A Naxos catamaran trip takes travelers out on a sailing boat with two hulls from Naxos, the largest island of the Cyclades. The wide deck stays steady while the boat stops in coves to swim. It is one of the catamaran cruises in Greece on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Naxos catamaran cruise includes, how a catamaran differs from a yacht and where it leaves from. It also covers the beaches, the Small Cyclades and Naxos Town from the sea. Swim stops, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Naxos catamaran cruise or boat trip that can be booked online.
What does a Naxos catamaran cruise include?
A Naxos catamaran cruise is a day at sea on a twin-hulled sailing boat. A skipper and crew run the boat. The day mixes time under sail with swim stops in sheltered coves. A meal is also served on board.
The word catamaran comes from kattumaram, Tamil for logs bound together. The Austronesian peoples invented the twin-hulled design. It carried them to islands across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Catamarans also became high-speed ferries in the 1970s. Fast catamarans still carry ferry passengers from the mainland to Naxos. A Naxos catamaran cruise is a different thing, a sailing boat for a day out.
Cruising catamarans are commonest in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Australia. In those two seas, they form the bulk of the charter trade, or boat hire. The Municipality of Naxos lists a catamaran day cruise on its tourism site.
A skipper commands the boat and at times also steers it as the helmsman. Crew and passengers on a Naxos catamaran all come under that authority. The skipper is not always the owner of the boat.
Meals on a Naxos catamaran come from the galley, or boat kitchen. Galley stoves at sea commonly swing on pivots called gimbals, so pans stay level. Bars on the stove also stop the cook from falling onto the heat.
- First rafts: The Tamil original was a one-hull raft of three to seven tree trunks.
- Deck kitchen: A small cooking spot on deck is a caboose, from the Dutch kombuis.
- Emergencies: The person in command arranges medical care and sends the sick ashore if needed.
A Naxos catamaran cruise is one choice among the sea outings from the island. Wider choices, from island crossings to coastal trips, sit on the Naxos boat trip page. The twin hulls set this cruise apart from the rest.
How does a Naxos catamaran differ from a single-hull yacht?
A Naxos catamaran rests on two hulls joined by a wide deck. A single-hull yacht, or monohull, relies on a keel, a deep weighted fin. The catamaran leans less and needs no extra weight. It also floats in shallower water near the shore.
Larger single-hull sailboats commonly carry deep keels filled with ballast. Sailors have used stones as ballast since the days of the Romans and Phoenicians. This heavy weight sits low and keeps a monohull upright against the wind.
A Naxos catamaran relies instead on form stability, which comes from its shape. Tipping over a cruising catamaran 50 feet long takes four times the force. A monohull of the same size goes over with a quarter of that push.
A cruising catamaran does not heel, or lean, more than 10 to 12 degrees. That holds even at full speed with the wind on the side. A steady Naxos catamaran tires the crew less and suits families.
The two hulls of a catamaran need a link between them. A bridgedeck, a solid deck that can hold cabins, commonly joins the two hulls. Simpler cruising boats stretch a trampoline, a tight net, between the crossbeams instead.
A catamaran draws, or sinks into the water, as little as 0.91 metres. That shallow draft lets a Naxos catamaran reach coves with little depth. The boat is also easier to beach, or run up onto sand.
- Engines: A cruising catamaran carries two engines and two rudders.
- Weight: Without ballast, a multi-hull boat weighs much less than a single-hull sailboat.
- Drag: The two hulls meet less water resistance and need less power.
- Popularity: Catamarans have won favour since the 1960s for their space and speed.
A Naxos catamaran swaps the deep keel of a yacht for width. The design suits guests who prefer steady footing between swims and meals. Each day on board begins at a pier on the west side of the island.
Where does a Naxos catamaran leave from?
A Naxos catamaran leaves from the main harbour of Chora, the capital of Naxos. The port faces the sea on the west coast of the island. South of the town, the beach resorts of Agia Anna and Agios Prokopios also offer anchorages.
