Top Five Reasons to Visit Paros
While you’ve probably heard of Mykonos and Santorini, Paros, an island in the Aegean Sea and one of the largest islands in the Cyclades, is simply a must-visit destination for anyone traveling to Greece. With its beautiful sandy beaches, traditional villages, active nightlife, vibrant culture, and fun festivals, Paros shouldn’t be missed.
Gorgeous Beaches
Simply put, Paros has exceptional beaches. Paros is home to countless beaches with golden sands and crystal-clear waters and has plenty of beach bars for vacationers to check out. The most famous beach on Paros is Kolymbithres beach, a beach known for its stunning granite rock formations. Santa Maria beach has plenty of watersports restaurants and taverns, while Ai Yannis hosts nighttime concerts and outdoor movie events during the summer.
Traditional Villages
Paros is also home to many traditional villages, most of which are found along its beautiful coastline. While Paros’s towns include Piso Livadi, Drios, and Aliki, Paros’s most famous village is Lefkes, a tiny town built on an olive and pine tree-covered hill. With its traditional whitewashed houses and windmills, as well as Venetian churches dating back to the 15th century, Lefkes is a fantastic town to discover Greek history.
Exciting Nightlife
Paros offers plenty of dancing and drinking places, and you can find everything from beach bars to clubs with all different types of music on the island. Make sure to try some of Paros’s local wines and spirits too, such as Moratis, a fairly strong wine, and Souma, kind of like Raki (anise-flavored alcohol) or Tsipouro (a pomace brandy). Yamas, or “cheers”!
Ancient Culture
Paros also has many castles, churches, museums, and baptisteries. Panagia Ekatontapyliani, or the Church of 100 Doors, is a historic Byzanite church in Paros’s main town of Parikia which dates all the way back to 326 AD! Parikia also has a 13th-century Venetian castle which offers an amazing view of the city.
Fun Festivals
Paros holds many festivals throughout the summer, where people do everything from lighting large fires to having massive feasts. Two of the most popular festivals are Paros’s Fish Festival and its Celebration of the Virgin Mary, which take place in July and August respectively. During the fish festival, which takes place on July 2nd, the people of Naoussa serve fresh fried fish, plenty of wine and dance all night to traditional greek music. For the Celebration of the Virgin Mary, Paros holds a parade and procession at a local park.
Paros for sure will delight any traveler who has a taste for adventure. Book one of our luxury catamarans today and visit Paros for an experience of a lifetime!