Nearest Airport
: Paros
at 15
Kilometres
Nearest Beach
: beach
at 0.1
Kilometres
Nearest Barpub
: Naoussa
at 4
Kilometres
Car: necessary
Paros is an island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it is 185 km away from Piraues and neighbors Naxos to the east, separated by a channel about 8 km (5 mi) wide.
The capital, Parikia, situated on a bay on the north-west side of the island, occupies the site of the ancient capital Paros.
Houses are built and decorated in the traditional Cycladic style, with flat roofs, whitewash walls and blue-painted doors and window frames and shutters. Shadowed by luxuriant vines, and surrounded by gardens of oranges and pomegranates, the houses give the town a picturesque aspect. The Panagia Ekatontapiliani, ('church of the hundred doors') was founded by the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (ruled 306–337 AD), Saint Helen, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Paros museum contains a fragment of the Parian Chronicle, a remarkable chronology of ancient Greece. Inscribed in marble, its entries give time elapsed between key events from the most distant past (1500 BC) down to 264 BC.
Other important settlements include: Naoussa, Kephalos, Lefkes.
Historically, Paros was known for its fine white translucent marble, which gave rise to the term 'Parian' to describe marble or china of similar qualities. Today, abandoned marble quarries and mines can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.
The most popular beaches are Chrissí Aktí (Golden Beach), Naousa Bay, Parikia and Agia Irini.
One of the most popular activities is windsurfing, especially in the strait between Paros and Naxos.
