Paros Island

Paros sits at the heart of the Cyclades, between Naxos and the mainland port of Piraeus, and is home to roughly 13,200 permanent residents according to the 2021 census — a population that multiplies many times over during the August peak. Its two main towns, the quieter port of Parikia and the livelier resort town of Naoussa in the north, are linked by inland villages such as Lefkes and Marpissa that still preserve the island's traditional Cycladic character.

Long before tourism, Paros was famous across the ancient world for its fine white marble. Parian marble, quarried from the island's interior, was prized for its purity and translucence and was used by sculptors and builders throughout the Mediterranean, reportedly including the Venus de Milo and parts of the Parthenon in Athens. Today the island's roughly 120 kilometres of coastline and numerous sheltered bays make it a natural stop on Aegean sailing routes, and Paros is best reached during a gulet cruise along the Greece coast that also takes in its neighbouring Cycladic islands.