The renowned castle of Naxos is located in the island's Chora.

The Castle of Naxos was created in 1207 by Marco Sanudo, as soon as he acquired the sovereignty of the island. He selected the low hill next to the port of Naxos as its construction area, where in ancient times the citadel of the island was. Indeed, many of the acropolis' materials together with others from the Temple of Apollo were used to build the castle. Entrance to the castle was through three gates of which today survive two: Paraporti and Trani Door.

The Castle of Chora is said to have 12 towers for protection, but now only one survives, the so-called Crispi Tower that houses the Byzantine Museum of Naxos. A special feature of the castle is that its outer walls were formed by the walls of the castle houses.

The Castle of Chora was an administrative, educational and religious center. Here is the Catholic Cathedral and next to it there are the ruins of a tower, which according to tradition was the palace of Sanudo. Also, in the building where the Commercial School used to be, today is housed the Archaeological Museum of Naxos. Apart from the splendid mansions, in the Castle of Chora you will find shops of all kinds, from taverns to galleries.

During your holidays in Naxos, you should definitely make one or more trips to the Castle of Chora.