Paros · Towns & villages

Towns & villages of Paros

Harbour towns, mountain hamlets and the places where island life still follows its own rhythm.

Naoussa & the north

Naoussa

A fishing harbour under a Venetian fort, with octopus drying in the sun

The prettiest village on Paros, built around a little harbour in a deep bay on the north coast. Fishing boats tie up beneath the half-sunken walls of a small Venetian fortress, octopus hang drying outside the tavernas, and behind the waterfront a maze of white lanes, arches and blue doors fills with people in the evening. The beaches of Kolymbithres and Monastiri are just across the bay.

Dinner by the boats in the old harbour
The Venetian fortress at the harbour mouth
Swimming among the granite rocks of Kolymbithres
The white lanes after dark

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Parikia & the west

Parikia

The port and capital, with a church of a hundred doors

The island's capital and port, where the ferries come in beside an old windmill. Behind the harbour is Panagia Ekatontapiliani, one of the oldest churches in Greece still in use, and the Archaeological Museum. Inland, the lanes of the old town wind up to the Venetian Kastro, whose walls were built from the marble of ancient temples. In the evening the bars along the seafront face one of the best sunsets in the Cyclades.

Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the church of a hundred doors
The marble walls of the Venetian Kastro
Sunset from the seafront
The Archaeological Museum

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The mountain villages

Lefkes

The white village in the hills, where the old marble path begins

The largest of the mountain villages, built in an amphitheatre among olive trees and pines in the middle of the island. Its marble-paved lanes, arches and little squares are among the prettiest in the Cyclades, and it stays cool when the coast is hot. Above the village stands the twin-towered marble church of Agia Triada, and below it starts the Byzantine path, an old stone road down through the valley to Prodromos.

The marble lanes and squares
The church of Agia Triada
Walking the Byzantine path to Prodromos
The folklore museum

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The east coast

Prodromos

A walled old village at the end of the Byzantine path

A small, quiet village in the green valley between Lefkes and the east coast. Its old core is a fortified settlement, with a gate and houses built close together as a wall against pirates, and inside are tiny lanes, flowers and chapels. Most visitors arrive on foot down the Byzantine path from Lefkes, and stop for a cold drink before going on to the sea at Piso Livadi.

The old fortified quarter
The end of the Byzantine path from Lefkes
Quiet lanes and chapels
A short drive to the beaches of the east coast

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The east coast

Marpissa

Windmills, white lanes and a monastery on the hill above the bay

A traditional village on the east side of the island, with old windmills at its edge, narrow lanes and many small churches. Above it rises the hill of Kefalos, crowned by the monastery of Agios Antonios, where the Venetians made their last stand on Paros in 1537. From the top you look down on the bay, Piso Livadi and Naxos across the water.

The view from the monastery of Agios Antonios
The windmills at the edge of the village
The lanes and little churches
Piso Livadi and Logaras beach below

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The east coast

Piso Livadi & Golden Beach

A small fishing harbour and the long sands of the east coast

Once the little port of Marpissa, Piso Livadi is a relaxed fishing harbour with tavernas along the water and a sandy beach. Logaras beach is just around the point, and to the south lie Golden Beach and New Golden Beach, long stretches of sand where the summer wind brings windsurfers and kitesurfers from all over Europe. It is a calm place to stay, away from the bustle of Naoussa and Parikia.

Dinner by the boats at the harbour
Logaras beach around the point
Windsurfing at Golden Beach
Quiet evenings away from the crowds

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Antiparos

The little island next door, with a great cave under its hill

A small island just across a narrow strait from Paros, reached by a car ferry from Pounta in a few minutes or by boat from Parikia. Its only village has a lane of shops and tavernas leading up to a small Venetian kastro, and the pace is slower than on Paros. In the hills to the south is the Cave of Antiparos, a deep cavern full of stalactites that travellers have visited for centuries.

The Cave of Antiparos
The lanes and kastro of the village
Swimming off the sandy beaches of the strait
An easy day trip from Paros

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Regions

Where to base yourself in Paros

Parikia & the west

The port and capital with its church of a hundred doors and Venetian Kastro, the sunset bays of Krios and Parasporos, and Pounta for the boat to Antiparos.

Naoussa & the north

The fishing harbour under its Venetian fort, the granite coves of Kolymbithres and Monastiri, and the quiet beaches of the northern capes.

The mountain villages

Lefkes in the hills, the ancient marble quarries of Marathi, and the old Byzantine path down the valley to Prodromos.

The east coast

Marpissa and its hilltop monastery, the fishing harbour of Piso Livadi, and the long windy sands of Golden Beach.

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