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Guide to Paros, Greece
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Paros
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Paros Positioned in the center of the Grecian archipelago known as the Cyclades, Paros is rightfully the bearer of the moniker 'transportation hub' for the area. Nearly all international travelers less a ship or boat first arrive here, though, sadly, few stay. With beautiful secluded beaches draped on the edges of some of the most pristine islands in the Greek nation, it's easy to see why Paros has been relegated to sorting visitors' routes out appropriately. Home to a presentable capital and many small towns, Paros is not at all an unpleasant location amongst gems. You'll have an easy time getting a cheap room here, considering own tourism industry already has a difficult time convincing foreigners to stay, and with everything else accounted for, be it public transit, cultural sites, historic findings, and loads of restaurants, there's never been a better time to be Paros' guest. Its own beaches, populated mostly by locals, offer few secluded areas for private afternoons with the sea and a subtropical landscape, but they'll please most. Still, if you're on the prowl for some genuine solitude, grab a day pack and visit Antiparos, Sifnos, or Delos. Unless you're content with pitching an un-insulated temporary residence of your own on those islands, you may wish to get back to your hotel room in Paros before nightfall, when travel between the islands all but completely shuts down. Still not convinced that Paros is worthy of one's euros and time? Perhaps a trip to the past inside Parikia (capital) will do the trick. Both a Venetian castle and a Byzantine Cathedral are ready to greet passing tourists, and though their exteriors often captivate onlookers, the insides of the two are worthy of equal attention. All in all, Paros proves to give visitors a winning combination of sights, comfort, beauty, and accessibility, aspects and characteristics easily duplicated by rarely held together such an intriguing fashion.
When to go:
The Mediterranean has often been good to Paros and the Cyclades as a whole. Here, you'll come to know summers just shy of perfection, a euphemism, however wonderful, better reserved for locations closer to zero-Latitude. Apart from winter, there's hardly an unappealing time to travel to the island. Spring and autumn both provide wonderful climates, and though rainfall is not entirely absent from the warm-to-warmest months of the year, a balance is made to ensure the island's freshness throughout the year.
Getting there and around:
Though fluctuations in standards to occur in the travel industry within the Greek "empire," you'll more or less be guaranteed two flights between Athens and Paros every day. This, of course, can entail a long wait and a dip into a finite pool of patience on the part of the traveler, especially if one misses the last or only flight of the day. When you do get to Paros, however, things get much easier. The entire island maybe be run throughout with well-connected roadways, but chances are you'll be sticking to the areas within and without the capital, Parikia. Buses run routes may times each day in the city, and you'll have hardly broken a sweat walking to and fro various sites. (Most have purposely been kept within close distances of one another.)
Attractions:
The Panayia Ekatondapiliani Cathedral a 1,709-year-old church founded by Saint Helen, is seemingly a fortess at first glance. Surrounded by a thick white wall, the cathedral has boasted a strong defense since the days of rampant piracy (non-digital media related, of course) in earlier centuries within the Cyclades' region. The church holds a museum of its own, where 16th-to-19th- century relics and various religious objects are on display for the general public. An entrance fee is required.
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