Where to Stay
Paros and Antiparos: The Cyclades Without the Queue
The island people move to once they have done Mykonos twice. Naoussa does the evenings, the south coast does the swimming, and Antiparos does the disappearing.
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Why Paros, and why now#
For thirty years Paros was the island you changed ferries at. The port, Parikia, is functional rather than beautiful, and most visitors saw nothing else.
That has changed quickly. Naoussa, on the north coast, has become one of the most appealing evenings in the Aegean; a run of genuinely good hotels has opened; and the airport took a proper terminal, which brought direct seasonal flights rather than a hop from Athens.
What has not changed is the shape of the island: a marble massif with a village on each side, beaches that are sand rather than pebble, and a scale you can learn in two days.
Where to base yourself#
The four bases
| Naoussa | South coast | Parikia | Antiparos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Fishing harbour turned dining and boutique village | Quiet sheltered bays and resort hotels | The port town and island capital | A separate, slower island seven minutes away |
| Evenings | The best on the island, walkable | Hotel dining, or drive to Naoussa | Decent, more local, less polished | One main street, genuinely charming |
| Beaches | Kolymbithres and Monastiri nearby, windy in August | Sheltered and swimmable all summer | Nearest beaches are ordinary | Excellent and almost empty |
| Wind exposure | High - north coast | Low | Moderate | Low to moderate |
| Rates | Highest on Paros | High | Lowest | High for what it is |
| Best for | First visits, couples, people who want evenings out | Families and swimmers | Value and ferry logistics | Second visits and total quiet |
Our callNaoussa for a first stay, without much hesitation - the harbour is the island's best asset and you want to walk home from it. If you are travelling with children or visiting in August, take a sheltered south-coast base and drive to Naoussa for dinner two or three times.
Naoussa#
A small harbour with a half-sunk Venetian fortification at its mouth, fishing boats still working from the quay, and tables set so close to the water that the waiters step around the moorings.
By day it is quiet. From about eight in the evening the lanes behind the harbour fill up - restaurants, a few bars, boutiques that are better than they need to be - and it stays busy until late without ever becoming Mykonos. That balance is precisely the appeal, and it is why rates here have risen faster than anywhere else in the Cyclades.
Two of the island's best beaches sit minutes away: Kolymbithres, where wind and sea have sculpted the granite into smooth grey forms you swim between, and Monastiri in the bay opposite.
Where to stay in and around Naoussa
Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort
Naoussa - above the bay
The most complete luxury property on the island: low white volumes stepping down toward the water, large suites, strong food, and a short drive or walk into Naoussa. The safest booking on Paros.
Rate bandTop band
Guests who want island character with resort standards.
Check rates on Booking.comParīlio, a Member of Design Hotels
Naoussa - inland, short drive
Pale stone, raw plaster and deep shade - the most architecturally serious property on Paros, built around courtyards rather than a view. Set back from the sea by design.
Yria Boutique Resort
Parasporos - sheltered south coast
A long-established low-rise resort in gardens near one of the island's calmest beaches. Quieter and more family-workable than the Naoussa properties, fifteen minutes from the harbour.
Istoria, a Member of Design Hotels
Golden Beach - east coast
Small, textural and directly on a long sweep of sand that happens to be a championship windsurfing beach. Wonderful in June and September; genuinely breezy in August.
Antiparos#
A seven-minute ferry from Pounta on the west coast, and a deliberate step down in tempo.
Antiparos has one main street, a Venetian castle you walk through rather than visit, and a reputation among people who could stay anywhere for being the place they actually choose. The beaches - Soros, Apantima, Sifneikos - are quiet well into August, and the cave in the island's interior, with stalagmites several million years old, is far better than its modest signage suggests.
There is one serious hotel and a handful of very good villas. That scarcity is the product.
Antiparos
The Rooster
Antiparos - north-west coast
A wellness retreat spread across a large coastal estate: stone and timber villas, a farm supplying the kitchen, and a programme that goes well beyond a spa menu. The reason people book Antiparos specifically.
Beach House Antiparos
Antiparos - Apantima
Small, barefoot and directly on the sand, with the island's best-known restaurant attached. Unpretentious in a way that is now hard to find in the Cyclades.
Why Paros is the best base for a multi-island week#
This is the island's quiet structural advantage. Paros sits at the centre of the Cyclades ferry network, with direct fast connections to Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Ios and Athens - more, and more frequent, than almost anywhere else in the group.
It is also the most practical charter base in the Cyclades, which is why we recommend starting here rather than taking a one-way Mykonos-to-Santorini charter in our yacht charter guide.
Getting there and around
Fly or ferry
Paros (PAS) takes domestic flights from Athens year-round and some direct seasonal services. The fast ferry from Piraeus or Rafina takes roughly three to four hours; the conventional ferry is slower, cheaper and far more comfortable in wind.
Hire a car, not a scooter
The island is big enough that you will want one, and the roads between Parikia, Naoussa and the south coast are busy in August. Compare hire cars on Paros.
Pre-book the arrival transfer
Taxis are limited, as on every Cycladic island. Arrange the first car in advance and collect a hire car the next morning. Arrange a transfer.
Take a boat day
Antiparos, Despotiko - an active excavation of an Archaic sanctuary, reachable only by sea - and the empty southern bays. The best day on Paros happens off it. Day boats from Paros.
Indicative high-season positioning
Mykonos equivalent
baseline
Naoussa top tier
-30%
Antiparos
-32%
Paros south coast
-42%
Parikia
-56%
Frequently asked questions
Is Paros better than Mykonos?
For most travellers who are not primarily there for nightlife, yes. You get a comparable harbour-dinner scene in Naoussa, better and emptier beaches, a far easier island to drive, and roughly a third off the bill. Mykonos wins decisively on nightlife, beach clubs and direct flights.
Where should I stay in Paros?
Naoussa for a first visit - the evenings are the island's best asset and you want to walk home from dinner. The sheltered south coast if you are travelling with children or visiting in windy August. Antiparos if you have been before and want quiet.
How many days do you need in Paros?
Four to five. Two for Naoussa and the north, one for the south coast beaches, one for Antiparos, and one spare for the marble quarries at Marathi and the mountain village of Lefkes.
Is Antiparos worth visiting?
Yes, even as a day trip - the ferry from Pounta takes seven minutes and runs constantly. Stay over if you want genuinely quiet beaches and a single street of tavernas rather than a scene.
When is the best time to visit Paros?
June and September. The sea is warm, the meltemi is far gentler than in August, and Naoussa is busy without being crowded. Late September is our preference.
Can you get from Paros to Santorini and Mykonos easily?
Yes - Paros has among the best ferry connections in the Cyclades, with direct fast services to both in roughly one to two hours in season. It is the most sensible base for a multi-island week.
The short version#
Base in Naoussa, swim on whichever coast the wind is not hitting, and give Antiparos a full day rather than an afternoon.
If you have been to Mykonos twice and found yourself doing arithmetic at dinner, this is the island that fixes it.
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