PAROS A GOOD CHOICE WITHIN THE CYCLADES

Planning a trip to Greece is not easy. Athens of course is on the list, but then come the doubts: Is it worth doing the Peloponnese or do we leave it for another trip? How many days? What islands are worth going to? Your friends would say you must go to Mykonos and Santorini, others say they are very touristy, some will strongly recommend the group of the Sporades. With so much island mess and recommendations is difficult to decide, that’s where you surf the net in search of THE island, THE hidden place. And again it’s going to be hard to decide. If it is the first time you go to Greece the best thing is to limit yourself to visit the obvious, and if you still have time, leave a week to visit those islands more unknown and less tourist.

This was our first trip to Greece and had ten days before going back to Barcelona, the last destination of our trip. So we decided to book two nights in Athens, two nights in Santorini and six nights in Paros. Why Paros? A good tip from our friends. Why six nights? We had been traveling for ten days visiting the Costa Brava, the south of France and Barcelona and we had a long way back home to South America. So we were willing to rest the last days of the trip. Anyway the island of Paros is very well connected and if we wanted to visit another island we just had to go to the port and take the next ferry.

Paros is relatively small and is very easy to get around the island by car. The most important towns are Parikia which is the capital of the island, where the ferries arrive, and Naoussa which is a small fishing village in the north of the island.

STAY

Saint Andrea Seaside Resort The perfect place for a six-night stay. Very good rooms, very good service, very good breakfast, excellent from every point of view. With the bonus that is close to Naoussa, one of the most beautiful and photographed ports of the Cyclades.

BEACHES

Paros has beautiful sandy beaches, all of them of easy access. Some are organized other are totally secluded. Santa Maria, Ambelas and Faragas are highly recommended.

Faragas is a sandy beach in the region of Alyki, has sun beds, umbrellas and a nice restaurant.

Ambelas is a calm beach north of Naoussa

Santa Maria is an organized beach in a close distance from Naoussa. Has beautiful views of the neighbor island of Naxos, white sand, clear water, water sports and a lovely beach bar.

NAVA Beach Bar – Santa Maria

EAT

Paros has restaurants for all types of budgets, from traditional tavernas offering local cuisine, to beach bars and gourmet food restaurants scattered across the island. Typical Greek dishes are octopus, olives, skordalia sauce (with garlic), tzatsiki sauce made of yoghurt and cucumber, fresh seafood, Greek salad, dakos (a salad with bread, olives, tomato and feta cheese). White eggplant, cherry tomatoes, broad beans. Flat, fried (domatokeftedes) tomato croquettes made with cherry tomatoes, moussaka, a kind of lasagna made of local eggplants and vegetables. The fish is incredibly expensive! The yogurt is thick and creamy, often served as dessert with walnuts and honey, delicious.

The Greek coffee should be ordered “Metrio”, with sugar. Let it settle because the coffee is not filtered.

Traditional tavern in Ambelas

A nice way to start a meal

Typical restaurants in Naoussa

SEE AND DO

The Byzantine church in Parikia, the capital of the island

Walk the streets of Parikia

Stroll through the port and the village of Naoussa

Visit the villages of the island

LEFKES

Situated in the central part of Paros, within 11km of Naoussa, Lefkes is a lovely village, capital of the island in the Middle Ages. You must leave the car in the parking lot and tour the village on foot.