Moutsouna - Port

Liaridia Beach (also spelled Ligaridia) is a small, sheltered cove on the southwest coast of Naxos, roughly 20 minutes by car from Naxos Town. The beach is pebble and shingle rather than sand, with clear, calm water protected by the surrounding headlands. You won't find sunbeds, tavernas, or crowds—just a strip of shore and the kind of quiet that draws locals and low-key travelers.\n\n## What to Expect\n\nThe beach is narrow and backed by low, rocky terrain. The water is typically calm and very clear, making it good for snorkeling along the edges where the sea floor drops off and rocks create habitat for small fish. There are no facilities—no shade structures, no toilets, no beach bars. Bring everything you need. The shoreline is mostly smooth pebbles, with some larger stones near the waterline. Water shoes make entry easier if you're sensitive to uneven ground.\n\n## How to Get There\n\nFrom Naxos Town, take the main road south toward Agia Anna and Plaka, then continue past Kastraki Beach. Follow signs for Pyrgaki and the southwest coast. Liaridia is signposted on a left turn about 18 km from town. The final approach is a narrow paved road that ends at a small parking area near the beach. The drive takes 20–25 minutes. There is no public bus service to Liaridia, so you'll need a car or scooter.\n\n## Tips for Visiting\n\n- **Bring shade.** There are no umbrellas for rent and very little natural cover. A beach umbrella or tent is essential in summer.\n- **Pack food and water.** The nearest taverna is several kilometers back toward Kastraki.\n- **Wear water shoes.** The pebble entry is manageable but sharper underfoot than sand.\n- **Snorkel gear recommended.** The rocky edges and clear water make for decent underwater viewing.\n- **Check the wind.** The cove is sheltered, but strong meltemi winds from the north can still kick up afternoon chop in July and August.\n\n## Best Time to Visit\n\nLiaridia is best from late May through early October when the water is warm and the sea calm. Mornings are quietest. In peak summer (July–August), you might see a handful of other beachgoers, but it rarely feels crowded. Outside high season, you may have the beach to yourself. Avoid windy days—while the cove offers some protection, whitecaps can make swimming less pleasant. Sunset here is straightforward and unobstructed, with the sun dropping into the open sea to the west.\n\n## What's Nearby\n\nPyrgaki Beach is about 5 km further south and offers a longer stretch of sand with a couple of tavernas if you want more infrastructure. Kastraki Beach, 10 minutes back north, has sunbeds, watersports, and several beach bars. For a meal after your swim, head to the village of Vivlos (Tripodes), roughly 15 minutes inland, where you'll find traditional tavernas and a working agricultural community.

Agios Ioannis is one of dozens of small chapels dedicated to Saint John (Ioannis) scattered across the Naxos countryside. This whitewashed stone church sits in the central part of the island, between the villages of Damalas and Kinidaros, surrounded by olive groves and farmland. Like many rural Cycladic chapels, it serves both as a place of local worship and as a landmark along walking routes through the interior.\n\n## What to Expect\n\nThe chapel follows the classic single-nave design common to Naxos village churches: whitewashed walls, a small arched doorway, a blue-domed roof, and a simple stone-paved courtyard. Inside you'll find icons, oil lamps, and basic wooden furnishings. The church is typically unlocked during daylight hours, though it may be closed outside of services or feast days. There's no formal visitor infrastructure—this is a working chapel, not a tourist site.\n\n## How to Get There\n\nThe church is located roughly 2 km east of the village of Kinidaros, accessible via a minor paved road that branches off the main Chora-Apiranthos route. If you're driving from Naxos Town, head southeast toward Galanado, then continue east through Damalas. The turnoff is poorly signed; using the GPS coordinates (37.0786, 25.5873) will get you closest. Parking is informal—pull onto the shoulder near the chapel gate.\n\n## Tips for Visiting\n\n- **Respect active worship.** If a service is underway or locals are lighting candles, observe quietly or return later.\n- **Dress appropriately.** Cover shoulders and knees, even for a quick look inside.\n- **Bring water.** There are no facilities or shade trees nearby, and summer heat is intense.\n- **Combine with a hike.** The church sits near traditional kalderimia (stone paths) linking Kinidaros to Damalas—ask locals for trail directions.\n- **No set hours.** The door may be locked unpredictably; visit mid-morning or late afternoon for better odds.\n\n## The Feast Day Tradition\n\nAgios Ioannis chapels celebrate their name day on two dates: January 7 (winter feast of Saint John the Baptist's beheading) and August 29 (beheading commemoration). On feast days, villagers gather for a morning liturgy followed by a communal meal—wine, bread, and often goat stew—in the courtyard. If you're on Naxos during these dates and see smoke rising from a rural chapel, you've likely stumbled on a panigiri. Visitors are usually welcomed to join the meal, though it's polite to bring a small contribution (a bottle of wine, fruit, or sweets).\n\n## What's Nearby\n\nKinidaros village, 2 km west, has a small kafeneio and a bakery. The larger village of Apiranthos, known for its marble-paved lanes and museums, is 6 km to the southeast. The chapel also sits roughly halfway between the coast at Kastraki Beach (10 km southwest) and the mountain villages of Koronos and Skado (12 km northeast), making it a plausible mid-route stop for drivers crossing the island.\n\n## Why Visit?\n\nAgios Ioannis won't appear on any "top 10" list, and that's the point. It's a window into the everyday faith life of rural Naxos—quiet, unpolished, rooted in centuries of village rhythm. If you're exploring the interior by car or on foot and you see the white dome through the olive branches, pull over. Light a candle, sit in the courtyard for five minutes, and you'll understand the island better than any beach day will teach you.

