Eggares sits in a fertile valley in northern Naxos, roughly nine kilometres from the port along the road toward Apollonas. Olive groves and citrus trees fill the flat farmland, fed by streams that keep the valley green through summer. The village keeps the working rhythm of rural Naxos: tractors, animal pens, and stone terraces climbing the low hills. Its restored olive press draws travellers who want to see how island oil was made before machines. The lanes stay quiet, the tavernas serve local produce, and few tour coaches ever stop here. Plan an unhurried day among its groves, churches and north-coast coves with My Greece Tours.
This page belongs to our wider Naxos travel guide, which maps the island from the port town to the mountain interior. Eggares rewards travellers who like farming country, old stone architecture and beaches without crowds, well away from the coastal resorts. The sections below cover how to reach the village, the Eggares Olive Press Museum and its old milling equipment, the whitewashed churches and lanes, the north-coast beaches within easy reach, and what unhurried daily life feels like in this green farming corner of the island.
Where is Eggares village on Naxos?
Eggares lies about nine kilometres north of Naxos Town in a fertile inland valley on the main road toward Apollonas. Reach the village in roughly fifteen minutes by car, by scooter, or on the regular northern bus line.
The village occupies a broad valley floor in northern Naxos, ringed by low hills that shelter its farmland from strong winds. The main road from the port to Apollonas runs straight through Eggares, so the drive from town takes about fifteen minutes on a well-paved surface. Rental cars and scooters are the simplest way in, and parking is easy along the roadside near the tavernas. The northern bus route from Naxos Town stops here on its way up the coast, giving travellers without a vehicle a workable option. Cyclists tackle the gentle inland gradient in good weather.
The valley setting makes Eggares a natural first stop for anyone heading toward the wilder north, and the road continues past orchards, streams and small hamlets scattered across the green farmland.
The village works well as a base for exploring the north rather than a single quick photo halt. Roads branch from Eggares toward the coast and toward the mountain interior, linking it to the wider network of villages of Naxos. Signposts point to nearby beaches and to Apollonas at the island’s northern tip, a scenic drive past cliffs and coves. The road stays quiet outside peak hours, so touring by car feels relaxed. Fuel up in Naxos Town before setting out, since services thin out north of the village.
Morning light on the green valley makes an early start worthwhile, and the cooler hours suit walking the quiet farm tracks that loop gently around the settlement and its shaded olive groves toward the surrounding low green hills.
What is the Eggares Olive Press Museum?
The Eggares Olive Press Museum is a restored nineteenth-century stone mill that preserves old milling equipment, wooden beam presses and clay storage jars, showing how Naxos families once pressed their olives into oil across generations of island farming.
The museum occupies a genuine old press building at the edge of the village, restored by the family that once worked it. Inside stand the heavy stone crushing wheel, wooden beam presses, and clay jars that held the finished oil through winter. Panels and guides explain each stage, from harvesting the groves to separating oil from water. The setting is small and hands-on rather than grand, which suits the honest farming story it tells. Visitors taste local olive oil, olives and other regional produce at the end of the tour, tying the exhibits to Naxos food and wine.
Entry is inexpensive and the guided visit takes under an hour, making it an easy and rewarding addition to a relaxed northern driving loop across the island.
The press explains why Eggares grew where it did: the valley’s olive groves needed a mill, and the mill anchored village life for decades. Old tools on display include scales, oil lamps and hand implements used across the working year. Staff describe the seasonal calendar, when the harvest fell and how neighbours shared the press. The shop sells oil, spoon sweets and preserves made from the surrounding farmland, so travellers leave with something local. Opening hours run through the main season, and the family welcomes questions about the old methods.
This modest family museum captures rural Naxos better than any polished attraction, and it pairs naturally with a slow wander through the whitewashed lanes and old churches that stand a short walk uphill from the press itself.
What do the village lanes and churches look like?
Eggares keeps whitewashed Cycladic lanes, blue-shuttered houses and small stone churches, together with flower-filled courtyards, quiet squares and field chapels that reflect centuries of farming faith and daily rural life in this green corner of northern Naxos.
The core of Eggares follows classic Cycladic lines: narrow whitewashed alleys, arched passages and houses with blue doors and shutters. Bougainvillea and potted herbs spill over low walls, and cats doze in the shade of vine canopies. Small squares hold a taverna or two where villagers gather in the evening. The pace is genuinely local, far removed from the busy port, so travellers wander without crowds or souvenir stalls. Old stone churches and chapels stand among the houses, their bells marking feast days across the year. The nearby Melanes valley shares this green, church-dotted character, and the two make a rewarding inland pairing.
Walking the lanes slowly rewards the eye with carved lintels, old wells and shaded courtyards tucked behind plain outer walls throughout the settlement.
Religious life shaped the village, and its chapels dot the surrounding fields as much as the centre. Whitewashed exteriors hide simple interiors with old icons and worn stone floors. Feast days bring the community together with music, food and long tables in the squares. The churches sit within easy walking distance of the olive press, so a single stroll links faith, farming and daily life. Benches under plane trees offer shade for a rest, and a village kafeneio serves strong coffee to passers-by. Photographers find quiet compositions in the interplay of white walls, blue paint and green hills.
The absence of mass tourism keeps the atmosphere authentic, letting travellers see how a genuine working Naxos village actually lives and farms beyond the coastal resorts and crowded beach bars.
