TRAVEL GUIDE FOR ONE WEEK IN PAROS (GREECE)

Are you looking for a perfect Greek island with traditional cycladian houses, small alleys, beautiful beaches, tasty food and friendly locals? Then you need to go to Paros, one of my favorite greek islands!

As I visited Paros as the second stop on our tour in the cyclades and already heard from friends that they loved the island, I was expecting a lot from the island. Also, I thought because some people I know already went, that the island is maybe a bit too touristy for my type (haha I haven’t been to Santorini then). We decided to go to the east side of the island, where it was not as touristy as in the north and really, really loved every aspect of the island. We stayed around one week, did one day trip to Antiparos (see my guide here), explored the picturesque beautiful villages, enjoyed really decent and high-quality Greek food and just enjoyed the empty and beautiful beaches.

If you are still wondering which island is the perfect combination of beautiful beaches and villages with the unique Greek flair, Paros is the place to go for you - I am sure, you will love it! :)

Lots of love,
Magda
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How to get to Paros:

Like with many other islands in Greece, you have several options to reach Paros.
1) Via direct flight: Check if you can reach Paros directly from your nearest airport. There are several European cities which have direct flights especially in the summer months
2) Fly to Paros via Athens: In case there are no direct flights from your nearest airport available or you want to make a stop to Athens anyway you can always just change your planes in Athens.
3) Take a ferry from another island: This is the best option in case you want to visit several islands anyways. You can easily fly to e.g. Mykonos, Santorin or also Athens and then take the ferry from there. I always just check the schedule on ferryscanner and book the tickets there directly. Or you do it like us and first visit Milos (check out the travel guide to Milos here).

Getting around Paros:

As always, we rented a scooter for our one week stay in Paros. We simply researched the best places and then already reserved a scooter before our arrival. We chose “Drakakis rentals” (link to the website here) and were really satisfied with their excellent service. Extending the scooter was also no problem at all and the price per day was really good. Also they picked us up at the port which was very convenient. Note that Paros is slightly bigger than e.g. Milos, so if you are not used to drive e.g. >20min on a scooter, I would suggest getting a car (this is also available at our rental service as I found out on the website). For us, ans also because my boyfriend has a motorcycle license, driving a bit further with the scooter was no problem at all.

Where to stay in Paros:

We decided to not stay in the busy area around Naousa, as friends recommended the bit calmer east side around Drios of the island. In this area it is usually less windy than in the north and we really enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and chilled vibe. Nevertheless, the unique villages such as Lefkes, Prodromos and also Naousa are not far away so you can always enjoy dinner etc. there after a relaxed day at the beach.

We stayed at Efi Studios (link to the website here), which offered everything we needed: fully equipped kitchen for preparing food at home; balcony with partial sea view; walking distance to really nice restaurants, coffee spots, supermarket and the chilled beach; and a really friendly and welcoming host (she even offered us basil and home grown peppers from her garden as we could not find it in the supermarket and met her there by coincidence). The apartments are very modern and quite cheap (we paid around 50€ per night in total, please note however that we were visiting Paros in the “shoulder season”, so September). If you also look for a renovated apartment within a chilled fishing village, Efi studio offers everything you need!

cities we visited:

• Paros
  If you arrive via ferry, you will start your trip to Paros here at the main port. Still, don’t miss the capital of the island as you can enjoy a typical Cycladic town with cobbled paths, small coffeeshops as well as blue and white houses.

• Naousa
  Located in the northeastern part of the island, the small village gets more and more popular in Paros. There are nice beaches around and you we enjoy the small alleys, shops and coffee places. It can get pretty crowded in the night, so come in the afternoon if you want to experience the chilled vibe of Naousa.

• Prodromos
  One of the most beautiful places in Paros, where we went several times! The small village is just out of a Greek postcard and picture perfect. Get lost and enjoy some really good local food in one of the great restaurants without the crowd!

• Lefkes
  The traditional village was actually the first capital and is the most mountainous village. on the island. Enjoy a walk around the beautiful streets and discover old houses as well as the most “famous” Photospot of the island.

