Island feature
Paros: two harbour towns, a mountain village and a beach for every mood
Paros is the island we recommend most to first-timers, and for good reason: it has a lively capital with ferries to almost everywhere, one of the most stylish little harbours in the Aegean, a marble village in the hills and golden beaches on every coast. It is beautiful, easy-going and surprisingly varied, and choosing where to stay shapes your whole trip.
Read the full storyClose the story
Parikia: the lively capital
Parikia is where almost everyone arrives, and first impressions can be misleading: the waterfront is busy with ferries, taxis, scooters and travellers hauling suitcases, especially when a big boat docks. Walk two minutes inland, though, and the noise falls away. The old town is a maze of marble lanes outlined in white, shaded by bougainvillea, with the smell of fresh bread and grilled meat drifting from tavernas, and little shops selling jewellery, sandals, linen and ceramics along the old market street.
Climb to the Kastro quarter, where the Venetians built their walls from ancient marble blocks, and step inside the Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Church of a Hundred Doors, one of the oldest churches in Greece; it is cool and calm, a world away from the quay outside. In the evening Parikia has a relaxed, sociable buzz: sunset drinks at the bars along the western side of the bay, jazz and blues at the Pirate Bar in a market lane, cocktails by the water at BeBop, and a younger, international crowd dancing at The Dubliner later on.
Our advice: Parikia is the most practical base on the island, with the ferry port, the bus station and a good choice of mid-range hotels and studios, and it is generally better value than Naoussa. Choose a room a little back from the waterfront if you want quiet nights.
Naoussa: the stylish harbour
On the north coast, Naoussa is the place that most people fall for. In the morning it is a working fishing port: painted caiques bob in clear water below the ruined Venetian fort, fishermen mend their nets, and octopus hangs drying in the sun outside the tavernas on the quay. As the sun goes down, the little harbour turns gold and the whole village seems to come alive, with tables spilling onto the waterfront and the white lanes behind it filling with people browsing boutiques before dinner.
Naoussa is also the heart of the island’s nightlife. Start with a cocktail at a waterfront bar like Agosta as the light fades, then wander into the lanes: Sante, by a little chapel, has been mixing fruit cocktails since 1993, and later in the night the music moves to places like Linardo by the sea. The atmosphere is stylish but friendly rather than exclusive.
Our advice: stay in Naoussa if you want restaurants, bars and boutiques on your doorstep, but expect it to be busier and pricier, especially in July and August. Book dinner ahead in high season, and if you are driving, use the car parks at the edge of the village, as the centre is pedestrian and parking is tight.
Lefkes: peace in the hills
For a complete change of mood, drive up through the olive groves to Lefkes, the island’s old capital, high in the green interior. After the bustle of the harbours, it feels wonderfully serene: car-free marble lanes, tiny squares, flower-filled courtyards and the sound of birdsong and church bells. Have a coffee in the shade, then walk part of the old Byzantine path down through the countryside towards Prodromos, one of the loveliest walks in the Cyclades. Go in the morning, before the heat.
Beaches for every mood
Paros has beaches for every taste, and the wind decides which one is best on the day. Golden Beach and New Golden Beach on the east coast are among the best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the Aegean; Santa Maria has a lively beach-bar scene; Kolymbithres, reached by little boats from Naoussa, has extraordinary wind-smoothed granite rocks; and when the summer meltemi blows from the north, sheltered Faragas in the south is the place to be. Just across the strait, little Antiparos adds sandy coves and a spectacular cave full of stalactites.
Getting around
Buses run from Parikia to Naoussa, Lefkes and many of the beaches, but a car or scooter gives you the freedom to explore, especially in the south and east. Taxis are limited in high season, so pre-book late-night transfers. With fast ferries from Piraeus in under three hours and flights from Athens of about 40 minutes, Paros is easy to reach, and it makes an ideal base for day trips and island hopping.
