NAXOS – Five Best Things in Five Days

Exceptional beaches, picturesque mountain villages, hikes between sheep and olive trees, antique temples, and a mysterious hotel ruin: Here are the five best things not to miss on Naxos.

Chora of Naxos - One of the Five Best Things to do on the island
The Chora of Naxos seen through the eyes Gate of Apollo.

So pack your swimsuit as well as your hiking boots and follow me to Greece’s largest and arguably most amazing island.

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The Island of IOS During Off-Season

Right from the start, let’s put two things straight: Firstly, Ios is not a mobile operating system but one of the Cycladic Islands. And secondly, during the off-season, the island of Ios does not live up to its reputation as a notorious teenage rampage party destination. As soon as all those juvenile disco queens and kings return to their original realms, Ios becomes a very laid-back, even serene island full of natural beauty and tranquility.

The Chora of Ios from above.
The Chora of Ios from above.

To be honest, I don’t even remember exactly what made me come to Ios in the first place. I actually think that it was primarily the island’s convenient location halfway between Santorini and Naxos. So why not squeeze in a couple of days on yet another of the Cyclades? And I certainly didn’t regret it.

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SANTORINI – a self-guided island tour by bus

Picturesque villages of white-washed houses with blue windows and doors, overgrown by blazing red bougainvillea. White church domes against the bluest skies and at dusk, the iconic sunset over the southern Aegean Sea – who doesn’t dream of Santorini? In this guide, I’m showing you how you can tour the island and explore the most enchanting places in Santorini self-guided by a local bus.

View of the village of Oia, visited on a self-guided tour by public bus during three days on Santorini
It simply doesn’t get old: The iconic view of the village of Oia.

I spent three days on the island and got to see the most iconic places at a relaxed pace. If you want to add some hiking – which I didn’t since it was simply too hot – or spend some time on the beach – which is a bit pointless since Santorini’s beaches just aren’t that good – you might want to spend up to one week. However, I’d argue that less than two entire days on the island are definitely too short.

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EL MEDANO – where not only the wind will blow you away

Since, after almost an entire week in Tenerife, I hadn’t been to the beach, I urgently needed to add some lazy hours of sweet nothing. After having explored the island’s northern hinterland, I really didn’t feel like letting the tourist ghettos on the south coast put an ugly stain on the positive’n’pure impression Tenerife had made. Fortunately, the wind blew me to a small surfer town on the east coast, and although I’m not a surfer, El Medano, with its beautiful coastline, laid-back atmosphere, and great fish restaurants, actually did blow my mind.

El Medano in Tenerife
Not only windsurfers enjoy El Médano’s wild waters.
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MOUNT TEIDE – the Highlight of Tenerife

Whether you get to the top hiking or if you opt for a ride on the cable car: Mount Teide is definitely a highlight of every visit to Tenerife. In this post, I’m introducing various ways how to visit this majestic mountain.

Majestic Mount Teide and the amazing stone formation below.
Majestic Mount Teide and the amazing stone formation below.
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GARACHICO – ICOD DE LOS VINOS – MASCA – Touring Tenerife’s Delightful Northcoast

I know, I know, it’s hot, Tenerife’s beaches are beautiful and the waters turquoise’n’tempting. Yet, spending all your time lazing on a beach would be a big mistake since idyllic townlets like Garachico, Icod de Los Vinos, and Masca are awaiting visitors on the island’s cooler yet very delightful Northcoast.

Village of Masca
Masca, the forecourt to paradise.
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LA OROTAVA – Tenerife’s Most Mesmerizing Mountain Town

No matter what else you are planning to do on the island of Tenerife – a visit to the mountain town of La Orotava, basically the forecourt of the Teide mountain, will be the absolute highlight of your trip – literally.

The Mountain Town La Orotava in Tenerife
View of La Orotava…and far beyond.
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Day Trip to San Cristobal de La Laguna and the National Park of Anaga

Do you guys want to see where Disney & Co. get their inspiration and their decoration ideas from? Then follow me on a day trip to the picturesque town of San Cristobal de la Laguna – mostly just referred to as La Laguna – from where we’ll take the bus uphill to the enchanted forests of Anaga. Quick, call Snow White, and then it’s hi ho hi ho off to Anaga we go!

Mural created by Matías Mata aka Sabotaje al Montaje. in San Cristobal de la Laguna in Tenerife
Hardly anyone is talking about La Laguna’s artsy side. This is my favorite mural, created by Matías Mata aka Sabotaje al Montaje.
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Guide to PUERTO DE LA CRUZ – a Town Full of Contrasts

Way back in Tenerife’s early years of tourism, the former fishing village Puerto de la Cruz was apparently destined to become this major mass tourism resort. Sadly, in some spots, merciless planners succeeded so that the town has to endure some of those horrific soulless high-rising prefab buildings. But as mass tourism finally moved mostly to the south coast, Puerto de la Cruz got somehow stuck between its old charm and the ugly remains from the second half of the 20th century. It remained in a peculiar limbo between idyllic beaches and striking urban art. There is the old and the new, the borrowed and the blue – all in all, Puerto de la Cruz is a place of many contrasts which makes it the perfect base on Tenerife’s northern coast.

View of Parque Maritimo Cesar Manrique, Puerto de la Cruz
When the waters are too rough, you can always go for a swim at the Parque Maritimo, created by Canarian superstar Cesar Manrique.
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