests on a naxos catamaran cruise meet it within the first hour.
Pyrgaki and Agiassos at the southern tip are the quietest stops on the route.
Boats anchor off and swim rather than landing, since none of these bays has a jetty.
Sunset cruise or full day?
The full day for the beaches, the swimming and lunch at anchor over seven to eight hours. The sunset cruise for three hours, a drink and the light going down behind Paros, at two thirds of the price.
Sunset departures leave at 17:30 in June and 18:30 in August and return in the dark. Crews brief it on deck before a naxos catamaran cruise leaves harbour.
The evening boat stays on the west coast within sight of the Portara. A naxos catamaran cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
A family with small children takes the sunset trip and skips the long day. That is the naxos catamaran cruise difference against a hire car day.
Couples book the sunset sail as the evening rather than as an excursion.
Both across two days costs less than a private charter and covers the whole coast.
What do you bring aboard?
Swimwear, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat that ties, sunglasses with a strap, a light windproof for the return, soft soles or bare feet, and a dry bag for the phone.
Hard-soled shoes go in a bag at the gangway on every catamaran. It decides which naxos catamaran cruise format fits the party.
Shade is the cockpit bimini and the saloon, and the trampolines have none. This is what a naxos catamaran cruise delivers down the west coast.
A mask of your own fits better than the boat’s on the rock stops. A naxos catamaran cruise carries the lunch and the snorkels for it.
Cash covers the crew tip and nothing else, since the food and drink are included.
Leave hard luggage ashore, because storage is a locker and a bench.
When is the season?
May to October, with daily departures from June to mid-September. The sea runs 21 degrees in June and 25 in August, and the meltemi is the one variable that changes the route.
July and August are the windy months and the operators switch to the sheltered south. The naxos catamaran cruise price reflects it, stop by stop.
June and September give warm water, full schedules and half the crowd. The naxos catamaran cruise fleet is prepared for it through the season.
October runs a reduced timetable while the weather holds.
Cancellations for weather run to a handful of days a season with an automatic refund.
Nothing sails from November to April beyond private charters.
How do you book a Naxos catamaran cruise?
Book three to five days ahead from mid-June to early September and a day ahead in the shoulder months. The semi-private boats cap at ten to twelve and sell out first.
Private charters need a week in August and take a deposit at booking. A naxos catamaran cruise fills first on that count in early August.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is standard on the platform listings. A naxos catamaran cruise starts with this settled at the quay.
Weather calls are made by the skipper at 08:00 on the day.
Walk-up booking at the marina kiosks works in May, June and October.
The wider list of island departures sits at Naxos boat trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Naxos catamaran cruise cost?
From 110 to 180 euros a head for a full day with lunch and drinks, 85 to 140 for a semi-private day with fewer guests, 90 to 130 for a sunset cruise, and 1,200 to 2,500 for a private charter.
Does the cruise reach the Small Cyclades?
On the long days only. Koufonisia, Iraklia and Schinoussa are a nine-hour trip from Naxos Town, and the standard southern route stays on the island’s own coast with three or four swim stops.
How much of the day is under sail?
Two to four hours when the meltemi fills in. Naxos sits in the middle of the Cyclades where the north wind is strong, so these boats sail more than the sheltered gulfs allow.