Naxos

Kastro, Portara, Tragaea and the Apollonas kouros in three days

Spend three days on Naxos. Walk through the Bourgos lanes into the Kastro on the first evening and out to the Portara for sunset, see the Cycladic figurines in the Archaeological Museum and swim at Agios Georgios next day, then drive the Tragaea valley to Halki, Apeiranthos and the kouros near Melanes.

Spend the first evening in Chora: climb through the Bourgos lanes into the Kastro, look at the Venetian crests over the mansion doors, then walk the causeway to the Portara for sunset. The next morning, visit the Archaeological Museum, with its Cycladic marble figurines, before heading to Agios Georgios, or south to Agios Prokopios, for the afternoon.

Give day three to the mountains with a hire car. Drive through the olive groves of the Tragaea valley to Halki for a kitron tasting, continue to Apeiranthos and walk its marble-paved lanes, and stop at the kouros near Melanes on the way back.

On day four, either laze on Plaka beach or drive north to Apollonas to see the biggest kouros, lying in its quarry above the bay, then return along the coast road in the late afternoon. If the sea is calm, a day boat to the Koufonisia makes a good swap for either.

Potatoes, graviera and kitron from Halki

Naxos feeds itself as few Cycladic islands can. Order the island's famous potatoes, fried, with any taverna meal, and try graviera and the sharper arseniko cheeses from the hill pastures. In Halki, the old Vallindras distillery makes kitron, a liqueur from citron leaves, and lets you taste before buying.

The fertile valleys grow the Naxos potatoes that Greek greengrocers sell under the island's name, and the hill pastures supply milk for graviera, a firm, nutty cheese, and arseniko, a sharper aged cheese. Order fried potatoes with any taverna meal; here they actually taste of something.

In Halki, the old Vallindras distillery makes kitron, a liqueur distilled from the leaves of the citron tree, in yellow, clear and green versions of rising sweetness.

For eating out, the lanes of Bourgos and the streets behind the waterfront have the most choice, while the fish tavernas along the harbour suit a long lunch. Up in the mountain villages, simple tavernas in Halki, Filoti and Apeiranthos cook slow-stewed meat and local cheese pies, and they are where the island's food tastes most like home cooking.

Ferries, temples and the Small Cyclades from Naxos

Naxos sits in the middle of the Cyclades, with daily ferries from Piraeus and Rafina in season and boats to Paros, Santorini, Mykonos and the Small Cyclades, where Koufonisia has some of the Aegean's clearest water. The meltemi can delay summer sailings, so leave a day spare before a flight; the Temple of Demeter near Sangri is worth the detour.

Naxos sits in the middle of the Cyclades, which makes it a natural hub. Timetables change through the year, and the meltemi can delay sailings in July and August, so leave a day of slack before an international flight.

On the island itself, the ancient sites are worth a detour. The Temple of Demeter near Sangri, a marble building of the 6th century BC partly rebuilt from its original blocks, sits on a quiet hill above the plain. Panagia Drosiani, a small Byzantine church near Moni, keeps some of the oldest wall paintings in the Cyclades.

Walkers can climb Mount Zas from Filoti, a steady ascent of a few hours to the highest summit in the Cyclades, with views over most of the island group on a clear morning.