You'll spend around two and a half hours in a small herbal garden just beyond Naxos town, with your guides as hosts. You'll walk the beds, learn how island herbs are used, and plant one to leave in the soil. Groups stay at eight people or fewer, so there is time to ask questions and work with your hands.
Your guides meet you on the main street opposite My Market and the Shell station, then you walk the last stretch together because the garden road is too steep for cars. Once you are among the beds, they take you plant by plant through island herbs, citrus and vegetable rows, so you can smell a leaf, ask how it is grown on Naxos, and hear how it is used in cooking and everyday care. The group stays at eight or fewer, which means the walk is a conversation rather than a march, and there is time to stop at whatever is in season.
Halfway through you put your hands in the soil: we give you the tools and a herb of your own, you plant it in the garden, and it stays in the ground with a label after you leave. The last part of the visit is unhurried time at the garden table for leftover questions before you walk back to the main road. The whole outing is about two and a half hours from meeting to farewell, and every visit follows the same path through the garden.
The garden sits at Kokkina Spitia, a short way out from Naxos town (Chora), with island hills behind the plots and the town close enough that you can reach us after a day at the harbour or the beaches. Citrus trees, vegetable beds and herb rows sit together on a small holding that is tended by hand rather than as a show garden.
You arrive on the main road opposite the supermarket and petrol station, then walk the last stretch so you step into the garden already at a slower pace. Light on the beds changes through the visit, and the holding stays quiet once you leave the main road behind.
Children aged 7 and over are welcome when they can walk the short path from the main road and stay with the group. You do not need gardening experience, and the planting is done with the tools we provide, so first-time visitors are fine.
Wear closed shoes you do not mind getting dusty, and bring a layer in case the garden cools. Tell us about allergies when you book, because you will be among live plants and soil for most of the visit.
Christina and Kostis host every visit themselves, so you hear how they grow these herbs and why certain plants belong on Naxos. The group stays small on purpose, which means you can ask about a leaf, a scent or a planting method without being rushed along a set script.
The point of the visit is to use your hands as well as listen. You leave a herb in the ground with a label, and you take away a clearer sense of how island plants sit in everyday cooking and care, rather than a long lecture indoors.
We meet you on the main street opposite My Market and the Shell station. Park safely along the road, then walk in together. The garden road is too steep for cars, so this last stretch is always on foot.
Christina and Kostis take you through the rows of island herbs, citrus and vegetable beds. You hear how the plants grow on Naxos and how they are used in local cooking and everyday care, with time to smell and ask as you go.
You plant a herb of your own in the garden, using the tools we provide. The plant stays in the soil with a label, so the visit ends with something you have put in the ground rather than only looked at.
The last part of the visit is unhurried time at the garden table, with space for leftover questions before you walk back to the main road. The whole outing is about two and a half hours from meeting to farewell.
Meet on the main street, directly opposite the My Market supermarket and the Shell petrol station at Kokkina Spitia. The pin is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Sxz8srKLjTRuzuHt6. Park safely along the main road, then walk to us.
Please do not drive down the steep road from the main road to the garden. That track is not suitable for cars, and walking the last stretch is part of how we keep the holding quiet and safe.
Plan for around two hours and thirty minutes from the meeting point to the end of the visit. That covers the walk in, time among the herb beds, planting your own plant, and a short close at the garden table.
The pace is unhurried and we do not run a strict clock on every step, so a few extra minutes either way is normal. If you have plans afterwards, allow a little buffer.
Children aged 7 and over can join when they can walk from the main road and stay with the group. The visit is hands-on rather than a long sit-down talk, which usually suits families who want to smell plants and help with the planting.
It is not suitable for children under 7. There is no separate child price; each guest is booked as a person. Tell us ages when you request so we can keep the group at a comfortable size.
We cap each visit at eight guests. That is enough for a shared table and a proper look at the beds, without turning the garden into a queue. Private pairs and small families are welcome inside that limit.
If you are a larger party, send a request and we will tell you what we can do on another date rather than stretching one visit past eight.
Closed shoes are best because the ground is dry and dusty, and you will stand in soil when you plant. A sun hat helps in warmer months, and a light layer helps once the air cools.
Bring water and any personal medication. We provide the tools and the plant. You do not need your own trowel or gloves unless you prefer to use them.
No. Christina and Kostis guide the walk and the planting, and the tools you need are ready at the garden. First-time visitors are welcome, and you do not need to know plant names before you arrive.
The visit is a conversation in the beds rather than a course with homework. If you already grow herbs at home, there is still plenty to ask about how the same plants behave on Naxos.
The herb you plant stays in the garden with a label after you leave. That is part of the visit: you put something in the soil here, rather than taking a pot away with you.
You still leave with the feel of the work in your hands, and a clearer sense of how those plants are grown and used on the island. The plant remains in the beds as part of the holding, so later guests walk past the same rows you helped tend.
This is a request booking. You choose a date, send the request, and we confirm by message once we have checked the garden diary. Your place is set when you have that confirmation, not before.
We ask for a little notice because the visit is hosted in person. If you need to change after we confirm, write as soon as you can and we will see what is free.
You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the visit starts, using local time on Naxos. Inside that window the booking is treated as going ahead, so please only request a date you can keep.
If we have to cancel on our side, we will contact you and help you move to another date or receive a refund for that booking.
Yes. You will be among live herbs, soil and garden plants for most of the visit, so we ask for allergy details when you book. That helps us steer you away from a plant that is a problem, or talk through whether the visit is right for you.
Bring any personal treatment you usually carry. If you are unsure about a specific plant, write it on the request and we will reply before you travel out from town.
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About the centre
Naxos
You'll walk a small herbal garden just beyond the town of Naxos, with Christina and Kostis as your hosts. Paths run between island herbs, citrus and vegetable beds, and the visit is unhurried so you can smell, touch and ask about how each plant is used in local cooking and everyday care.
We keep groups small so there is time to plant a herb of your own and sit at the garden table afterwards. The garden is tended by hand, with composting and simple growing methods, and you'll leave with a clearer sense of how Naxos herbs fit into island life.
Operated by Kokkina Botanika Tour Experience, a partner of adventuro.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
From £42.80