• Drios
  The small fishing villages located on the east coast of the island and the place where we actually stayed for one week. We loved the traditional restaurants and sandy crystal clear beach.

Beaches:

• Drios beach
  Our favorite beach located directly in the small fishing village. Get a coffee or some snacks in one of the two restaurants/ coffee places and enjoy free sunbeds and chairs. The beach is not only sandy but there are also some stones, which is why the water is so super beautiful.

• Paralia Lolantonis
  Another beautiful beach close to Drios. Enjoy a calm beach with clear water without the crowd. There is also a beach bar and the wind tends to be less on this secluded bay.

• Lageri Beach
  Enjoy fine golden sand close to Naousa. Although the way to get there is a bit tricky, it is worth it as the water is just super clean and beautiful. Note that the beach is unorganized so bring enough snacks and water.

• Παραλία Φάραγκα
  Really nice beach in the southern part of the island. You can rent sunbeams and umbrellas (they were a bit more expensive here than on other beaches), but the water was super nice and clean.

Photospots

• Cafe in Naousa
  If you look at pictures form Naousa, you might also have seen this picture, which is the bar Linardo. If you want to take some photos, I would recommend to come in the afternoon as it then is less crowded as in the evening.

• Bougainvillea Corner House, Lefkes
  When we first wanted to take pictures of the place we couldn’t find it. Well turns out the place is actually not located in the center of Lefkes but a small walk out. I saved the location here for you so that you can find it immediately.

• Prodromos
  The small village is just right out of a Greek travel ad. We walked around the small alleys and even did a cool photo shooting for a current project.

Restaurants, Coffee Spots and Bars (we actually visited)

• Family Tavern Ververas (dinner)
  Located in a tiny village, the small restaurant serves traditional meals from Paros. The owners are beyond friendly and even offered us another free round of wine and a local dessert. Our favorite dinner in Paros!

• Taverna Agyra (dinner)
  Another great location for authentic Greek cuisine with fair prices. The place has a really nice outside sitting area and some different food options e.g. oven baked eggplant. There are also vegan options available - ask for the dish of the day!

• Χρυσούλα (dinner)
  Located near to Lefkes, the restaurant serves small plates to share. We ordered a bit too much so that we nearly couldn’t fit everything on the table! The beetroot and eggplant salad were our favorite dished, but we enjoyed all of the things we ordered very much.

• Kima Restaurant Paros (dinner, coffee)
  The nice location of the restaurant is only one of the many things we loved about Kima. The owner is super friendly and suggested some tips on Paros. Also the coffee was amazing and we loved to enjoy their free sunbeds and chairs on the beach.

• Byzantino (dinner, coffee)
  We loved the cute little village Prodromos and also really enjoyed our dinner at Byzantino. The tables are situated directly in the beautiful village and the food was really, really good. Also, the owner was super lovely and (like many other restaurants) offered us free dessert.

• Aggelantonis Aegean Coffee Lab (coffee, lunch)
  This was our first stop after we arrived in Paros. We enjoyed a nice salad, delicious cake and iced coffee. Perfect if you want to take a short break in the cute little town.

• Agiazi cafe (coffee, lunch)
  Another beautiful spot in Lefkes for coffee, juices or small plates. The cafe is situated in one of the main squares of the village and the owners are just super friendly and welcoming.

• Sousouro (coffee, lunch)
  We enjoyed a nice coffee break at Sousouro, which is located right in the center of Naousa. The place can get pretty busy as it is quite popular, but we were able to enjoy a relaxed coffee in the afternoon. Also the service was really nice even though I broke a glass (clumsy Magda strikes again).

• YIASOU Cafe Bits & Bites (coffee, lunch)
  Our go-to place in Drios for really good coffee. We enjoyed the iced cappuccino and they even offered plant-based milk. You can also grab some small plates to eat and just chill at the cafe for a bit.

• Distract cafe bistro (coffee, lunch)
  This was our last stop in Paros, before we hopped on the ferry to Naxos. Although the service was not especially great, we enjoyed the wide selection of vegan food options. The place is located next to some other nice coffee spots, so if there are no spot available just try out the other places nearby.