Is Paros Worth Visiting?

Paros splits its identity between two very different towns, and that range, chic harbor nights in one, marble mountain streets in the other, gives the island more to work with than most single-note Cycladic stops.

Paros centers on Naoussa and Parikia, its two main towns. Naoussa's old port, ringed by the ruins of a Venetian fortress, fills with waterfront tables and cocktail bars after dark, while Parikia holds the Panagia Ekatontapiliani, also called the Church of 100 Doors, one of the oldest and most significant Byzantine monuments in Greece.

Lefkes, the island's former capital, sits in the hills at the center of Paros, its marble streets and stone houses drawing far fewer visitors than the coast. A Byzantine path, paved over a thousand years ago, connects Lefkes to the village of Prodromos in about 45 minutes on foot, mostly downhill.

Kolymbithres, known for its wind-carved granite rock formations, and Golden Beach, a windsurfing hub on the southeast coast, cover two very different beach experiences on the same island. Moraitis Winery, founded in 1910 and still run by the same family, pours indigenous varieties like Monemvasia and Mandilaria rarely found outside the islands.

Paros suits travelers who want beaches, mountain villages, wine, and nightlife in one place, and it pairs naturally with a short ferry to Antiparos or a longer stop on Naxos for anyone island hopping through the central Cyclades.