Paros is a charming, pretty island in the heart of the Cyclades that has become a top destination for tourists from all parts of the world.
Whether you’re travelling as a family with young kids, or you’re a group of friends heading out to Paros for a holiday break, there is plenty to choose from ranging from the relaxing to the adventurous.
We visited Paros for one week at the end of July with our three children aged between 7 and 11 years old.
This article will guide you through the best family-friendly activities and attractions Paros has to offer, to help fill your vacation with laughter, discovery, and cherished memories.
But first, how to get to get to Paros.
Cheap flights to Parikia, Paros
You can either fly to Paros or travel by ferry.
If you’re coming by plane, there are frequent flights from Athens to the airport in Parikia, Paros. If you’re travelling from abroad you’ll likely find a connecting flight with one stop in Athens.
See more: Paros horseriding tour
Horseriding evening in Paros
This was top of our list of things to do. You get to ride horses on a sunset route around Paros and even along the surf on the beach.
Although we booked the tour, we couldn’t go ahead as our children are under 12 years old and this event is for ages 12 and over.
We were refunded but I’m still including it as it looked like so much fun!
See more: Paros stargazing and mythology tour
Stargazing and mythology tour in Paros
With limited light pollution the starry night skies of the Greek islands are something to remember.
This is a private tour for a small group with a guide who talks you through the constellations and modern science.
It starts at 10pm so is best for young adults. Wine and nibbles are provided.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Paros water tours
There are a range of boat tours on offer. Most cover the Antiparos sea caves and Despotiko island, others go to the blue lagoon, an area of turquoise crystal water.
Starting from £44.68 you can choose from group tours, semi-private and private day trips.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Kolimbythres beach
We visited Kolymbithres beach on a rare day with low wind.
This is because Paros, like other islands in the area, is subject to the northerly winds at this time of year, which can make some northern beaches a bit risky.
We decided to swim in Kolimbythres beach, with its alien-like rock formations, and walk around the town of Naoussa in the early evening.
The beach was beautiful but extremely busy with bus-loads of young adults arriving every 30 minutes or so.
Even so, the rock formations were beautiful, the beach was sandy so the children enjoyed playing in the sand and in the pools of water between the rocks.
There are some organised sections of the beach that provide deck chairs, umbrellas and drinks.
We went to ‘Paros on the Rocks’ which was very nice. You pay for the sunbeds and umbrellas – between 40 and 60 euros, and you get this amount off your meal at the restaurant which is 5 minutes walk from the beach.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Naoussa walk
After Kolimbythres beach we drove 10 minutes to Naoussa town to have a walk in the early evening.
There was a small Venetian ‘castle’ at the end of the pier that was interesting to walk to and the cobbled streets were very picturesque.
There are restaurants along the pier and by a small beach next to town all of which looked good.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Windsurfing lessons
Windsurfing is popular in Paros due to the winds and kids from ages 7+ can try it out.
We had lessons with Force7 Windsurfing Centre and Aris taught our kids to windsurf from the first lesson.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Butterfly nature reserve
The butterfly nature reserve is nearer the south of the island and entry costs a few euros. It’s open from 10am – 6pm but you may want to go early or late to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
It’s a lovely little trail that takes about 15 minutes to complete. You walk down steps and along a stone-paved path between carefully labelled trees and foliage. We saw butterflies or moths resting on trees and walls and some flitting around.
They ask you don’t touch the butterflies or shake leaves so you don’t disturb their natural behavioural patterns.
They also ask for silence which was a challenge for us with three jostling children but we managed to make it round the trail without disturbing too many butterflies with our noise.
There is also a cafe on-site that serves ice cream and smoothies.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Paros beaches
There are a number of beautiful, sandy beaches to try in Paros. We recommend the beaches in the south as they tend to be more sheltered from the wind.
Golden beach is the most organised with a number of restaurants and bars to choose from.
It is a long stretch of sandy beach on the south-eastern coast of Paros, facing Naxos.
It’s very family friendly due to the sand and shallow entry to the water and has a number of hotels and restaurants that have organised umbrellas.
We tried The Beach Project and ate there as well. The food was good and it had some healthy vegan options too.
There is also Faragas beach which is more expensive and has the famous Barbarosa restaurant next to it. They have cocktails and play bar music from the Faragas beach bar, so it’s more fun than relaxing.
Tripiti beach and Aliki beach are more secluded and don’t have sunbeds, but are beautiful beaches to see if you have you’re own umbrellas.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Paros restaurants
There is a wide choice of restaurants in Paros whichever area you have chosen to stay in and every one we tried had great food.
