Naxos to Rafina is the return leg most people overlook. Piraeus gets the attention, but if your trip ends with a flight out of Athens, Rafina, on the east coast of Attica and much closer to the airport, can save you a long transfer across the city at the end of a tiring travel day.
You leave from the harbour of Naxos Town (Chora), the island's one ferry port, with the marble Portara standing on its islet at the harbour mouth. Naxos is the biggest of the Cyclades, with mountain villages inland and long sandy beaches down the west coast, and many people spend a week here and still leave half of it unexplored.
The Rafina boats sail only from April to October, and the choice is mainly between speed and price. Golden Star Ferries' high-speed boat gets you to Rafina in about three hours, Seajets in a little over four, and the Fast Ferries conventional ship, which sails daily in season, takes about five and a half hours but carries cars with ease and matches the lowest fare on the route.
Plan your arrival time around what comes next. A morning departure puts you in Rafina in the early or mid afternoon, leaving time for an evening flight, but it pays to leave a buffer: ferries can run late, and summer winds occasionally hold high-speed boats in port.