Chora, also called Naxos Town, is home to 8,897 people. Its harbour handles ferries to Piraeus, the port of Athens, about 180 kilometres or 100 nautical miles away. A Naxos catamaran shares this busy harbour with those large ships.
The harbour of Chora gives sailors water, mechanical and technical help and food supplies. A crew can fill the tanks and load provisions there before the day. Town tap water comes from nearby dams and is not pure enough to drink.
Taxis wait near the port, and intercity buses link the town with the villages. In summer, buses run extra trips and car traffic fills the town. Guests heading to a Naxos catamaran allow spare time to reach the pier.
Agia Anna lies south of Agios Prokopios, and its sand runs on from that beach. A little port with fishing boats sits at the end of the stretch. A Naxos catamaran can anchor in the cove beside its small pier.
Agios Prokopios is a seaside village of 182 residents, with the resort of Stelida nearby. Sailing boats anchor offshore along its beach. A Naxos catamaran anchored there is sheltered from north winds, despite strong currents.
- Chapel bays: Small bays with no wind lie near the chapel at Agia Anna.
- Red Lake: Herons rest at this saltpan near the village before flying to Africa.
- Feast day: The village honours its saint with a religious feast on 8 July.
- Airport: The island’s airport lies about 3 kilometres from the centre of Chora.
Departure points for a Naxos catamaran split between town and beach. The harbour of Chora has ferries, taxis and supplies. The resorts to the south add a small pier and offshore anchorages near the hotels.
Which beaches does a Naxos catamaran reach on the south-west coast?
A Naxos catamaran reaches a chain of long sandy beaches on the south-west coast. Plaka, Mikri Vigla, Kastraki and Glyfada line the shore south of the town. The route ends at the Alyko peninsula, where junipers cover the dunes above small coves.
A Naxos catamaran reaches Plaka at the northern end of the chain. Its sand lies thick in places, and the sea floor mixes sand with thin pebbles. In a folk tale, a princess watched the stars from a tower there.
Further south, a Naxos catamaran passes Mikri Vigla, a sheltered bay. The municipality rates it the best spot on the island for kite surfing. Windsurfers and kitesurfers from abroad gather here, and kite schools work on the beach.
Kastraki is a small cove behind that peninsula, beside Glyfada beach. Its fine white sand meets calm water. Small vessels can drop anchor here, so a Naxos catamaran can pause in the cove.
At the Alyko peninsula, a Naxos catamaran reaches one of the largest juniper forests in Greece. The age-old trees cover about 200 acres. Heather, wild thyme and wild flowers grow between them.
The woodland is also known as a cedar forest. Juniper roots spread out at least twice as far as the tree is tall. Their thin, webbed roots hold the sand and keep the dunes in place.
- Tree age: The junipers live 200 to 300 years and reach up to six metres.
- Name: One Mediterranean juniper bears the Latin name oxycedrus, meaning sharp cedar.
- Tripodes: In the same tale, villagers named their village Tripodes in her honour.
- Wildlife: Hares, reptiles and birds live in the forest.
Below the trees lie the coves of Alyko, Small Alyko, Kedros and Hawaii. Their sandy beaches meet turquoise water, with juniper dunes behind. From these coves, a Naxos catamaran looks up at the ridges of southern Naxos.
Can a Naxos catamaran sail to the Small Cyclades or Paros?
A Naxos catamaran can sail south to Iraklia and Schinoussa in the Small Cyclades. It can also cross the strait west to Paros. Iraklia is the closest of the four Small Cyclades islands to Naxos. Both southern islands have sheltered bays with sandy floors.
Heading south, a Naxos catamaran finds the Iraklia port in Agios Georgios bay. The inner pier holds about 10 berths for sailing boats. The water there is about 4 metres deep, over sand that holds anchors well.
The harbour faces north-east, yet the summer north winds, called meltemia, barely disturb the port. South of it, boats anchor in Livadi bay over sand 4 to 5 metres deep. Pigadi bay, also called Tourkopigado, offers sand at 6 to 10 metres.
