Ferries to Paros
Paros has more than thirty exquisite beaches where you can swim, have fun, relax, dance, indulge in lazy summer days, and exercise your favorite water sport. It is also close to Athens and enjoys the privilege of daily scheduled ferry itineraries from both Piraeus & Rafina and between other popular Cycladic islands as well. So look no further, because your next summer vacations will be spent in Paros with cheap ferry tickets on direct routes!
If you love windsurf, pack your equipment and off to the windy beaches of Santa Maria, Pounta, Golden beach and New Golden Beach where the annual world championship of wind-surf takes place every year in early August. Would you rather dive into the deep blue waters of an exclusive, almost isolated beach? Then choose Laggeri beach and in case you change your mind hit the most visited beaches of Marcelo, Kolymbithres, Logaras, Parasporos, Monastiri and many more.
Paros unlike Mykonos has many picturesque villages worth visiting. The main port of the island which is also its capital is called Parikia. Many people chose Parikia for their stay because of its lively nightlife and the easy access to proximate Cycladic islands. The second most popular village is Naousa, but if you want to skip the quite touristy beaten path maybe you should chose to book your accommodation close to a nice beach or at Alykes village, or even at Lefkes, a traditional mountain settlement built in the center of Paros with amphitheatrical view and typical Cycladic architecture which has not been altered by the multiple tourist invasions.
Every summer, there are many ferries (cheap and slow or more expensive catamarans) which depart from Piraeus, the main port of Athens or Rafina, the second city’s port on daily basis. Most itineraries to Paros are direct and during high season many interconnections are at your disposal between Paros and Naxos, Mykonos, Santorini, Ios, and Heraklion (Crete). All vessels arrive and depart from Parikia port; however Paros has a second port at Pounta which only serves the Paros-Antiparos route from early morning hours until late at night. In case you want to spend some days in Antiparos, the new destination trend among international celebrities worldwide, you may as well depart from Parikia but the itineraries do not run until late at night and you cannot carry any vehicle onboard. The ferry tickets from Paros to Antiparos can be bought on the spot. The distance varies from ten (departure from Pounta) to twenty minutes (departure from Parikia).
Even if you tend to plan your holidays way ahead of time bear in mind that on August 15th the island practically fills with religious visitors coming to pay their respects to Virgin Mary at the famous church of "Ekatontapyliani" in Parikia. In fact, this is the most important Greek religious holiday of summer, so wherever you are, be prepared for “fully booked” signs in many hotels and ferry itineraries.
The quickest yet expensive way to explore Paros is by taxi. Luckily, the island’s public transportation is accurate and frequent. The main terminals are located at Parikia and Naousa and the buses operate until late at night. You can purchase you ticket on the spot. The more popular a beach or a village is, the more buses frequency you may expect. Some beaches cannot be reached by bus, so you can either go there by boat or take the bus up to a point and then walk for a few minutes. Hopping a small boat to get to a beach is common practice in the Greek islands including Paros. Find out the time and place of departure and enjoy your mini cruise. The boat owner will let you know about the time of your pick up and return to Naousa or Parikia.