Hi mztish, the hotel we stayed at in Santorini booked our ferry tickets for us a day or two before we left Santorini for Naxos. I know that you can also buy them at the ferry port but I wouldn't recommend doing that. The port was very, very busy when we went last May. I actually thought it was a bit chaotic, and I don't know if it was obvious where to buy the tickets.

I see that you are thinking of renting apartments. We stayed in hotels, and I booked them about 6 months before departure. I recommend using booking.com because they usually have good cancellation policies.

Good luck with your planning!

Hello again!
A few questions please!
Any suggestions on what area n Paros is best to stay? any recommendations for where to stay? I see two locations in Paros Town and Naousa. Any other suggestons?
same for Naxos?
Also if we plan to hike should we bring hiking boots? or are sneakers ok? I am a little concerned about rocky paths.
Thank you all so much!

I've always stayed, quite happily, in Parikia which is the port on Paros. Naoussa was easily reachable by bus and we visited there for the excellent winery Moraitas (book tours ahead!) and beaches/restaurants. Paros features the Byzantine Road which begins in Lefkes (reachable by bus) and essentially goes downhill for 3.5K to the coast in Prodromos. You'll want something to support your ankles because the road isn't close to even, but lightweight hiking boots or trail shoes should do the trick.

I've stayed on Naxos once and, again, we booked in at a place we could walk to from the port. it put us in a great position to wander the winding streets at night.

We stayed at Hotel Palatia located on the edge of Agios Georgios Beach. This is the beginning of the beach close to Naxos Town. About a 10-15 minute walk. You could also stay in Naxos Town but I assume it would be more crowded and noisier. I believe our location was perfect because we could easily walk along the beach and/or stop at one of the many seaside cafes. And as I already said, it's a quick walk to Naxos Town.

We were very happy staying in walking distance of charming Naoussa.

Thank yo all for the input on where to stay in Paros! We are looking at places now and hope to decide this week.

I would like to throw the island of Cephalonia into the mix.

If you're serious about driving I can suggest a reliable car rental agency in Athens so you can accommodate a visit to Delphi and Meteora, and then travel to Lefkada, to catch a ferry to Cephalonia.

I would recommend Terra Mare Resort as a base of operations in Lixouri, Cephalonia (a 20-minute ferry ride across the harbour from the capital - Argostoli) as it will allow you access the 2nd most photographed beach in the world, horseback riding, archeological digs, grottos and caves to explore, sea turtles hatching, and dig I mention the restaurants?..

If your interest in piqued, reach out. I live in small town Canada.