Next, a Naxos catamaran reaches Mersini, the port of Schinoussa. It sits deep in a bay facing south-west, with a small chapel at the mouth. The municipality counts it among the best shelters for small boats in the Aegean.
The port is well sheltered from north winds but open to south-east and south-west winds. Five coves line the eastern side: Fykio, Psili Ammos, Fontana, Almyros and Lioliou. Their sandy floors lie about 5 metres deep, shielded from north and north-west winds.
Westward, a Naxos catamaran can cross the strait to the east side of Paros. The village of Marpissa stands on a hill on that side. Around 1500, Niccolo Sommaripa enlarged the Venetian castle at Kephalos and moved the island’s capital there.
- Alimia: A Second World War seaplane lies sunk in this sheltered Iraklia cove.
- Islets: Venetiko faces Livadi beach, and the Mikros and Megalos Avelas rocks lie south-west.
- Beach count: Islanders count well over 20 beaches on Schinoussa, tiny coves included.
- Hilltop: The monastery of Saint Antonios stands where the ruined castle once rose.
The two bays south of the Iraklia port lie open to north and north-east winds. They give safe anchorage in all other weather. So a Naxos catamaran picks its southern stops by the wind of the day.
What does a Naxos catamaran see of Naxos Town from the sea?
A Naxos catamaran sees the old face of Naxos Town as it enters the harbour. The marble Portara stands on the Palatia islet at the entrance. A white chapel sits on a tiny islet in the harbour. The Venetian Kastro crowns the hill above the old houses.
As a Naxos catamaran enters the main port, the Portara stands out from far away. The marble entrance weighs about 80 tons. It is the gate of a temple of Apollo that the builders never finished.
The plan followed the temples of Olympian Zeus in Athens and Hera on Samos. A colonnade, or ring of columns, was planned around the building. It was never completed, and traces of its foundations still lie around the gate.
Mid-harbour, a Naxos catamaran passes Panagia Myrtidiotissa, a white chapel of the Virgin Mary. In ancient times, people worshipped Poseidon, the sea god, on this rock. Only boats reach it, and its feast falls every 24 September.
On the hill above, a Naxos catamaran sees the Kastro. Its south-eastern gate, Piso Paraporti, is lost. Inside, the Ursuline School began teaching in 1739 and passed to the Greek state in 1986.
Below the Kastro, the old houses of Bourgos once belonged to merchants and craftsmen. Nio Chorio, meaning New Village, housed poorer farmers and has wider streets. Local rules require new buildings to follow the style of the Old Town.
- Wine god: Palatia is said to be the first site of Dionysian festivities.
- Wedding vows: Couples exchange wedding vows on the islet today.
- Grotta school: The town’s oldest primary school has run in Grotta since 1835.
- Old church: Capella Kazatza, beside the Archaeological Museum, dates from the 13th or 14th century.
From the deck, a Naxos catamaran sees the gate, chapel and walled hill together. The gate is ancient, and the walls on the hill are Venetian. Together they greet every traveller who arrives by sea.
How do swim stops work on a Naxos catamaran?
A Naxos catamaran makes swim stops in quiet coves. The skipper drops anchor over sand, and the crew lowers a swim ladder at the back. Guests then swim or snorkel among wrasse, combers and sea cucumbers before the boat moves on.
A Naxos catamaran skipper picks each cove with care. A good anchorage has shelter, firm ground and room for the boat to swing. Hard sand holds an anchor well, while a bed of shells holds it poorly.
The anchor line needs length to grip. In moderate weather, it runs out to four times the water depth. The boat then backs up slowly on its motor. A smooth pull on the line shows that the anchor has dug in.
Anchors also damage seagrass. Posidonia, also called Neptune grass, is a seagrass of the Mediterranean. Its creeping stems spread just 1 to 6 cm a year, so a scar heals slowly. Bare sand gives the anchor a safer place to bite.
