Parikia & the south-west

Parikia is where every ferry lands, and most people cross it at speed on their way to Naoussa — which is a mistake worth half a day. Behind the waterfront is the Panagia Ekatontapyliani, one of the oldest churches still standing in Greece, a cool stone complex with a baptistery you can walk into; above the town, the Frankish castle was built out of a dismantled classical temple, with drums of marble columns stacked into its wall.

The town also has the cheapest beds on Paros and the island's bus hub, which makes it the sensible base if you are not hiring a car. The waterfront bars are loud in August; the lanes one street back are not.

South of town the coast loosens: Parasporos and Agia Irini have sand and a beach bar each, and further down Aliki is a small fishing village with a folklore museum and tavernas on the water. The airport is next to it — small turboprops, a short runway, and planes that pass low over the beaches.