Paros is the second most visited island of the Cyclades after Santorini, a Greek island of 15,000 permanent residents famous for three distinct qualities: its marble (the Parian marble used for Praxiteles's Aphrodite of Knidos, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo was quarried in the mountains of Paros for 3,000 years), its windsurfing conditions (the Naoussa Bay and the Santa Maria area have the most reliable summer winds in the Aegean, attracting windsurfers from across Europe), and its traditional Cycladic architecture (the village of Naoussa with its white walls, blue domes and bougainvillea-covered lanes is slightly less famous than Mykonos or Oia but arguably more authentic and less crowded). The capital Parikia has the Panagia Ekatontapiliani (Church of 100 Doors, 4th century CE, one of the best-preserved Byzantine churches in Greece, built on the spot where Helen of Troy's mother Helena reportedly landed in 326 CE during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land) and the ruins of a Venetian castle built from the marble blocks of an earlier Temple of Aphrodite. Antiparos (connected by a 10-minute ferry from the small port south of Parikia) is a quieter island with a remarkable cave (Antiparos Cave, stalactite formations with a depth of 100 m) and the beach community of Sifneikos Agros that has attracted artists and writers since the 1970s (Tom Hanks has a home on Antiparos). Paros is also the geographic centre of the Cyclades, making it the best base for island hopping by high-speed ferry to Naxos (30 min), Santorini (2h) and Mykonos (1h30).
The 4th-century Byzantine church complex (built 326 CE on the orders of Helena, mother of Constantine the Great) is one of the oldest continuously functioning churches in Greece — the three connected churches with their frescoes, the marble iconostasis and the baptistery (with its 4th-century cruciform baptismal pool) form the most complete early Byzantine ensemble in the Cyclades.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Venetian castle (1260 CE) built from blocks of the ancient Temple of Aphrodite is integrated into the old town of Parikia — the drumheads of ancient column drums are visible in the castle walls; the white-walled labyrinth of the old town with its marble-paved lanes, bougainvillea and blue-domed churches.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Parikia waterfront tavernas serve the freshest Aegean seafood — grilled octopus (dried in the sun on the taverna's line), grilled sea bream, Greek salad (with thick Parian feta made from local sheep and goat milk) and Parian Moraitis wine (the island produces good white wines from the local Monemvasia grape).
The small but excellent museum holds the Archilochus stele (discovered 1949) — a marble stele describing the life and works of Archilochus of Paros (7th century BCE), the soldier-poet who invented iambic meter in Greek poetry; also the Medusa metope fragment from the Temple of Athena and Parian marble sculpture from the island's quarry peak.
The 12 km drive north to Naoussa (the most atmospheric village in Paros) for the evening — the ruined Venetian harbour castle, the whitewashed lanes with their blue doors, the fish tavernas above the small fishing harbour, and the Aegean sunset over the Bay of Naoussa with the island of Naxos visible across the water.
The ancient marble quarries at Marathi (8 km from Parikia) supplied the white, translucent marble used for Praxiteles's sculptures, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo — the 3,000-year-old tunnels still visible in the hillside, with the distinctive blue-white light in the marble interior of the quarry; one shaft has a 36 m inscription from Napoleon's engineers (1799 Egypt expedition).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe medieval capital of Paros (Lefkes, 10 km inland, 300 m altitude) was the island's most important village before piracy made coastal settlement dangerous — the marble-paved Byzantine road connecting it to Prodromos village (45 min walk) is the finest intact Byzantine donkey path in the Cyclades; the village's twin-domed church of Agia Triada is photogenic.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe 10-minute ferry from the southern port crosses to Antiparos — a quieter island where the village has an unrestored Venetian castle, the remarkable Antiparos Cave (100 m deep stalactites, visited by Richard Wagner and Lord Byron, inscriptions from explorers going back to 1673) and cleaner beaches than Paros due to fewer visitors.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideNaoussa's fishing harbour with its late-night tavernas and the bars along the waterfront — the Naoussa nightlife is the most vibrant in Paros, combining the whitewashed Cycladic setting with a sophisticated cocktail scene that attracts Athenians and Europeans; the fishing boats lit up in the small harbour at midnight are magical.
The Pounda-Kolibithres wind corridor (between Paros and Antiparos) has the most consistent summer meltemi wind in the Cyclades — the Formula 1 Windsurfing World Cup was held here from 1993 to 2012; the Santa Maria bay on the northeast coast is the best for beginners; boards and lessons available at multiple schools.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe most distinctive beach in Paros (Kolymbithres, "swimming pools" in Greek) has smooth wind-sculptured granite boulders creating sheltered sea pools of crystal-clear turquoise water — the combination of the granite shapes, the Cycladic light and the protected swimming conditions make it the most beautiful beach on the island.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideParos is the hub of the Cyclades — high-speed ferries depart for Naxos (30 min, €8), Mykonos (1h30, €18), Santorini (2h, €35) and Heraklion Crete (3h30); the Golden Star Ferries and SeaJets catamarans connect multiple Cycladic islands on the same afternoon, making Paros the ideal base for multi-island exploration.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideFinal evening at the Naoussa harbour — choose your fish from the display (whole sea bream, red snapper, dentex or the expensive but exceptional John Dory) grilled simply with lemon, olive oil and sea salt; Parian white wine from the hillside vineyards and the silhouette of the Venetian harbour ruins above the last boats.