As anyone who knows me can attest, in my mind all Greek islands are equal. I’d gladly visit any of them and wouldn’t be at all fussed if they were the only holiday destination I could visit from now on. Each has its charms and unique identity, as well as a niche ingredient it’s famed for, whether bath sponges (Kalymnos), almonds (Kéa), potatoes (Naxos) or capers (Santorini). But Paros is a personal favourite of mine — along with everyone else now, it seems.
Over the past two decades, the sizable Cycladic hotspot has evolved from a destination that salty Teutonic surfers rock up for laidback holidays in their campervan, to one favoured by affluent Americans, aspiring influencers and super-yacht owners. It has a loyal celebrity following: Tom Hanks is spotted regularly, popping over from his home on Antiparos; Salma Hayek and Monica Bellucci are also fans. It’s rumoured that a certain tech oligarch made land here a few summers ago and requested 100 lobsters from an unsuspecting fishmonger.
In the late Nineties, my brother-in-law, who has holidayed in Paros his whole life, recalls nights out with his twin costing the drachma equivalent of 10 Euros, covering meals, drinks and transport. You’d be lucky to get a beer for that now. In 2012, he and my sister were married here, and the march along a hillside by the wedding party was a scene straight out of Mamma Mia!. Back then, a disused amphitheatre was the impromptu backdrop for their ceremony. Now, there’s a whole lot of paperwork and fees involved in hiring it.
But however much Paros has changed, it’s still a dreamy holiday destination, only now with its own Matsuhisa restaurant. It’s as glamorous as Mykonos, but without the raucous side of party-island life; cosmopolitan thanks to its popularity with chic Athenians, Italians and the French; and, in my opinion, one of the best places to find yourself between May and October.
WHAT TO DO IN PAROS
Cosme
The ferries that dock in Paros handily deposit you in island capital Parikia, which is a typical Cycladic town with all the bougainvillea, whitewash and flagstones you could wish for, along with a castle dating back to 1260. It’s the perfect starting point for your island explorations, whether you want to shop and stroll, source your first gyros, or settle in at a bakery for a coffee and one of the supersize sugared doughnuts you’ll soon be seeing everywhere.
Equally charming is Naoussa, on the island’s north coast. It’s a little more chi-chi than Parikia and where many of the luxury hotels are now congregated, but also ideal for wandering around its cute boutiques, stopping for cocktails or seafood dinners at the water’s edge. From here, a traditional caïque boat takes you to Kolimbithres and Monastiri beaches across the bay in minutes.
Inland, Lefkes is a photogenic mountain village, with yet more bougainvillea-draped houses, jewellery workshops and squares to sit and people-watch over a beer or coffee. The island’s Byzantine Road makes a challenging but scenic walking route and passes through Lefkes, so if you’re visiting in the spring or autumn you can hike a stretch of it — the summer temperatures make this sort of exertion inadvisable unless you’re setting off pre-dawn. Hill-top monasteries to ascend include Agios Georgios and Agios Ioannis Detis. The effort expended to reach either is worth it for the views at the top, I promise.
Antiparos is Paros’s stuck-in-time little sister — sleepier, emptier and, yes, Hellenic heaven. Ferries cross the short strait separating the islands from both Parikia and Pounta (the journey takes around 10 minutes). The main town in Antiparos is next to the port, which is helpful for day passengers travelling on foot. There are lots of ceramic and clothing shops on this stretch, so prepare to return laden with much more than when you arrived. The Rooster is the most luxurious hotel on Antiparos, with some satellite suites down at Apantima in the form of The Beach House. Have lunch at the hotel’s Athenian import Cookoovaya, or head to old-school taverna (complete with saturnine wait staff) Captain Pepino’s for multiple mezze plates before a siesta on the beach across the road.
The waters between Paros and Antiparos are ideal for kitesurfing; there are also optimum conditions for windsurfing on the island. Try it out on Golden Beach or — if your skills are more advanced — New Golden Beach next door.
THE BEST BEACHES
The Beach House
As with many Greek islands, the agenda is mostly just ‘beach’ — and you’ll be spoiled for choice on Paros. One of my favourites is Piso Livadi, a peaceful port on the east coast, with a small sandy beach and a row of restaurants, shops and kafeneia (coffee houses). My all-time-greatest Paros restaurant Halaris used to be here, but it closed its doors at the end of last season (RIP to the best fried calamari and shrimp spaghetti on the island) — fortunately, the owners have promised a new venture opening across the bay this summer.
