Paros Island Greece

Paros is a Greek island in the Aegean sea and belongs to the Cyclades islands complex. It’s distance from Piraeus port of Athens is 93 miles. During the antiquity , Paros Island Greece was colonized by Arcadians and Ionians. In the first Greek-Persian War ( 490 B.C.) was sided with the Persians. As a member of the Delian League ( 477-404 B.C. ), which was a naval confederacy dominated by Athenians, Paros paid the highest tribute of all the other members , since it was one of the wealthiest islands in the Aegean.

The capital of Paros Island Greece is Parikia , which is also a major harbour. In Parikia the houses are built with the traditional Cycladic style, with flat roofs and whitewashed walls. The doors and the window frames are blue painted. There are the remains of a medieval castle, built by the marble parts of the ancient temple of Apollo. In Parikia, close to the port there is the church of Panagia Ekatontapyliani, meaning the church of the hundred doors. It is said that had been founded by Saint Helen, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great ( 306-337 A.D ). The Archaeological Museum of Paros is also located in Parikia and hosts many finds from several sites in Paros.

On the northside of the island there is the small harbour and the colourful village of Naoussa, where are the ruins of a Venetian castle. Another settlement located 6 miles away from Parikia is the mountain village of Lefkes. The Parian marble, extracted from marble quarries at Marathi, which is white ,translucent and has a beautiful texture was the main source of Paros during antiquity till the 19^th century. This marble was used by Praxiteles and other famous Greek sculptors.

In Paros, there are many beautiful beaches with crystal clear waters. The most well known of them are the following:

Chrissi Akti beach, is the venue for the Windsurfing World Championship.
Kolymbithres beach, with impressive white rock formations.
Kalogeros beach, surrounded by red and green clay rocks.
Santa Maria beach, with long and beautiful sand.
Parasporos beach, sandy, well organized, with many bars.
Agia Irini beach, surrounded by palm trees and tropical atmosphere.
Logaras beach, clean waters and sandy coast.

Paros island Greece is an ideal tourist destination, with numerous hotels of several categories , traditional taverns , luxurious restaurants , sophisticated bars and attracts visitors from all over the world.

You can discover the beauties of Paros Island Greece, choosing the holiday package of Kaningos Tours : Island Hopping Athens-Paros-Naxos.