Day 14: Sailing Away from Iraklia to Naxos

This post is part of a series called Mykonos and Lesser Cyclades 2025

Introduction

I woke slightly before my 7:30 alarm following a restful night’s sleep. After showering and packing the last of my things, I checked out of Agnadema just after 8 am. With time to spare before my ferry, I returned to Perasma Cafe for breakfast, having already confirmed that the Express Skopelitis was still on schedule for a 9:15 departure.

Despite being a bit anxious that breakfast might be slow (I’d hoped to squeeze in a final bit of filming before boarding), I needn’t have worried. I was the only customer, and my yoghurt with honey and nuts, along with a coffee, arrived quickly.

A Close Call at the Port

After finishing up, I popped into H MELISSA mini market across the road to grab a small bottle of water for the crossing—I’d somehow forgotten to pack any. I took a walk beside the beach to record my final Iraklia vlog segment, then made my way towards the port.

Just as I arrived, I spotted the lady from my accommodation waiting for me. Turns out I hadn’t paid for the room yet! With a red face and a flurry of apologies, I scraped together the €114 I owed, leaving me with only around €20 for the rest of the trip. Not ideal, but since most places take cards, I wasn’t too worried.

In an unexpected twist of kindness, the woman I’d spoken to at breakfast the day before turned up at the port. She thanked me again for our chat and my videos, and then handed me a €20 donation for the channel! Given the situation I’d just explained, her timing couldn’t have been better.

Hello Again, Naxos

The ferry journey to Naxos was smooth and uneventful. After arriving, I made my way to my new accommodation, a private rental through Booking.com called Aotes. Unfortunately, with no sign outside, it took a bit of detective work to find. Eventually, I stumbled upon the entrance, helped by an Australian couple staying there. They kindly connected me to the Wi-Fi, where I finally received instructions from the owner. The last hurdle was finding the key, which a cleaner kindly fetched from a wall cabinet I hadn’t wanted to force open earlier.

Once inside, I had a quick shower, unpacked, and got myself ready for an afternoon beach trip. The room was quite luxurious, probably the nicest of my entire trip, which made me a little sad that I would only be spending one night there, oh well!

After lotioning up and checking I had everything I needed, I left the room and made it to the bus station just before 11:50 and bought two €2.30 tickets—one for the outbound trip and one for the return later.

Beach-Hopping on Naxos

The bus made its way out of Naxos Town and dropped me at Agios Prokopios around 15–20 minutes later. I filmed some beach shots and strolled along the main tourist street before continuing on foot to Agia Anna, where I filmed again and stopped for lunch at Liatero. The burger, chips, and Mamos beer really hit the spot.

From there, I continued south past the second beach at Agia Anna, around the headland and onto Plaka Beach, making it as far as Tortuga Beach Bar. Just as I was thinking about turning back, I spotted a local bus and managed to catch it heading north, which saved my legs. I was back in Naxos Town by 2:30 pm and got off near St George Beach, where I grabbed a few more video clips before swinging by To Elliniko to reserve a table for dinner at 7 pm.

Back at the apartment, I rested for a couple of hours after what felt like a hectic day so far.

Evening in Naxos Town

At 6 pm, I headed out to film more of Naxos Town, climbing to the top of the Venetian Fortress for sweeping views of the island. I made my way down to To Elliniko for dinner, which started with some delicious cheesy spring rolls. I’d also ordered moussaka, which was excellent—though after a big lunch and heavy starter, I could only manage about two-thirds of it. I paired the meal with a glass of red wine–definitely the best of the trip.