Apollonas Kouros

Explore the wonders of Naxos island on this guided bus. Visit the valley of Gyroula and the marble quarries of Apollonas. Stop at the villages of Chalki, Apiranthos, and Damalas along the way. Start with a pickup from a variety of locations on Naxos and first travel to the green valley of Gyroula. You will visit the marble temple of the Goddess Demeter, one of the most important ancient monuments on the island. The next stop will be the tiny village of Damalas. Learn everything about the old procedures of olive oil production at a restored olive press museum. Afterward, visit a traditional workshop of a third-generation potter and know the secrets of his art dating back to ancient Greece. Continue to Chalki, an ancient commercial center and a place of beautiful Venetian architecture. You will have approximately 50’ free time to explore by yourselves. Don’t miss the oldest distillery of the island – Vallindras distillery - located right in the middle of the village, the sophisticated ceramic art galleries and the cozy shops with souvenirs and local products. Next, make a long stop (approx. 1,5 hours) at the famous village of Apiranthos located at the foot of Fanari mountain. Admire the beautiful views of Venetian Towers, marbled alleys, cozy tavernas, verandas, and traditional shops. Here, you will have free time for lunch – it is highly recommended to taste the local recipes of “rosto” and “kalogiros”. Driving past Koronos village and the famous emery mines, you will reach Apollonas. Get free time at the picturesque fishing village to go for a quick dip and enjoy a coffee or desert by the seaside. End your tour with a visit to the infamous “Kouros”, an unfinished marble Statue of 11 meters, lying in the same spot for more than 2500 years! Drive along the west coast, one of the most beautiful routes on the island with an amazing view of the ocean, and be returned to your pickup point.

The first stop is Demeter temple, a spectacular recently restored ancient temple from 530 BC. Apart from the impressive monument, you'll have the chance to visit the archeological museum located in the same area, and to check out some findings from the site. Continue the tour to Damalas, a cute little village in the heart of Tragea Valley where you'll enjoy a demonstration at the only remaining traditional pottery workshop and the traditional restored olive press. Then drive to Chalkio, a neoclassical village where you can walk in picturesque alleys, visit the traditional citron distillery/museum, and have an espresso while taking in the classy atmosphere. Head then to the famous village of Naxos, Apiranthos, the “marble village," and stroll down marble cobbled streets and take loads of photos. Drive towards the north part of Naxos island to end up on the northeast edge in Apollonas, a small typical Cycladic village. Have a swim or just relax at one of the cafes by the sea. On the way back, stop by the impressive Kouros, a colossal unfinished statue from the 6th century BC, before returning to Chora, taking in gorgeous views along the way. On Mondays/Wednesdays/Thursdays/Fridays & Sundays lunch break is done at Apiranthos so there s 90' stop at Apiranthos and 45' break at Apollonas while on Saturdays it s the opposite as lunch break is done at Apollonas (90' break) and 45' break at Apiranthos.

Join a magnificent tour and cross the island’s inland, its northern part, and the west. Visit the restored Demeter’s temple in Sangri from circa 530 B.C. and the museum with local findings. Continue to the oldest Citron distillery of the Naxos, dating back to 1896, in Halki. There, take the chance to taste the local Citron drink. A visit to Apeiranthos will give you the chance to see the famous marble village and shop in local traditional shops. Next, as the bus heads north to Apollonas, your tour allows you to see the remnants of the old emery mines and their machinery. Discover the huge 10.5–meter tall Kouros Statue, often considered to be a personification of God Dionysus.

Our first stop is the sacred temple of Demeter. This magnificent temple has been made exclusively of the finest quality Naxos marble and dates back to the 6th century BC. Continue our roadtrip to Damalas village where you can appreciate the laidback nature and visit a pottery workshop fifth generation which keeps the Greek pottery tradition alive. Then ascend to the charming village of Halki. Walk through its charming streets and discover a mixture of neoclassical buildings and traditional Cycladic architecture. In the heart of the village, lies a small distillery called Vallindras which mainly functions as a museum with kitron products (yellow drink from a fruit a bit less bitter than lemon) available for purchase and tasting. You can admire traditional items, machinery, and tools used for the distillation process. Unravel the one of Naxos’s most popular villages, Apiranthos where you have time for stroll around and café or lunch. After that stop, we are heading up to a spot, Stavros Keramotis, where you have the opportunity to admire Naxos beauty from west and east. Next stop is Kouros of Apollonas, also called the Colossus of Dionysus, is a 10.7 metre tall unfinished statue with a weight of around 80 tonnes. It is located in an ancient quarry near Apollonas village, a small town in the northern part of Naxos. The statue is a kouros dating from Archaic period of Ancient Greece, around the turn of the seventh and sixth centuries BC. Last stop is the one of Naxos’s oldest remaining olive mills which is recently renovated, the Eggares Olive Press. View actual tools and equipment that were used in the space at that time. Visit and learn about the traditional methods of olive oil production from a brief presentation.

Our first stop is Kouros of Melanes or Kouros the Greek,asit s widely known. It an imprsessive 6th century BC statue abandoned in the ancient marble quarry,a perfect sample of Archaic period sculpture. Then we have a photostop ,as close as possible of the biggest modern Naxos’ marble quarry. We cross Kynidaros and drive along vineyards ,enjoying mountain view on whirlwind streets and head to our next photostop close to Panagia Drosiani ,with magnificent view of Tragea Valley. Next stop is Filoti the biggest village of Naxos Island ,located on the feet of Zas Mountain ,where you ll have free time to explore the village,walk towards the church of Panagia Filotitisa,visit the Folklore museum,walk at the Old Market Place or have a coffee at the famous village square under the Platanos tree. Following stop is Apiranthos,the marble village famous for the cobbled streets,alleys which are perfect to take photos and create new memories of your Greek holidays. We drive towards the North part of Naxos island and we end up on the Northest edge of Naxos,at Apollonas village ,a small typical Cycladic village ,ideal for swimming or just relaxing at the various cafes by the sea. On our way back we stop at the impressive Kouros statue ,a colossal unfinished statue of the 6thcen BC and then we head back to Chora,following the North-Northwest coast of the island, enjoying view of Agia tower and North Cyclades islands. Last bu least stop is Eggares Olive press where apart from olive oil inforamtion you ll have an unforgettable tasting session!