Which beaches are near Eggares?
The north-coast beaches of Naxos lie a short drive down the valley from Eggares, including quiet coves and Abram beach, offering calm morning swimming and family taverna lunches well away from the crowded southern resorts near town.
The valley road runs down to the northern coastline, where a string of quiet bays sits within a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive. Abram beach is the best known, a sheltered cove with a family taverna, clear water and few sunbeds. These north-coast beaches stay calmer than the busy southern strands near town, so families and swimmers who want peace head here. The scenery on the drive down is dramatic, with cliffs, olive terraces and open sea views. Bring water and supplies, since facilities are limited compared with the resort beaches.
The combination of a morning at the olive press museum and an afternoon swim makes Eggares a rounded northern day out, and the coastal road continues toward the island’s northern cape past further hidden coves and open sea views.
Beyond Abram, smaller unnamed coves reward drivers who explore the coastal turnoffs patiently. Some are pebble, some coarse sand, and most have little or no development. The water is clean and usually calm in the mornings, before the afternoon breeze picks up along this exposed shore. A hat, shade and a picnic go a long way, as tavernas are sparse outside the main coves. The northern route eventually reaches Apollonas, a fishing village with its own beach and the famous ancient kouros statue. Linking Eggares, its beaches and Apollonas into one loop shows off the greener, quieter face of the island.
Start early to enjoy the quiet coves before other travellers arrive, and carry cash for the small family-run tavernas dotted along the coastal way.
What is daily life like in Eggares?
Daily life in Eggares centres on farming, family tavernas and seasonal feasts, offering travellers an authentic, non-touristy slice of rural Naxos rooted in olives, citrus and the working land rather than in beach clubs or busy harbour crowds.
Eggares stays a genuine agricultural village rather than a tourist creation. Farmers tend olive groves, citrus orchards and vegetable plots, and animals graze the terraced slopes. The tavernas serve produce grown in the valley, so meals taste of the place: local oil, cheese, greens and slow-cooked meat. Life follows the seasons, from the spring bloom of the citrus to the autumn olive harvest. Travellers who linger over a long lunch see the unhurried rhythm the coast has lost. The village sits close enough to town for supplies yet far enough to feel apart.
Its authenticity is the draw, appealing to visitors who prefer working landscapes to beach clubs and who want to understand the farming backbone of the island rather than only its shoreline resorts and busy harbour.
Evenings bring neighbours to the squares for coffee, cards and conversation under the plane trees. Festivals fill the calendar, with music, dancing and shared tables marking saints’ days across the warmer months. The green valley stays cooler than the exposed coast, a welcome relief in high summer. Travellers who base themselves here trade nightlife for stars, quiet and the sound of the fields. Eggares rewards slow travel: a museum visit, a village walk, a swim, and a taverna dinner fill a full and satisfying day. This green corner of the island shows how Naxos fed itself long before tourism arrived on the coast, and it remains one of the quiet north’s most honest and rewarding stops.
Plan your visit and tours through our Naxos travel guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Eggares from Naxos Town?
Eggares sits about nine kilometres north of Naxos Town on the main road toward Apollonas, an easy fifteen-minute drive on a paved route. A rental car or scooter gives the most freedom, letting travellers combine the village with the north-coast beaches and Apollonas in one loop. The northern bus line stops in Eggares on its way up the coast, so travellers without a vehicle can still reach it, though services run less often than on the busy southern routes. Check the seasonal timetable before setting out and allow extra time for return connections. The road is well surfaced and gently graded, making the drive relaxed even for nervous drivers.
Parking is straightforward along the roadside near the tavernas and the olive press. Cyclists manage the inland climb in cooler hours. Starting early leaves the full day free for the olive press museum, the whitewashed lanes and a long swim on the quiet northern coast.
Is the Eggares Olive Press Museum worth visiting?
The Eggares Olive Press Museum rewards travellers curious about how island families made olive oil before machines took over. Set in a restored nineteenth-century stone mill, it shows the crushing wheel, beam presses and storage jars used across generations of Naxos farming. The visit lasts under an hour and ends with a tasting of local olive oil, olives and regional produce, tying the exhibits to the food of the island. Entry is inexpensive, and the family who restored the press answer questions about the old methods with genuine warmth. The small shop sells oil, spoon sweets and preserves from the surrounding farmland.
The museum suits families, food lovers and anyone building a northern driving loop, since it pairs easily with the village lanes and the nearby beaches. It offers an honest, hands-on window into rural island life that the coastal resorts simply cannot match, making the short northern detour genuinely well worthwhile.
Is Eggares a good base for exploring northern Naxos?
Eggares makes a sensible base for travellers who want the greener, quieter northern half of the island rather than the busy southern resorts. The village sits on the main road toward Apollonas, so drives to the north-coast beaches, the mountain interior and the fishing village at the cape all start close by. The valley stays cooler than the exposed coast, a real comfort in high summer, and the farming setting feels genuinely local. Tavernas serve produce from the surrounding groves and orchards, and supplies are close in Naxos Town when needed. Accommodation is limited and rural, so travellers who need nightlife or beachfront hotels should look elsewhere.
Those who value quiet, authentic surroundings and easy access to hidden coves will find it ideal. A car is strongly recommended, since it unlocks the coastal coves and inland villages that reward unhurried exploration far more than the seasonal bus network alone can ever manage.