Halki (Chalki), Naxos Village Travel Guide
What is Halki (Chalki) and why should I visit?
Halki makes for the perfect day trip from stunning Naxos. You will see Halki also known as Chalki and written in both ways. If you get a local map you will most likely see it as Halki.
Talk about a truly authentic travel experience in Naxos, Greece? Chalki AKA Halki as the Greek call it is an adorable village where you find neo classical buildings, Byzantine churches, and picturesque Greek village that somehow seems untouched by tourism. It felt like we were in on the best kept secret in Naxos. Go, you will LOVE it!
Where is Halki in Naxos?
You will be going inland for about 30 minutes to the center of Naxos Island. Chalki or Halki is located in the Tragaia Region of Naxos known for it’s olive groves and over 30 Byzantine churches.
How far is Halki from Naxos?
Chalki or Haiku is located around 20-30 minutes from Naxos Town. It is the most unbelievable drive through the Greek countryside. That alone is worth the trip to Chalki! Think hilly countryside with white washed churches, homes, and occasional coastal views, just incredible.
How to get to Halki from Naxos?
Rental Car, bus, and taxi are your choices while getting to Chalki. I would recommend renting a car if your budget allows or riding the bus for a more budget and sustainable option.
Bus
You can take the local bus from Naxos Town into Chalki and be there in around 30 minutes. From Naxos Town to Chalki or Halki (Greek name for Chalki) it will take 6 stops to get to Chalki. There are 6 routes going to and from Chalki daily. This is a great option if you want a more budget friendly option. The downside is that you have to work around the bus schedule a bit.
Rental Car
We rented a rental car from Naxos town and drove it to both Halki and Filoti (10 min. From Halki). We LOVED having a rental car. It gave us to much freedom to take a day trip to Halki and Filoti but also to explore all Naxos had to offer wayyy easier! You can easily walk down the main area Chora (this is where you will want to base yourself in Naxos Town) and find TONS of rental car companies and shop around a bit and pick one out. This was a fairly quick process for us, took around an hour or two.
Taxi
You can have your hotel call a taxi and have them take you to Halki. You will want to get their number or have your hotel’s number on hand to get a call for a taxi when you are ready to come back. This one is a bit risky with communication barriers at times. I would recommend a rental car or bus.
What to wear to Halki?
You will want to wear comfortable walking shoes for exploring the charming Halki as well as hiking the trails. And dress cute because there are photo opportunities at every twist and turn!
What to do in Halki?
Halki is wonderful because it is easy to travel my favorite way, by wandering. You can easily just plan transportation and otherwise walk in blindly and let Halki surprise and delight you. It is easy to navigate around the quaint village and find the beautiful town square, Byzantine churches, hiking trails, flower galore, friendly locals, and so much more. You can’t get more authentic than Halki.
Hiking in Halki
As soon as you arrive you will begin seeing large brown signs that have trails marked. There are trails that go through the town and on the edges of the main square of Halki. The trails are worth wandering down, there are abandoned Towers and Churches you can wander through. There are also grape vines hanging over the trails that make for the most beautiful little hike through a sweet little Greek village.
The trails we hiked were very close to the main square but there are other great hikes if you have more time to hike! We heard the hike from Halki to Moni is an amazing hike through olive groves and is a 4.3 mile loop that takes around 2 hours to hike. It looks just beautiful!
Shopping in Halki
Halki is known for its handmade goods made locally. You will find beautifully made linens with many with intricate designs that Halki is known for. You will also find locally made painted pottery, jewelry, and locally made oils, jams, clothing, painting, and other locally made treasures. Check out Naxia Gi, an adorable store with honey, herbs, teas, jams, and tons of fun snacks and products to taste a bit of Halki and surrounding Greece with all local products! Another great stop is Nature and Art, a store with beautiful handcrafted linens and more local products such as oil, honey, herbs, jams, and more. Penelope Weaving Workshop Pop Art is another great stop for hand woven linens and beautiful handcrafted goods.
Eating Delicious Food
The food was sooo fresh and all locally made and sourced. Be sure to try the graviera or kopanisti cheese which is made locally in Halki. We stopped at a local place on the square which had the most adorable courtyard right in the center of the most beautiful spot you can imagine with all the neo classical buildings surrounding you with a plate of the most delicious Greek food.
Try Kitron Liquor
You must try the kitron liquor that Halki is known for. Kitron is made from citron trees and has a very unique taste, maybe closest to a gin. Kitro is supposed to be best in Halki so be sure to grab a drink while here! There is a Kitron Distillery called Vallindras Kitron Distillery where you can look around the small distillery, sample kitron, and purchase a bottle that makes the perfect souvenir!
Take Beautiful Photos
This is reason enough to visit Halki. There are tons of quaint alleyways with flowers wrapping around the charming neoclassical buildings and an adorable retro car that all make the perfect backdrop for insta worthy shots that will leave you in awe.
See the Churches
There are many beautiful Byzantine churches sprinkled throughout the Halki village and all within walking distance!
Be sure to check out these churches all located within walking distance of the Halki Village. Below are the churches you can walk to from the main square of the Halki Village.
Protothronos Virgin Church (1 min. walk)
Church of Agios Georgios Diasoritis (9 min. walk)
Saint George Diasorites (9 min. walk)
Church of Panagia Rahidiotisa (20 min walk)
Should I go to Filoti too?
Filoti is very close to Halki by about 10 minutes. If you have a car I say why not? If not I would say it is not a must. It is another quaint town but does not have a center of town but more of a main street and less to see. It does have adorable stairs through an alley with cute shops, and a church at the top of the stairs. It has a couple cute restaurants as well but does have less to see than Halki. It is cute and worth the stop if it is an easy ten minute trip for you depending on your transportation.
How many days should I stay in Naxos?
We would recommend around 3 days in Naxos but you can easily do more if you have the time. You can add on a couple days to make your trip a little more leisurely paced and relaxed. We felt three days gave us plenty of time to see all the main attractions as well as explore Naxos and wander the alleyways, beaches, shops, restaurants, and so much more.
Check out our Ultimate 3 Day Naxos Guide , Chora Naxos Guide, and Best Budget Naxos Accommodations for all you need to know and what to do while in Naxos.
For more Greece travel: Greece Travel Guide, Santorini 3 Day Travel Guide, Crete Travel Guide, Why Crete is the best Greek Island.
Enjoy your exploring the charming Halki Village! Happy Travels!
Traveling more in Greece? Check out our Chora, Naxos Guide, Ultimate 2-3 Week Greece Guide, Ultimate Santorini Guide, Oia or Fira Guide, Oia Things to Do Guide, Naxos Guide, Why Crete is the Best Island, Crete Guide, and Athens Guide.
Have a wonderful trip in Greece and make all your Mamma Mia dreams a reality!
Want to have this guide on your phone to take with you while on the go? Find the Naxos Guide here via an app. Check out the Ultimate Greece Guide too! The guide includes Athens, Santorini, Crete, Mykonos, Naxos, and everything from this Halki guide. It includes map locations, hours, important key information all created by me!
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