In the south, in the small town of Aliki which was where we were staying, the town was packed with choices.
Our favourite was Aliki restaurant which had delicious courgette fritters and fresh fish.
In the north in Naoussa we loved Marmitta restaurant which had incredible food with unique takes on Greek cuisine.
For an upmarket option Barbarossa on Faraga beach (part of Faragas beach bar and restaurant) offers fresh fish, sushi and gourmet dishes.
See more things to do: Paros tours
Visit Antiparos
There is a ferry that leaves from Pounta port every 30 minutes. It takes both passengers and cars and costs a few euros per person, so going to Antiparos is an easy hop over and back.
There are a number of things to do in Antiparos we’ve included below.
See more things to do: Antiparos tours
Antiparos cave
The cave of Antiparos starts inland and is a vertical cave so you climb down steps into the mountain.
Entry is a few euros and the descent is on concrete stairs so you feel very stable. However it’s still a challenging climb so not ideal for those with mobility problems.
They say there are approximately 400 steps into the cave. My daughter counted only 311 but that’s still quite a climb! We even felt some mild dizziness at the very bottom but we managed the way up surprisingly well.
See more things to do: Antiparos tours
The stalactites in the cave are truly magnificent to see and apparently 45 million years old. You can see signatures on the rocks from explorers who used to go into the caves using just climbing ropes. The earliest signature we saw was from 1774!
See more things to do: Antiparos tours
Visit Antiparos beaches
There is a ferry that leaves from Pounta port every 30 minutes. It takes people and cars and costs a few euros per person, so going to Antiparos is an easy hop over and back.
There are a number of beaches to choose from in Antiparos. I would look at the direction of the wind so you can find a beach that’s sheltered on the day you go.
For toddlers and young kids there are a few beach clubs in Antiparos which have good facilities.
For older kids Agios Giorgios beach is nice to visit. It’s sandy and has an organised section with umbrellas, sunbeds and where you can order some drinks from the nearby cafe.
From Agios Giorgios beach you’re also facing the neighbouring uninhabited Despotiko island.
You can even see the ruins of the temple of Apollo from the beach while you swim.
See more water tours: Antiparos boat tours
Antiparos sea caves
You can book a number of tours of the sea caves on the coast of Antiparos. We used Sargos Antiparos as he offers a number of boat tours either in groups – at 35 euros per person or private tours – at 150 euros an hour.
The sea caves are beautiful to see and drive through and the nearby waters are an amazing turquoise blue.
See more things to do: Antiparos tours
Visit Despotiko island
At the time of our visit the Despotiko archaeological site was closed as archaeological work is ongoing.
We were lucky enough to be there when they were hosting a one-off guided tour of the site for a small group. The tour cost 20 euros per adult and 7 euros per child. They had an English and Greek version of the tour.
As work may be ongoing, call ahead to see if the site is open at the time of your visit or if they have any similar guided tours.
We had an incredible guide who told us so much about what was discovered there on the island which we wouldn’t have known looking at the ruins.
Apparently the island of Despotiko used to be connected to Antiparos via a small piece of land that was used for the crossing. It was used primarily as a place of worship in 500 BC.
Archaeologists recently discovered a temple which is believed to be the Temple of Apollo.
It has been reconstructed using the remains found on the island and clad in Naxos marble to resemble the original structure.
The first clue that a temple existed there was when a lover of ancient art visited the site (before any temple was discovered) and saw pieces of marble statues – arms, legs, heads, in the wall of the goat pen of the local goat herder. It has then been an ongoing mission to classify this island as an archaeological site.
As well as the altar and temple, they have also uncovered an:
- entrance to the temple
- an eating room in the temple with hundreds of fish bones
- the most advanced water storage and management system of its time
- a network of rooms used to serve the temple
- possible burial house
As the work and discoveries being uncovered keep coming, we found it a truly exciting archaelogical site to visit.
They hope to continue their excavations subject to receiving funding to continue the archaeological work.
Planning your Paros stay
Whether you choose to take easy days on the beach or do a tour of the sites, Paros has a lot to offer.
Although Paros is a seaside holiday as opposed to a resort holiday, everything on the island was still so well organised.
The food was excellent everywhere we went, there were regular, professionally run tours for all budgets, and the service we experienced was exceptional.
We were frequently greeted with a welcoming smile and helpful words from the locals.
I hope this guide gives you some ideas and whatever you do in Paros we wish you a great trip!
