Why You Can Hardly Go Wrong (and How to Visit Both)
Because Naxos and Paros sit just 8 nautical miles apart in the heart of the Cyclades, a 45-minute Blue Star Ferry hop between Parikia (Paros) and Naxos Chora costs only €15.50. Even if you choose one as your sleeping base for 4 or 5 nights, you can easily spend a full day and sunset dinner on the other.
Choose Naxos If You Want:
- 8 km of continuous golden sand stretching from Agios Georgios through Agios Prokopios and Agia Anna to Plaka.
- Dramatic mountain villages & local food: Naxos is the largest, greenest Cycladic island with its own potato farms, PDO Graviera cheese dairies, and marble-paved mountain towns like Halki and Apeiranthos.
- Iconic history right at the port: Walking out to the 6th-century BC marble Portara gate at sunset and getting lost inside the 13th-century Venetian Kastro.
Choose Paros If You Want:
- Postcard Cycladic boutique harbors: Naoussa's whitewashed fishing port and Venetian sea castle offer boutique dining and chic cocktail bars without Mykonos prices.
- Effortless day trip to Antiparos: A 7-minute €1.50 shuttle ferry from Pounda takes you straight across to laid-back Antiparos.