ABOUT PAROS:
Information on idyllic Paros;
the Jewel of the Cyclades

More about Naoussa                                                                     More About Antiparos

Paros comprises perhaps the very best of the quintessential Greece that most travelers dream of: whitewashed cubist buildings nestled around an inviting seaside and nestled up against a backdrop of hillsides lined with vineyards and olive groves, all adorning the stunning crystal-clear blues of the Aegean Sea.

Paros is the very heart and hub of the Cyclades and whether you arrive by air or by ship into the main little cosmopolitan harborfront town of Parikia, you'll be delighted by the charm and sophistication of the seaside town with its cosmopolitan air of restaurants, art galleries, shops and tavernas lining the seaside promenade and the historic winding whitewashed pathways leading up through the town sprinkled with an eclectic and inspiring blend of both old and new Greece...where all the modern conveniences exist in harmony alongside the quaint and classic charms of classic Greece.

There are the many diversions and the quiet energy of the historic Market Street and maze-like pathways leading up alongside and around the historic ruins of the Venetian castle, all blending in with the classic and justifiably famed 'Church of 100 Doors', one of Greece's most important religious sites and famous since its founding by Emperor Constantine's mother, St. Helen in the 4th century and then rebuilt in the 6th century, by renowned classical architect Isodore of Miletus. Some small pathways lead by modest houses draped in bouganvillea and adorned with sturdy old blue doors and others to medieval castles and some to inviting little squares where blue taverna tables and chairs sit beneath the comforting shade of centuries-old plane trees...leading visitors to notice one of Greece's inherent aspects - the contraditction of how a town can be both at once so cozy and cosmopolitan, so serene and yet so invigorating. The town has a lively cultural life, including art, film and music festivals and is home to the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, as well as being home to many successful artists, writers and sculptors, many of whom sell their works locally.

Elsewhere on the island, Paros also invites exploration, whether it's an excursion to the picture-postcard fishing village of Naoussa, considered by many to be the most beautiful in all of Greece or up into the mountains, past the ancient marble quarries that has yielded marble revered for over 2,500 years right up until the present and then on upto the hilltop village of Lefkes, nestled deep in the island's interior and offering panoramic views of not only Paros, but across the ink-blue Aegean to several other of the Cyclades, or quiet hikes up to Petaloudes (the Valley of the Butterflies) - or many are of course content to while away their sunny daytime house on any of the many splendid beaches of Paros, both popular and filled with activity or easily discovered  quiet private coves and bays.

It is precisely because of the idyllic combination of all these charming traits that Paros has grown more and more popular with travelers from all over the world and yet it manages to continue to exude the charm that has beguiled visitors to the island throughout history.