Patrick and I were stoked about our trip to Greece. Everyone always raves about Mykonos and Santorini. But when a friend of mine from college mentioned the more secluded island of Paros, I decided to take a look at what the island had to offer. Pat and I went into this trip least excited about Paros since we had no expectations for the island. By the end of the trip, we left wishing we had spent more time in Paros than on any other island in Greece. It was by far our most genuine, tranquil, and local Greek experience. I know this may sound crazy, but we preferred it to the touristy Santorini and party filled Mykonos. I highly recommend everyone stop by this island to experience a true sense of Greek island life.
There were a lot of five star resorts and hotels to choose from on the island of Paros, especially in the main fishing village of Naoussa. But Pat and I decided to go for a more low budget option. We didn’t expect to find SUCH A STEAL, but we were able to find ourselves an ocean front view room with our own private balcony in the center of Naoussa – all for $24 a night (I kid you not!!) It is an AirBnB run by a lovely elderly Greek woman and her son Nikos. They live on the bottom floor of this three-story house. The entire top floor was ours giving us privacy which made us feel like we were the only ones in the house! Given the luxury of our own private balcony, we decided to wake up at 4:30AM and watch the sunrise over the fishing village of Naoussa – a sight for sore eyes, absolutely breathtaking. The room had everything we needed and more, we still can’t believe we were able to snag this beauty at such a low price. If I could live there for a month…I would! If you want to know where this location is, shoot me an email at sveva@svadore.com.
Photography by Svadore
On our first day, we walked 2 minutes to a delicious local store called Yo Love. It serves some of the best greek frozen yogurt on the island and the owner is extremely friendly. You can also get a full blown American breakfast here: butter, jam, and toast, coffee, orange juice and eggs.
Following breakfast, we decided to explore the town of Naoussa. It’s pretty small so there isn’t much I can tell you about where to go and what to see. My recommendation is to just get lost in it!
Around 11AM we took a quick water taxi to Kolimbithres Beach across from Naoussa. A secluded beach that can be easily reached by boat, it boasts plenty huge granite blocks for people to lay on. Shade here is limited so come prepared. There are a few beach bars and taverns around so we stopped by Taverna Kolimbithres for a quick lunch to shield ourselves from the sun. It boasts gorgeous views of Kolimbithres beach and you can even see Naoussa from across the water.
Once back in the fishing village of Naoussa, we decided to take the bus to the main town of Parikia. We made the mistake of not renting a quad till our second day on the island, but we both agree we should have gotten it from the start. They do have public transportation on the island, but it does take a while to get around as we learned from day 1.
At Parikia we shuffled along the small streets that were very similar to those of Mykonos, but a lot less crowded. Through the small wood carving stores, artisanal products, and trinket stores, we stopped for a drink before heading down the boardwalk to watch the sunset.
That night we decided to eat pizza at Pizzarella. I know..pizza in Greece?! But we were getting tired of eating Greek food and this restaurant was known for its excellent pizza on the island. Their traditional wood oven pizza was just what we needed to cap off our first night in Paros! More to come on my weekend in Paros..stay tuned.
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26 comments
Cool photos and sounds like you had some amazing food! Will have to check some of these places out if I visit Greece
Definitely! Stay tuned for my next post on Paros, this is just part 1
Such a beautiful places. Sounds like you had an amazing time. Greeces is on my places to go List.
Beautiful place. It sounds like you had a great time. Greece is on my list of places to visit
Thank you Gina! Highly recommed you go to Paros
Greece in general is at the very top of my travel bucket list, but this place looks particularly beautiful! I love your photos. Everything is so perfectly blue!! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you from this post 🙂
So sweet of you! 🙂 I’m glad you like the post, feel free to sign up for my newsletter on the right hand side to stay up to date on my travels
We’re actually going to Mykonos and Santorini later this year but now you’re making me want to add Paros into our itinerary! We love the quiet non touristy places, this might be perfect for us. Saving your post for reference!!
Definitely add Paros to your trip! I don’t know how long you’re there for, but you don’t need long on Mykonos and Santorini 🙂
Everything about this looks divine! The views are just killer!
Paros looks like a great alternative to overcrowded Santorini. Great photos, thank you for sharing!
I was about to book a trip to Paros! But do you think that 1 week would be too much to spend there?
Hi Anastasia, No not at all! It will give you a lot of time to enjoy every aspect of the island. There are a lot of beaches and towns to see and if you take a quad you can see them all in 5 days. 7 gives you some wiggle room for fun activities like boat excursions during the day or visiting the neighboring island of Anti Paros 🙂 Hope this helps. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any other questions! sveva@svadore.com
Wow this island looks stunning! I really want to go back to Greece and go a bit of island hopping, it’s so nice to hear a different perspective from the classic Mykonos and Santorini.
It definitely looks like you had an amazing time in Greece! Your photos are just stunning, and remind me that I NEED to get there soon!
Beautiful! I have always wanted to visit Greece and am even considering it for our honeymoon next year. I’ve heard good things about both Paros and Paxos, and your photos are convincing me to check it out! I love exploring smaller towns, so the fact that you visited three individual areas in one day makes this a super attractive destination. Hope you get to visit again soon!
You have the same feeling about Paros as we have. Came here for the first time inn 1990, and have been back every year. We went to the mainland and to other islands, but after a few days we found a ferry for Paros. Now we have a house here, only 5 min drive to Naoussa, and we still love it. Can recommend it if you want a nice vacation.
It’s great you reveal hidden gems like Paros island in Greece! It looks like the perfect spot for a dream summer vacation or just to relax and enjoy the views!
What a magical place. It sounds like you really got a taste of Greek Island life and that AirBnb is such a bargain, especially with a sunrise view like that!
Your photos ore beautiful! It’s been many years since I’ve been to Paros – your post makes me want to go back!
Thank you Matilda! 🙂 I highly recommend you return. It is such a peaceful escape from the more touristy islands. Stay tuned for my next post on Paros coming out later this week!
Oh man! An oceanfront room for $24! What a steal! that looks like such a great place to chill out and catch some rays.
I know! If you ever visit the island and want to stay there. Feel free to reach out to me at sveva@svadore.com
Hi, please could you send me the name of the air bnb you stayed in! Planning my trip to Greece for August 2018! Thank you
Paros was the first island I went to in Greece! So many memories!
Paros is fantastic, going back for the 3 rd year in a row next may. Beautiful, kind and generous friendly people. I highly recommend a stay on the island.