Paros is one of our favourite Greek Islands. A charming island with sandy beaches, authentic Cycladic architecture and some of the most beautiful towns and villages of the Greek Islands. Paros is located in the heart of the Aegean and has something for everyone! Here are four must visit towns & villages on Paros.
Parikia
Parikia is the capital of Paros and is where you will first arrive to the island when your ferry docks. Parikia was built on the same site that 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 around the port and has beautiful, traditional Cycladic buildings and architecture with its whitewashed houses, paved streets 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.
Lefkes
Lefkes is one of beautiful villages of the island, located in the countryside, located 11km south east of Parikia. Lefkes is built at 300m above sea level, on a hill covered with olive and pine trees with ancient stone walls complete with whitewashed houses, churches and windmills.
There are beautiful cafes to sit and enjoy the views, which stretch all the way across the island, down to the sea.
Piso Livadi
There’s countless charming small towns and villages on Paros and one of our favourite of the smaller villages was Piso Livadi. Piso Livadi is located 17km south-east of Parikia and near the famous Golden Beach.
Piso Livadi is a beautiful little fishing port with waterfront restaurants, a sandy beach and colourful fishing boats. We stopped here whilst exploring the island and had a lovely lunch by the water, enjoying all this relaxing village had to offer.
Naoussa
Last but certainly not least is the charming fishing village of Naoussa. Naoussa is located in a large bay in the north of Paros and was only a 5 minute drive from our hotel, Astir of Paros and was without a doubt our favourite village on the island.
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. Naoussa is picture-perfect with its whitewashed buildings, paved streets, waterfront restaurants, colourful fishing boats bobbing in the port and the remains of a Venetian castle at the entrance to the Port.
The port is surrounded by taverns, bars and restaurants which gives the village a friendly and traditional atmosphere that we fell in love with. The seafood in Naoussa is also to die for!
We ate incredible meals the entire time we were on Paros but we like to generally take our own snacks to snack on during the day so we can keep exploring without having to stop too often! We also like to treat ourselves to ice cream when travelling in summer, so try to keep our snacks healthy with snacks such as Gourmet pumpkin seed products.
Have you been to Paros?
What were your must visit villages on Paros?
This post was written in collaboration with The Pumpkin House.
All opinions, as always, are our own.