On a Naxos catamaran, the crew lowers a swim ladder from one hull. Swimmers climb down it into the sea. Snorkellers float face down and breathe through a tube. To clear water from it, they tilt the head back and breathe out while rising.
Snorkellers scan the rocks and seagrass below the boat. The painted comber shelters in rocky caves by day and hunts at dusk. Wavy blue lines mark its head, and five to seven dark bars cross its sides. It grows to 36 cm.
- Rainbow wrasse: This Mediterranean fish buries itself in sand at night and rests in a sleeplike state.
- Cardinalfish: The male of this small red cave fish carries the eggs in his mouth.
- Sea cucumber: This leathery animal grows 20 to 45 cm long and eats algae and plankton.
A Naxos catamaran stop joins seamanship and sea life. The skipper reads the seabed before the anchor drops. Swimmers then read the same seabed through a mask.
When is the best season for a Naxos catamaran?
A Naxos catamaran sails best at the edges of summer. September brings highs of 25.1 °C in Naxos town, with rain on just 1.9 days. In the windy heart of summer, an early start meets lighter breezes and a flatter sea.
Late spring on Naxos is warm and nearly dry. In the last month of spring, Naxos town gets 10.6 mm of rain over 3.6 days. Highs reach 22.1 °C, and nights drop to 15.7 °C.
September keeps the warmth of summer. Nights in Naxos town hold at 20.1 °C, and the month totals only 7.7 mm of rain. A Naxos catamaran in September meets warm evenings and dry skies.
The meltemi, also called the etesian wind, is the summer north wind of the Aegean. It can blow from late spring to October. It keeps the heat lower across the Aegean, along with the gap between day and night readings.
The land breeze of the night is weaker and shallower than the sea breeze of the day. Wave size depends on wind speed, wind duration and fetch. Fetch is the stretch of open water the wind crosses. An early Naxos catamaran start gives the breeze less time to raise waves.
Waves stir the surface layer of the sea and carry its heat downward. The upper 100 metres can then share an even temperature. A swimmer who dives down can meet a thermocline, where the water turns colder quite suddenly. At that boundary, the water looks like wrinkled glass.
- Year mean: Naxos town averages 18.3 °C across the whole year.
- Late heat: The hottest September reading at the Naxos town station is 34.0 °C.
- June rain: June brings only 2.4 mm of rain to Naxos town.
Each month shapes the sea in its own way. The shoulder months, either side of high summer, bring mild air and dry decks. High summer adds heat and wind, so early departures suit guests prone to seasickness.
What do travelers ask about a Naxos catamaran?
A Naxos catamaran trip leads travelers to five practical questions. They concern seasickness on two hulls and days at sea with children. Another weighs a private cruise against a shared one. Sunset sailings and a land tour on another day complete the list.
Does a Naxos catamaran help against seasickness?
Two hulls rock less, yet the risk remains. Motion sickness comes from a gap between the motion the body feels and the motion it expects. Roughly one-third of people are highly prone to it. Eyes on the horizon and a still head help.
Can children join a Naxos catamaran cruise?
Children join with their parents, but young skin needs care. Babies and children are highly sensitive to sun damage, which raises skin cancer risk later in life. Water reflects the sun’s rays, and sunscreen needs a fresh coat after every swim.
Is a private Naxos catamaran better than a shared one?
On a private Naxos catamaran, one party books the whole boat and picks the coves with the skipper. A shared cruise follows a route set in advance, with other guests on deck. The private format suits a group that wants the deck to itself.
What is a sunset Naxos catamaran cruise like?
A sunset Naxos catamaran cruise sails in the evening light. Blue and green light scatter more strongly and drop out of the sun’s beam. Orange and red remain. Evening air also holds more particles than morning air, so sunsets glow brighter than sunrises.
Can a Naxos catamaran trip pair with a land tour?
A Naxos catamaran shows only the coast of an island that covers 430 square kilometres. Mountain villages, marble statues and old churches lie inland. A Naxos tour by land on another day reaches them by road.
Featured photo: Naxos private sunset catamaran cruise with dinner, via GetYourGuide.