Greek Island: Naxos vs Paros
 

I am trying to set up an 'Island Hopping' itinerary and would like to spend two days in either Naxos or Paros. We love the casual small-town blue and white villages with a lot of atmosphere. Since we will be in Mykonos for three nights, we won't need a 'wild night life.' Any help is appreciated. Thanks

For me Paros offers more diversion than Naxos. Not so much of the 'blue and white' atmosphere as Mykonos and Santorini, but still interesting and big enough to take up a couple of days of exploration.

We have been to Paros twice and Naxos six times over the past decade. We have spent itme in the towns and beaches and rented cars and explored both. As you can see we just keep on coming back to Naxos.
Naxos town is substantially larger than Paros and is much more interesting with it's Castle, winding and maze like streets and it's old market area. There are antiquities, a beach right on the edge of town and of course the Portara.
Naxos beaches are much better, more accessible and for the most part are good sand.
We enjoyed our visits to Paros particularly the fishing village of Nauossa and nerer regretted our decision to visit however for us Naxos has much more to offer.

I have been to both and prefer Naxos for atmosphere and beaches and exploring the island.

Thank you very much for your help brotherleelove, stanbr, and Hania. We seem to be leaning towards Naxos. Rudy Maxa, Smart Travels, reports Naxos to be one of the most beautiful islands in Greece. Thanks again.

If you would like to view our pictures of Naxos you can find them on www.webshots.com go to community page and find a member. Look up lollypeter100.

So much more to do and much more variety in Naxos -- topographically, historically and gastronomically.

If you like exploring a bit, a drive to the some of the small interior towns is fascinating.

Repete you are so right. Naxos mountain villages are an experience not to be missed. Last summer we stopped at a remote town called Keramoti which was a kilometer down a switchback road in the mountains. It is mostly abandoned now with only 30 elderly people still living there. An old grizzled man stopped us in a narrow alley and asked where we were from. When we told him Canada, he told us he had lived in Montreal for 30 years and had come home to his village to retire.
He sent us along another path that led to the towns water source, a spring that overflowed onto the cobblestone pathway over a stairway and into an enchanted valley with the most unusual transuclent/florescent blue and red dragonflies.
The whole little valley vibrated with the sound of their wings. That experience is a memory that will live with us long after the last resident of Keramoti is gone.
There are pictures on our Webshots site listed above.