My daughter and I recently spent three days on Paros in the Greek Islands and we decided that we wanted more. We still had more exploring to do and wanted more beach time as well. We had a great time in the few days that we were there though.
Paros is part of the Cyclades Islands that also includes well known Mykonos and Santorini. It attracts less visitors, possibly because it doesn’t have an international airport. I don’t think that cruise ships stop there either.
Although I imagine it is busy over the summer months, when we went in September it was reasonably quiet. We never had any trouble finding places to dine or catching buses.
Getting There
We took a 40 minute flight from Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) to Paros on Olympic Air. Sky Express flies there as well. We flew in from different countries, so we met up in Athens. There was a big airport reunion after living on the other side of the world from each other for several years. We then carried on to Paros together. There are no international flights to Paros.
Paros Airport is very small and there are almost no services here. Buses and taxis turn up for flight arrivals. I found their official page here.
We caught the local bus (Ktel bus schedules) for €1.80 each from the airport into Parikia. Then we wandered along the waterfront until we came to our hotel. Check the bus timetables, to make sure that the bus will be meeting your flight.
Other options are taxis and rental cars, particularly if you aren’t staying near the centre of Parikia. It may also pay to prebook a taxi at peak times. Your accommodation may do transfers or arrange one for you as well. We had an early morning departure, so got our hotel to arrange a transfer back to the airport for us.
Ferries also arrive regularly at Parikia from many places, including Athens, Crete, Naxos, Santorini, Mykonos and many other smaller islands.
Here is some info on how to get to the three Athens ports from either Athens centre or the airport. Although it is a ferry booking site it has useful info about the different islands and their ports. Also the ferry companies are listed.
Piraeus is the main Athens ferry port but check which port your ferry is leaving from, in case you have booked from Rafina or Lavrio. The Piraeus Port website has this gates and destinations page of the port along with a map of the port and gates. You might find it helpful for when you arrive at the port.
Just a tip – from my experience catching a Greek ferry, they don’t muck around, either offloading or loading. Get yourself organised for a quick turn around. It’s not a good idea to disappear off to the toilet as the boat is coming into the ferry ramp.
Paros port is bustling and there is lots of action to watch there. The central bus station and taxi companies are to the right of the windmill as you get off the ferry and there are several car hire places in close proximity.
We stayed in Parikia
Parikia, complete with windmill, is the main town on the island. It has numerous restaurants, hotels and also supermarkets, bike hire places, bakeries and banks etc that you would expect in a town.
To me, the cute old towns of Parikia and Naoussa are quite similar to Mykonos with its white buildings and alleyways. Paros isn’t a big party island like Mykonos, but there are plenty of restaurants and tavernas.
We chose to stay at Parikia because it is the centre for transportation around the island and there is lots happening there. Naoussa is a lot more picturesque but it is not the transport hub like Parikia. If you have a car, Naoussa and the other parts of Paros might be more attractive to you. We were happy with our decision. I enjoyed watching all the ferry action and we could, for example, just walk down the waterfront and get a ferry to Antiparos.
We spent one of our three days on Paros exploring the pretty little alleyways, between the whitewashed buildings, tucked in behind the bustle of the port.
We discovered delicious food and lovely shops, churches and the remains of one of the two Frankish Castles hidden there.
One is behind the port in the old town. The other is up the hill that you see by the port.
Once we found out the shops were open til really late, maybe even 1am, it was fun to shop our way home from the restaurant after dinner.
It’s a nice stroll along the waterfront with the sea to your left, passing several supermarkets, tavernas, hotels and bike hire places etc on your right. There is a bank with an ATM and a post shop as well.
Livadia beach is along here and there are organised areas with chairs and umbrellas as well as free areas to relax in and trees for shade.
If you go the other way along the waterfront from the windmill, past the bus station, there is another row of restaurants and tavernas. In behind the waterfront is a labyrinth of alleyways and streets with plenty of shops, restaurants and the main square.
Naoussa and getting there
The next biggest town is Naoussa. So gorgeous. If you aren’t staying there, it is definitely worth a visit, as we did for the second of our three days on Paros
We hopped on a bus from Parikia, but don’t do what we did and get off the bus early, thinking that we had arrived. It must happen all the time, because some people on the bus were shouting that it wasn’t the right stop. Luckily the driver waited while we piled back on.
Wait to get off at the bus station, 350 metres from the waterfront. This also means that you know where to catch it back to Parikia again.
We finally got off when the bus stopped as it turned the corner, by the bridge down at the waterfront. I don’t know if this was a proper stop. But it also meant we had to ask around to find out where the bus station was.
Another tip is pickup a printed timetable from the Parikia bus station before you leave, so you know when to head to the bus station for the return trip. I also read somewhere that this printout has the correct bus times on it.
Naoussa has a very scenic waterfront with the remains of a Venetian castle that you can walk out to. Piperi Beach is just along from the marina.
We spent quite a few happy hours strolling the little alleyways between the whitewashed buildings poking into the many shops we found there. We also had a delicious lunch at one of the many restaurants.
Other villages and beaches
Piso Livadi and Lefkes are some other villages to visit and are still on my list to visit, as are Aliki and Drios.
There is quite a selection of beaches. Punda is the party beach and there is windsurfing and kitesurfing at several beaches. Pounda (Pounta) is the main beach for kitesurfing and Golden Beach is popular for windsurfing. Pounta is also where you can catch the car ferry to take you to Antiparos.
Paros is relatively undiscovered compared to the likes of Mykonos and Santorini, so come here before it is properly discovered. We had a great time in our three days on Paros
