Greece - Korina Miller [321]
Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
The airport is 3km south of Hora. There is no shuttle bus, but buses to Agios Prokopios Beach and Agia Anna pass close by. A taxi costs €12 to €15 depending on the time of day and if booked.
BUS
Frequent buses run from Hora to Agia Anna (€1.80). Five buses daily serve Filoti (€2) via Halki (€1.80); four serve Apiranthos (€3) via Filoti and Halki; and at least three serve Apollonas (€5), Pyrgaki (€2.50) and Melanes (€1.80). There are less frequent departures to other villages.
Buses leave from the end of the ferry quay in Hora; timetables are posted outside the bus information office ( 22850 22291; www.naxosdestinations.com), diagonally left and across the road from the bus stop. You have to buy tickets from the office.
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
August rates for hire cars range from about €45 to €55 per day, and motorcycles from about €18. Rental Center ( 22850 23395; Plateia Evripeou) is a good bet.
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HORA (NAXOS) ΧΩΡΑ (ΝΑΞΟΣ)
pop 6533
Busy Hora, on the west coast of Naxos, is the island’s port and capital. It’s a large town, divided into two historic neighbourhoods – Bourgos, where the Greeks lived, and the hill-top Kastro, where the Venetian Catholics lived.
Orientation
The ferry quay is at the northern end of the waterfront, with the bus station at its inland end. The broad waterfront, Protopapadaki, known universally as Paralia, leads off to the south from the ferry quay and is lined with cafes, tavernas and shops on its inland side. Behind Paralia, narrow alleyways twist and turn beneath archways as they seem to vanish into the old town area of Bourgos and climb into the Kastro.
A northerly turn at the end of the ferry quay leads to a causeway over to Palatia Islet and the unfinished Temple of Apollo, Naxos’ most famous landmark, known as the Portara. There is not much else to see at the temple other than the two columns and their crowning lintel surrounded by fallen masonry, but it makes for a romantic spot, especially at sunset.
There are a few swimming spots along the waterfront promenade below the temple. Southwest of the town is the pleasant, but busy, beach of Agios Georgios.
Information
BOOKSHOPS
Zoom ( 22850 23675; Paralia) A large, well-stocked newsagent and bookshop that has most international newspapers the day after publication.
EMERGENCY
Police station ( 22850 22100; Paparrigopoulou) Southeast of Plateia Protodikiou.
Port police ( 22850 22300) Just south of the quay.
INTERNET ACCESS
Grotta Tours ( 22850 25782; Paralia; per hr €3)
Rental Center ( 22850 23395; Plateia Evripeou; per hr €3)
Zas Travel ( 22850 23330; fax 22850 23419; Paralia; per hr €4)
LAUNDRY
To Ariston ( 22850 26750; 5kg wash & dry €10; 8am-2pm & 5.30-9pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, 8am-2pm Wed & Sat)
MEDICAL SERVICES
Hospital ( 22853 60500; Prantouna) New hospital opened in 2009.
MONEY
All the following banks have ATMs:
Agricultural Bank of Greece (Paralia)
Alpha Bank (cnr Paralia & Papavasiliou)
National Bank of Greece (Paralia)
POST
Post office (Agios Giorgiou) Go past the OTE, across Papavasiliou, and left at the forked road.
TELEPHONE
OTE (telecommunications office; Paralia) Has several phone kiosks in an alleyway.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
There is no official tourist information office on Naxos. Travel agencies can deal with most queries. Naxos Tours and Zas Travel both sell ferry tickets and organise accommodation, tours and rental cars.
Grotta Tours ( 22850 25782; Paralia)
Naxos Tours ( 22850 22095; www.naxostours.net; Paralia)
Zas Travel ( 22850 23330; zas-travel@nax.forthnet.gr; Paralia)
Sights
To see the Bourgos area, head into the winding backstreets behind the northern end of Paralia. The most alluring part of Hora is the residential Kastro. Marco Sanudo made the town the capital of his duchy in 1207, and several Venetian mansions survive. Take a stroll around the Kastro during siesta to experience its hushed, timeless atmosphere.