Vallindras Distillery

Vallindras Distillery sits in the village of Chalki, roughly 16 kilometres from Naxos Town in the island's agricultural heartland. It is the oldest and most celebrated producer of kitron — the citrus liqueur unique to Naxos, made from the leaves of the citron tree (Citrus medica) rather than the fruit itself. The distillery has been operating since 1896, and walking through its doors is as much a step into Naxiote history as it is a tasting stop.

The building itself is a preserved 19th-century mansion, and the copper pot stills inside are still in use today. Bottles of kitron line the shelves in three grades — clear (the strongest, around 36% ABV), green (medium), and yellow (the sweetest, often served as a digestif) — each with a subtly different character that the family has refined across generations.

What to Expect

Visitors can tour the distillery floor, where staff walk you through the traditional production process: the hand-picking of citron leaves, the copper-pot distillation, and the blending that produces each variety. The still room is compact and genuinely operational — this is not a museum reconstruction but a working facility that continues to supply kitron across Greece and to export markets.

After the brief tour, a tasting is standard practice. You'll sample the three grades side by side, which makes clear how much variation a single botanical base can produce. Kitron is not widely known outside Greece, and the tasting is genuinely useful for understanding why it occupies protected designation-of-origin status — it can only be legally produced on Naxos. Bottles are available to purchase directly at the distillery, and they travel well as carry-on if wrapped carefully.

The rating of 4.5 from 161 Google reviews points to a consistently positive visitor experience, with the combination of history, authenticity, and the tasting itself carrying most of the praise.

How to Get There

Chalki is connected to Naxos Town by the main inland road through the Tragaea plain. By car or scooter, the drive takes roughly 25–30 minutes heading east from Naxos Town via the Filoti road. There is limited but usable parking on the lane adjacent to the village square.

KTEL buses run between Naxos Town and Filoti with a stop in Chalki; check the current KTEL Naxos schedule at the main bus station on the port, as frequency varies by season. Many visitors combine Vallindras with a loop of the Tragaea villages — Chalki, Filoti, and Apeiranthos — which works well as a half-day or full-day inland excursion.

Taxi from Naxos Town is a practical option if you plan to taste freely; the fare is reasonable for the distance, and many drivers are familiar with the stop.

Best Time to Visit

The distillery is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM throughout the week, which gives flexibility on any day of your trip. Mornings tend to be quieter — arriving before noon means you're less likely to overlap with organised tour groups, which often pass through in the early afternoon.

Seasonal timing matters less here than at outdoor sites, since the visit is primarily indoors. That said, visiting in late summer or early autumn aligns with the citron-leaf harvest period, and you may see or hear more activity in the production areas. The Tragaea plain is also notably green and cooler than the coast even in July and August, making it an appealing inland detour on a hot day.

The History of Kitron and the Vallindras Family

Kitron production on Naxos has roots going back centuries, tied to the island's large groves of citron trees — a fruit cultivated here since antiquity. The Vallindras family formalised their distillery in 1896 and have maintained continuous production since, making them the definitive name in Naxiote kitron. The drink received EU protected designation of origin (PDO) status, cementing Naxos as its sole legal place of production. The distillery's interior retains much of its original character: stone walls, wooden shelving heavy with bottles, and copper equipment that predates most of the visitors who pass through it.

Tips for Visiting

• Buy a bottle at the source. Prices at the distillery are fair, and the range available on-site is broader than what you'll find in Naxos Town shops.
• Combine with Chalki village. The village itself has a Byzantine tower (Grazia Pyrgos) and a handful of good cafes worth an hour of your time before or after the distillery.
• Ask about the grades. The difference between the three kitron varieties is more pronounced than you'd expect — the staff explanation during tasting makes the distinctions clear.
• Bring cash. While card payment may be accepted, smaller artisan producers in rural Naxos often prefer cash for on-site purchases.
• Factor in the drive. The road through Tragaea is winding and scenic; allocate 35–40 minutes from Naxos Town if you're unfamiliar with the route.
• Check hours before an off-season visit. The listed hours (10:00 AM–5:00 PM daily) apply during the main season; hours may differ in winter months.