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Paros

Fishing Harbours, Kitesurf Beaches and the Hub of the Cyclades

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3 daysIdeal stay₹8,520From / night₹2,880Food / dayFreeEntry

The ferry crossroads of the Cyclades, with something of everything: Parikia's Panagia Ekatontapyliani (the Church of a Hundred Doors), the fishing harbour of Naoussa with its bars, Lefkes in the hills, kitesurfing at Pounda and Golden Beach, and little Antiparos five minutes across the strait. Easier on the purse than Mykonos and Santorini. Blue Star ferries from Piraeus all year (about 4 hours), fast boats and flights in season. Hotels thin out from November to March.

Highlights

  • Church of a Hundred Doors in Parikia
  • Evening in Naoussa harbour
  • Byzantine path from Lefkes
  • Kolymbithres granite coves
  • Day trip to Antiparos
  • Kitesurfing at Pounda

Things to do

  • Parikia old town and the Hundred Doors churchMorning · 2h 30m
  • Naoussa harbour eveningEvening · 3h
  • Byzantine path walk from Lefkes to ProdromosMorning · 2h 30m
  • Day trip to Antiparos and its caveMorning · 6h
  • Kolymbithres or Golden Beach afternoonAfternoon · 3h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Parosvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Parosvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – October

Worth knowing

Meltemi Winds: Ferries Cancelled

The meltemi, a strong north wind, blows for days at a time in July and August (force 6-8). The high-speed boats are cancelled first, and sometimes the port authority stops every sailing. Leave a spare day before your flight home, prefer the big conventional ferries on windy days, and pick the sheltered south-facing beaches.

Worth knowing

Winter: Fast Boats Stop, Many Hotels Close

From November to March the high-speed ferries stop, island-to-island boats run a few times a week, and most resort hotels, beach bars and boat tours close. The towns stay open with some hotels and tavernas, the conventional ferries and the flights from Athens keep running, and storms can still cancel sailings: keep a spare day before a flight home.

Worth knowing

Mid-August: Greeks on Holiday

The week around 15 August (the Assumption) is the peak of the Greek holidays: ferries from Piraeus and Rafina and island rooms are booked out weeks ahead, and prices are the year's highest. Book every boat and bed early, or come in June or September.

  • Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
  • Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.