Greece is a classic summer holiday destination for a lot of Europeans and it's easy to see why - amazing reliable weather, beautiful coasts, lovely fresh food and friendly people.
But people often get lulled into the likes of Santorini and Corfu for upmarket breaks and places like Kos and Ayia Napa for partying. All of these places have their perks but sometimes you just want a bit of the luxury and some bars without the hype and the price tag.
For me, Paros strikes this balance perfectly - here are three reasons why:
A lot of people haven’t heard of it but it isn’t completely empty and lacking in life.
There will be some people who maintain that you can’t completely embrace Greek island life unless you fully immerse yourself in a tiny island with no airport and no real port for at least 1 month! But this so isn’t the case (although that would be a pretty cool thing to do too).
Parts of Paros are bustling with lots of people selling boat trips, taxi’s, bars and visitors but there are still hidden coves, silent sunset spots and hiking routes. I think this makes it the best of both worlds for those of us that want to holiday off the beaten track, but still love having a choice of restaurants doing an array of food and a happy hour for drinking cocktails after a day exploring.
Less hype means prices in Paros aren’t nearly as high as in some of it’s more popular neighbouring islands. I stayed in a 3-star hotel a five-minute walk from the centre of Parikia (Paros’ main town) for less money per night than camping in Mykonos. Cheap camping options are also available in Paros.
Food and drink are also a lot more affordable meaning a nice dinner and drinks for 2 people are more around the €25 mark as opposed to €50+ in Mykonos. Mykonos is famous for its beautiful quaint whitewashed streets and beautiful coast but Parikia town has this too, only it is slightly less polished and perfect and it has much more of a feeling of people actually living there. The beaches that are walking distance from Parikia are also much bigger, and I think more beautiful than those walkable from Mykonos town and any of the big towns in Santorini.
Take a boat trip to Antiparos
Antiparos is a tiny island next to Paros and is best explored by taxi boat or on a day-long boat trip that will include stop-offs in swimming areas and food. Antiparos is small and incredibly quaint - there is perhaps not enough to do there to stay for a long time but a day trip is perfect. The most memorable part of my whole time in Greece was the full day boat trip around Antiparos - you can even go past the church that was used during the filming of Mamma Mia!
Stay in Parikia town in Soroco’s rooms and Studios (available to book on booking.com and hostelworld, they have big clean rooms, friendly cats, a pool, they serve lovely breakfast and it’s a 10-minute walk into town.
Walk from Parikia to Krios, follow the bay around North of the town and you can reach Krios where there is another pretty beach and a couple of beachfront cafes. The views on the walk are very nice too!
Eat seafood from any of the beachfront restaurants in Parikia town and buy takeaway pizza and sit on the beach for sunset.
Drink fruity mojitos at sunset.
Do hire a quad bike and explore the island and find your own beaches. Quad hire in Greece is very affordable and so much fun. Just make sure you always have a helmet on, only drive if you have a driving licence from your own country and never drink and ride your quad!
