An island I’ve never heard of before until I did my research for this trip, but it turned out to be pretty popular! We stayed 3 nights in Paros, so let’s cover the Itinerary first.
Day 1
11:00 am Checked out of Delion View Hotel Santorini
12:00 pm Took the bus from Fira to the port
3:30 pm Took a Blue Star Delos Ferry to Paros
6:45 pm Arrived at Paros port
Went to Airbnb by Taxi and checked in
Walked to Naoussa city centre and explored
Dinner at Sigi Ikhtios
Day 2
Breakfast at Ragoussis Bakery
Rented a car
Explored St. Constantine Panoramic Church area including Frankish Castle
Explored Lefke Village
Visited Kalogeros Beach
Visited Golden Beach
Day 3
Day trip to Anti Paros
Just like in Santorini, we booked a taxi to pick us up at the port through our accommodation. In this case, our host booked it for us. The taxi driver was already waiting for us at the port when we arrived, with a Mercedes, no less. It was a short drive from the port to our AirBnb and it turned out to be a wonderful location. It was just a few steps away from Naoussa, where the happenings are, but far enough that we didn’t have music blaring at night when we sleep.
It was already past 7 pm when we arrived, but the sun was still shining and because people have dinner later in Greece, restaurants are just opening and starting to fill up. We walked through Naoussa streets happily, it was a lot more laid back compared to Santorini even though it was also filled with tourists. By the time we wanted to eat, the restaurant I had picked was full. I put my name on the waiting list and continued walking around. The dinner was at Sigi Ikhtios, located by the beach with a view. The dining was al fresco and with the wind, I had to put my jacket on. The atmosphere was very nice. Evening breeze, warm food, music, and hanging lights all made up the mood. Unfortunately the tables were packed a little too tightly there to fit more people, so it made it a little less pleasant.
The following morning, we went to the popular Ragoussis bakery to see what it was all about. They have a pretty large shop in Naoussa and it was walking distance for us from the Airbnb.We got up pretty early in hopes that we got Naoussa to ourselves and to get a good seat at the bakery. Naoussa in the morning was so peaceful, and at the bakery there were local men gathering, chatting over coffee and smoke.
To me, the bakery was like a candy shop. Countless types of bread, pastries, and cakes on the counter. I had a hard time deciding what to try first. On top of those, they also had a breakfast menu made to order. How does one choose!
I settled with their famous orange cake along with a few other mini cakes and pastry, and also a couple of things from their breakfast menu. Of course we couldn’t finish them all and we took some leftovers home.
We drove back to the port where we arrived the day before and parked at the bottom of St. Constantine Panoramic Church. Parking in Paros is pretty simple. Anywhere you can fit is a parking spot, it seems. :D And it is free almost everywhere on the island.
We climbed up the stairs towards the church and understood why it was called a panoramic church. The view from the front of the church is magnificent! We spent some time taking pictures there and continued to explore the area.
Not too far from the St. Constantine Panoramic Church, we found the Frankish Castle. This castle has a very intriguing look. The walls are made of marble blocks and columns stacked on top of each other. Apparently, the castle was built using materials dismantled from the ancient temple of Athena and the ancient temple of Kora in Paros. I couldn’t help but felt pity that such precious archaeological materials were reused, but then again it did make an attraction on its own.
We also had the chance to look around the shopping streets, and each of us were able to find Greek sandals that we liked. They were not cheap, but they were good quality. It was close to noon when we were done in that area, we took pictures with the panoramic church and then took the car to the next destination.
Our next destination in Paros was the Lefke Village. We drove to the village parking lot and walked to the pedestrian-only Lefke Village. It was around lunch time so the first thing we did was stop at a restaurant that looked good and take in some fuel for our overheated selves. The restaurant is called Lefkiano and it turned out to be one of the best restaurants we dined at in Greece.
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| Refreshing salad with watermelon |
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| Steamed mussels |
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| Moussaka |
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| Pulled pork wrap |
In the Lefke Village there was a church that we found on the Byzantine path that was a mix of cycladean and roman architecture, with a small cemetery at the back and a breathtaking view. The church stood on a pretty high spot, so it was rather windy up there.
After Lefke Village, we decided to check out the beaches of Paros. First we went to the Kalogeros Beach, famous for its mud that is supposedly good for your skin. I had no intention to swim so we just went there to see what it's all about. It turned out to be a super windy day that it was not even enjoyable anymore to sit on the beach. Thus, we moved to the next beach, the Golden Beach. This beach has vast golden sand that one can enjoy walking on, and it also has beach clubs. Alas, it was also super windy there so we decided to scrap the beach idea. It was close to sunset anyway and I was not so keen on driving in the dark.
Next up is our trip to Anti Paros. Stay tuned!
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