Old Olive Press

The Old Olive Press in Eggares village is one of Naxos's oldest surviving olive mills, operating continuously from at least 1884 before being carefully restored as a working museum. The Lianos family, who have owned the press for at least five generations, brought in civil engineer Yiannis Protonotarios to renovate the structure, preserving the original stonework while giving the interior the clean, whitewashed lines typical of Cycladic architecture. The result is a museum that feels genuinely lived-in rather than reconstructed from scratch.

For a largely agricultural island, this is one of the most grounded cultural stops on Naxos — and the free entry combined with complimentary tastings makes it unusually good value.

What to Expect

The exhibition occupies the original stone mill building and centers on the machinery actually used at the site during the 19th and early 20th centuries: stone grinding wheels, wooden presses, and the manual equipment that village families relied on to extract oil from locally grown olives. A short guided presentation walks you through the pressing process as it would have worked at the time, from harvesting through storage.

After the tour, visitors move to the tasting area, where a rotating selection of infused olive oils is available to sample alongside olive-based food — including a house-made olive bread, cake, and cookies that regulars tend to mention by name. The adjoining shop stocks olive oil products and souvenirs, most of them produced with Naxian olives. An outdoor patio provides somewhere to sit once you've worked through the tasting spread.

The museum holds a 4.7 rating from over 1,600 Google reviews, which for a small agricultural attraction on a mid-sized Cycladic island is a reliable signal that it delivers on the experience it promises.

How to Get There

Eggares is a small inland village roughly 8 kilometers northwest of Naxos Town (Chora), in the olive-grove-covered hills behind the coastal plain. By car or scooter, take the road north out of Naxos Town toward Melanes and continue toward Eggares — the drive takes about 15 minutes and passes through classic Naxian farmland. Parking is available near the village.

There are local buses from Naxos Town that serve the inland villages, but schedules are limited; check the KTEL Naxos timetable before relying on public transport for this route. A taxi from Naxos Town is a straightforward alternative, and many visitors combine Eggares with a loop through the Tragaea plateau or a stop at the Kouros of Melanes, which is just a few kilometers away.

Best Time to Visit

The museum is open every day of the week from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so scheduling is flexible. Mornings tend to be cooler and less crowded, particularly in July and August when the island is at peak capacity. The experience itself is indoors for the most part, which makes it a sensible option on a hot midday or an overcast afternoon when the beach loses its appeal. The Eggares area is particularly atmospheric in October and November, when the actual olive harvest takes place across Naxos — some years visitors can observe harvest activity in the surrounding groves.

Tips for Visiting

• The tour and tasting are both free, so the main cost is anything you buy in the shop.
• The museum is a good fit for families — the process is easy to explain to children and the tasting table tends to hold their attention.
• Combine the visit with the Kouros of Flerio (Melanes), a 6th-century BC unfinished marble statue left in an olive grove about 3 kilometers south — it takes under 10 minutes by car.
• Bring cash for the shop; card availability at small Naxos businesses is inconsistent, though the museum does have an online presence and is likely to accept cards.
• Contact the museum directly at [email protected] or +30 2285 062021 if you're planning a group visit or want to confirm seasonal hours.
• The outdoor patio is worth lingering on if you visit in the morning before the heat builds.

A Note on the History

Olive cultivation on Naxos predates written records, and the island's interior valleys — particularly around Eggares, Melanes, and Chalki — have been planted with olive trees for centuries. The Eggares press dates to at least the late 1800s, when it would have served the surrounding farming community as communal infrastructure: farmers brought their harvested olives to the mill and paid for pressing in oil or cash. The Lianos family's stewardship of the site across five generations means the restoration is rooted in actual family memory rather than historical reconstruction, which gives the exhibition a credibility that purpose-built heritage attractions often lack.