We very quickly fell in love with Paros and loved exploring this gorgeous island in depth during our time there. We both love road trips and so we teamed up with AutoParos to find the very best beaches, villages and hot spots of Paros. Paros has everything, it has beautiful sandy beaches, charming villages, traditional Cycladic architecture and incredible landscapes. We explored far and wide and can’t wait to share our favourite parts of the island!
We hired our car through AutoParos Car Rental who picked us up at the ferry terminal at Paros on our arrival. They then took us to their nearby shop where we completed the hire paperwork and the staff ran us through a map of Paros taking the time to point out all the must see places on the island, including the best beaches and towns. We were so impressed with AutoParos, they were professional and helpful and truly lived up to their goal of “providing the best service to our guests for their transportation around Paros.” They then provided us with directions to our hotel, Astir of Paros and we set off excited to explore all Paros has to offer!
We had three nights on Paros and we’d be testing out two different vehicles during our time on the island. Our first was a Suzuki Jimny which we quickly became very attached to! The Suzuki was fantastic, it was comfortable, clean and the perfect Greek Island cruiser! It allowed us to go off-road and we loved the open top and back! It was clean and well maintained and would be the car we’d recommend if you want to explore Paros at depth by visiting all the beaches, towns and also going off-road!
For our final night on Paros we swapped cars and picked up a Hyundai! The hyundai was a very comfortable car which would be perfect for families to explore Paros in! We really enjoyed the air-conditioning and spaciousness of the car. As we mentioned it would be a great sized car for families and also would be perfect in summer or winter with air-conditioning and heating!
HIGHLIGHTS OF PAROS
Each morning we’d enjoy breakfast poolside at Astir of Paros, and plan our adventures for that day! As we had three nights and four days on Paros we had a lot of time to explore the island in depth and we managed to visit a great deal of the island whilst we were there. Paros is such a beautiful island and has some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve seen not just in Greece but in all of Europe! It has charming villages, photogenic towns, incredible restaurants and boasts stunning natural beauty wherever you go! Santorini was always on my bucket list and I loved every second of our time there, it truly exceeded my expectations but Paros on the other hand, feels like the underdog of the Cyclades as it is not as popular as some of its neighbours which I think adds to its charm and it was without a doubt our favourite Greek island. We could have happily spent a few weeks living in a beach front villa on Paros, exploring different parts of the island each day in our Suzuki Jimny and when the time came it would have been very difficult to leave our little Greek island paradise!
THE BEACHES
Paros has unrivalled natural beauty with its golden sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and breathtaking landscapes. Paros has some of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in all of Europe and we loved visiting as many of them as we could during our time on the island. Our favourites were Kolimbithres, Logaras, Golden Beach, Farangas, Aliki and of course beautiful Santa Maria which was our favourite of them all.
THE SUNSETS
During our time on Paros we were lucky enough to experience some beautiful sunsets. Our favourite was the sunset from Paros Park on the north-west of the island, opposite Monastiri Beach. The views were unrivalled with nothing between us and the horizon and not a single other soul around, it was an experience and a sunset we’ll never forget! Anywhere along the west coast of Paros would offer beautiful sunsets as well as from the higher villages such as Lefkes.
PICTURE PERFECT NAOUSSA
The beautiful picturesque fishing village of Naoussa is located in a large bay in the north of Paros which was only a 5-10 minute drive from our hotel. Naoussa is considered to be one of the prettiest villages in the Cyclades and despite its popularity it has still managed to keep its authenticity, traditional character and charm. We fell in love with its whitewashed little houses and tiny churches which are all surrounded by labyrinth-like narrow, stone paved streets. Naoussa is built around its tiny picturesque port where little colourful fishing boats moor and the remains of a Venetian castle can still be seen and visited! The port is also surrounded by taverns, bars and restaurants which gives the village a friendly and traditional atmosphere that we fell in love with (and I am sure all visitors would too)!
THE PORT TOWN OF PARIKIA
Parikia is the capital of Paros and is where you will arrive on your ferry to the island. Parikia was built on the same site where the ancient city used to stand and it is the commercial and cultural centre of Paros as well as the main harbour. Parikia is built amphitheatrically around the port and has beautiful Cycladic buildings and architecture with its white washed cubic and flat roofed houses, coloured wooden doors, windows and balconies and blue domed churches. At the entrance of the port you are greeted with a wonderful whitewashed windmill which is the trademark of Paros. Parikia is a wonderful town to walk around with boutique shops, restaurants, tavernas, cafes and bars as well as the remains of an ancient castle which you can visit.
CHARMING VILLAGES
In addition to Parikia and Naoussa we also stumbled across countless other charming villages including Lefkes which was up in the mountains and offered beautiful views of the countryside, Aliki a cute little beach town and Pisso Livadi which was a beautiful little fishing village with delicious seafood restaurants where we had lunch one day. There’s countless towns and villages on Paros, each with its own charm and beauty and all you need to do is explore and you will find your perfect little village.
4WD-ING OFF ROADING
One of our favourite parts about Paros was exploring in our Suzuki Jimny. Being a 4WD it meant we could go off road and we could take the little dirt tracks that would lead us up mountains or down to unspoilt beaches, with paradise around every corner! If you love finding hidden beaches, coves and walking trails with no one else around then we highly recommend hiring a 4WD for your time on Paros, you won’t regret it.
Paros has so much natural beauty and charm and we loved the freedom of having our own car so we could explore as far as we wanted in our own time. If you’re planning on visiting Paros then we recommend hiring a car as you’ll fall further in love with this charming island the more you explore.
Paros was one our our favourite Greek islands, and we’re tipping it to be the next hot spot! See more of Paros in our Photo Diary!
Thanks to AutoParos for hosting our time on their beautiful Island!
If you wish to book a rental car whilst you are on Paros (which we highly recommend), then head over to their website to find out more & to book!
We think roadtrips are one of the best ways to fully experience a new destination!
We’d love to hear about your favourite road trips from your travels! x