The Fish Net — known locally as Dichti, or Το Δίχτυ — sits directly on Moutsouna beach on the eastern coast of Naxos, about 30 km from Naxos Town. It has been serving fresh fish and traditional Greek seafood since 1960, which makes it one of the longest-running tavernas on the island. The setting is straightforward: tables on the sand or just off it, the Aegean in front of you, and a menu built around whatever came off the boats that day.\n\nMoutsouna itself is a small, quiet fishing village that sees far fewer tourists than the western coast. Getting here requires a deliberate choice — you don't pass through Moutsouna on the way to anywhere else. That self-selection tends to keep the crowd manageable and the atmosphere unhurried.\n\n## What to Expect\n\nThe menu centers on the kind of Greek seafood that travels badly and tastes best within sight of the water: grilled whole fish by the kilo, fried anchovies (gavros tiganitos), octopus, and calamari. Alongside the fish, the kitchen puts out crisp salads, pasta dishes, and a selection of small plates to start. Coffee and handmade desserts round out the meal if you want to linger.\n\nThis is not a fine-dining room with white tablecloths. The appeal is the location and the simplicity — beach-casual service, honest portions, and ingredients sourced locally. The rating on Google (3.6 from over 400 reviews) reflects a mixed but loyal crowd; expectations calibrated to a village taverna rather than a Naxos Town restaurant will serve you better here.\n\nFor reservations or questions, call +30 2285 068255 or check the restaurant's website at moutsouna-naxos.com.\n\n## How to Get There\n\nMoutsouna is on the east coast of Naxos, reached by driving inland from Naxos Town through the mountain villages of Filoti and Apiranthos, then descending toward the coast. The road is paved but narrow in stretches, and the drive takes roughly 45–55 minutes. A car or scooter rental is effectively required — no regular bus route connects Naxos Town to Moutsouna.\n\nParking is informal near the beachfront; space is generally available outside peak August weekends. There is no boat or ferry service to Moutsouna from other parts of the island.\n\n## Best Time to Visit\n\nThe restaurant operates seasonally, in line with most east-coast Naxos establishments. Summer (June through September) is the operating window, with July and August bringing the busiest period. Lunch on a weekday in June or early September gives you the calmest conditions and the same sea views without the August crowds.\n\nEarly evening is pleasant for the light and temperature, though the eastern coast loses direct sunlight before the west. If you're combining the meal with a swim, the beaches between Moutsouna and Panormos to the south are clear and largely empty by mainland Greek standards.\n\n## Tips for Visiting\n\n- **Call ahead in peak season.** The taverna is small and beachfront tables fill up on weekends in July and August.\n- **Order the fish by the kilo.** Ask what's fresh that day rather than defaulting to the menu; the daily catch varies.\n- **Combine with a beach day.** The coastline between Moutsouna and Panormos has several undeveloped beaches worth stopping at before or after lunch.\n- **Bring cash.** Card acceptance in small east-coast villages can be unreliable; it's worth having euros on hand.\n- **Account for the drive.** The mountain road through Apiranthos is scenic but slow. Budget an hour each way from Naxos Town.\n- **Check opening days before driving out.** No confirmed daily schedule is publicly listed; a quick phone call saves a wasted trip.\n\n## The East Naxos Coast Context\n\nMoutsouna was historically an emery-shipping port — the area's emery mines, once among the most productive in the world, used the village's harbor to export the mineral. That industrial past is largely invisible now, replaced by a quiet fishing-village character. The Fish Net's longevity since 1960 puts it roughly in the middle of that transition, and the restaurant's name and identity are tied tightly to the sea and the local catch rather than to any tourist-facing reinvention. For visitors willing to make the drive across the island, it offers a version of Naxos that the Agios Prokopios beach strip does not.