If you’ve never watched Aussie construction magnate Peter Maneas’s self-funded television series My Greek Odyssey, in which he tours his beloved motherland with a camera crew in tow, you probably should. One of the stops on his Paros itinerary was Kalogeros Beach, famous for its mineral-rich clay. Cover yourself in it before allowing the Aegean to rinse you clean. Some of my other favourite Paros beaches are Kolimbithres (take the caïque over from Naoussa to see the curious rock formations along this sandy shore), Faragas (a sheltered, golden beach on the south coast, ideal for when the mighty Boreas wind is blowing) and Drios (a tiny port at the edge of a charming village with a couple of tavernas).
WHERE TO EAT
Matsuhisa
There may now be glamorous outposts of international restaurant chains on the island, but the traditional taverna is alive and well, sliding out plate after plate of fried calamari, beetroot with skordalia (a punchy garlic sauce), marinated anchovies with pink peppercorns, wild greens (most likely plucked fresh that morning) and grilled, sun-dried mackerel. Along the edge of the pretty port of Piso Livadi, Markakis adds a modern twist to many of these Greek classics; and there’s also Sensō-Ji for sushi and poke bowls if you’ve overdone it on the souvlaki.
In Naoussa, you’ll find the island’s Matsuhisa outpost at Avant Mar hotel, along with scene-y seafood restaurants such as Sigi Ikthios and long-standing Barbarossa (est. 1987). Parostiā at Cosme hotel has the best ceviche in Greece, if not outside of Peru.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I love the relaxed, old-fashioned tavernas of Greece, the ones that still have paper tablecloths clipped to your table as you’re seated. There are a couple along the shore as you pass through Ambelas, including Vasiliki and Christiana; Fisilanis in Logaras has been there since 1964 and is still going strong; and Taverna Julia in Drios will also take you back in time. For gyros in Drios, call by Souvlaki Dryos, which you’ll find along the narrow road that leads to the beach.
WHERE TO DRINK
Barbarossa
For sundowner buzz, Naoussa is your best bet — there are waterfront cocktail bars by the harbour for drinks with bobbing boats and drying cephalopods as the backdrop, including Salty and the beverage arm of Barbarossa. In Lefkes, Ramnos has a terrace above the valley for more drinks with a view.
WHERE TO GET COFFEE
The kafeneio is as popular in Paros as the rest of Greece, with coffee, pastries and erudite discussion still the ideal way to start your day there. For foam art and elevated baked goods, try Afros on the road into Naoussa, which would be perfectly at home in Shoreditch. If you have a ferry to catch, family-owned Ragoussis has been providing complex carbs to the people of Paros since 1912 — it’s hectic but if you can secure a table on the pavement, it’s a lovely place to wait till you hear your boat sound its horn. On the road into Parikia, Aliprantis promises excellent coffee and pastries, plus gourmet groceries that are hard to resist.
WHERE TO STAY
Parocks Luxury Hotel
If you want to be in the thick of it in Naoussa, Avant Mar is perfectly positioned on the beach, a short walk from the centre of town, with a kafeneio, spa and Greek restaurant on-site, alongside the scene-stealing Matsuhisa. On the other side of town but equally well placed for proximity to Naoussa’s bars, boutiques and restaurants is Cosme, a 40-suite stay with a stargazing terrace and a temple-like spa for Swissline and organic Aegli treatments. And across the water, Parīlio has a restaurant worth staying for, promising modern Greek flavours and the best local produce, with its zero-waste approach an added bonus.
Near Ambelas, Parocks Luxury Hotel and Vione Paros are ideal for being a little away from the action, but within a short drive when you want it. And if you’re travelling in a group or with the family on a multi-generational break, Acron Villas has the right sleeping configuration for you.
WHERE TO SHOP
My top tips for shopping in Paros would be to head to Parikia and Naoussa, and Antiparos if you’ve made it that far. All have assorted purveyors of ceramics, sandals, kaftans, souvenirs, jewellery and everything in between. Vendors often offer discounts for cash purchases, so come stocked with Euros. It’s more a case of wandering and popping in when something catches your eye in a window, but I challenge you not to find something you love in Casa Alma in Parikia.
For jewellery in particular, Lefkes has some skilled artisans at work — I bought a beautiful pair of gold-plated earrings from Scarabee last summer. Athenian concept store Anthologist has pop-ups in situ at both Cosme and Parīlio hotels.
Parian marble — mined since the Bronze Age, and used for the Venus de Milo and Napoleon’s tomb, no less — is among the most prized on the planet; visit the ancient quarries in Marathi, or a studio such as Skaramagas to pick up some to ship home.
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