Paros

The Island In The Middle Of Everything

Paros sits in the centre of the Cyclades, one ferry past Mykonos and one before Santorini, and for years that made it the island people passed through. It is not that any more. Naoussa, the fishing harbour at the north end, has become one of the most attractive small towns in the Aegean without losing the boats, the nets or the old men outside the kafeneio, and the island now has the hotels and the restaurants to hold a week rather than an afternoon. It also has the marble. Parian marble was quarried here and carved into some of the most famous sculpture of the ancient world, including the Venus de Milo.

The planning decision: Naoussa, Parikia, or across the channel

Naoussa in the north is the answer for most people: a working harbour with a Venetian ruin in the water, the best dining on the island and the good beaches within fifteen minutes. Parikia, the main port in the west, is busier, less pretty and where the ferries land. Inland, Lefkes and the mountain villages are almost untouched and where you go for lunch rather than to sleep. Then there is Antiparos, a short ferry across a narrow channel, which is quieter, smaller and has become the discreet end of the archipelago. Choosing Naoussa or Antiparos is really choosing how sociable you want the week to be.

Season, and the wind that runs July and August

June and September are the two best months, with warm water, full service and manageable numbers. July and August are hot and busy, and they are also when the meltemi blows hardest. That wind is the thing to understand about high summer in the Cyclades: it makes the heat bearable, it makes Paros one of the best kite and windsurf destinations in Europe at Golden Beach, and it occasionally disrupts the ferries, which matters if your onward island or your flight is tight. May and early October are lovely and quiet, though some places have not yet opened or have already closed.

Where to base, and getting here

Paros has a small airport with domestic flights from Athens, and most people arrive by sea. The fast ferry from Piraeus takes roughly three to four hours depending on the boat, and there are frequent connections to Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini, which makes Paros the natural hub for a two or three island trip. Naoussa is about twenty five minutes from the port. The island is small enough to drive end to end in forty minutes, and a car or a buggy for a few days is worth having.

Stay strategy

Parilio, just outside Naoussa, is the design led property that changed what the island offers, all pale stone and courtyards. Cosme, a Small Luxury Hotels member on the north coast, is the quieter alternative with a serious kitchen. Yria sits on the west coast in gardens and suits families. On Antiparos, The Rooster is a wellness led retreat spread across a hillside and is the most complete version of the quiet trip. The villa market on both islands is good and, for a group, generally better value than the hotels.

When to begin

Four to five months for June and September, and longer for August, when the island genuinely fills and the good rooms in Naoussa are held early. Ferry tickets for the fast boats in high summer sell out and should be booked with the accommodation. If the trip includes more than one island, the order matters more than the choice, because the ferry timetable rather than the map decides what is possible.

Four experiences worth building the days around

• An evening in Naoussa, starting on the harbour wall and ending in the lanes behind it, which is the best small town evening in the Cyclades.
• Kolymbithres, where the sea has weathered the granite into shapes you swim between, early before the boats.
• A day on Antiparos, including the cave, which is far more dramatic than its billing.
• Lunch in Lefkes and a walk on the old Byzantine road, which is the marble paved route that crossed the island.

Who this trip suits

Paros suits couples and families who want the Cyclades without the prices of Mykonos or the crowding of Santorini. It suits anyone building a multi island Greek trip, because everything connects from here. And it suits repeat visitors to Greece looking for somewhere that still functions as a real place.

When another plan may fit better

If you want a caldera view and a honeymoon photograph, that is Santorini and nowhere else. If you want a scene and the clubs, that is Mykonos. And if you want a large hotel with everything on site, the inventory here is boutique in scale and you may find it thinner than you expect.

Plan it with one accountable advisor

Tell us how many islands you want and how long you have, and we will set the order around the ferries rather than around the map, which is what separates a smooth Greek trip from a stressful one. Our luxury leisure travel planning covers the boats, the houses and the timing together.