Paros or Naxos?
 

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are going to Greece in July and we are planning to visit Athens, Paros or Naxos, and Santorini. We have heard many nice things about both Paros and Naxos but we only have enough time to visit one of them. Which one would you recommend?

Thank you
K~

Hi

Can I suggest stating what interests you, what you're looking for on an island, nightlife, shopping, what standard of accommodation etc. As amateurish as they are my photos of Paros may give you an idea - http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h1.../Greece/Paros/

We chose Naxos over Paros last Spring when faced with the same dilemma. We felt, based on research, that the larger Naxos offered a greater variety of antiquities, mountains, small interior villages, beaches adn more of the traditional Greece than Paros would, and we are happy with our choice. On the ferry from Piraeus we sat next to a couple one of whom was a native of Paros and he confirmed our decision. We rented a car and drove the entire island over 5 days and had a great time. We stayed at Kavos Hotel in Agia Prokopios - check out its reviews on Trip Advisor.

Hi,

We are hoping to enjoy a nice beach and take it easy during the day, but having a fun nightlife would be a plus. Also, we will leave from either Paros or Naxos to Santorini, so having enough choices for ferry schedules is also important for us. Thank you very much!!

Threegigs: Naxos sounds very appealing to me now :) Thanks for sharing your experience.

Here's a wonderful slide-show by a Fodorite that will give you a taste of the beauty of Naxos -- it starts with getting off the ferry... goes to exploring the town, the beaches, driving around theisland, the sunsets, and a farewell wave as the ferry leaves... sometimes I click on this at night, just before I close down my computer... it makes for sweet dreams!

http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/552001505EYxVYT

If my words didn't convince you to choose Naxos, that slide show surely should. Thanks, Jan - it brought back many good memories. As for the "emporium," our innkeeper at Hotel Kavos told us that unassuming little old man who runs it is the richest landowner on the island, having bought up properties many years ago.

Thank you for all information :) It is very helpful. I guess next step for us is to look for a nice but afordable hotel in Naxos. Any thought?

Here are 2 very useful websites... they list hotels by area. Click on a photo & you see rooms & amenities. Also contact info, so you can e-mail the hotels directly. I would advise emailing a whole bunch of them, to see which respond first.

If you like to stay up in clubs in Naxos town a nite it is handier to stay at St. George beach, so u can walk home not drive or do a scooter while "feeling no pain." St. G. is shallow, but u can get a bus to the best beaches every 15-30 minutes, or rent a 4-wheeler for your stay.

http://www.naxos-island-greece.com/n...os-hotels.html
http://www.thegreektravel.com/naxos/hotels.html

In July there is also nite life at Ag. Anna & Ag. Prokopios so u may wish to book there; many reasonable priced places right on the beach.

Many Thankss!!

I was in Paros last September 2007 and LOVED IT!!!! We stayed at the Stelia Mare Boutique hotel and HIGHLY recommend it!!! We didn't want to leave!

Sure you can do both! Stay a night on each, one on the way to Santorini, one on the way back. It will break up the ferry trip. I preferred Paros, but you'll never know unless you see both.

My husband and I experienced both Naxos and Paros. Each are wonderful. We stayed at the Hotel Philoxinia in Paros and loved the staff and environs. We rented a scooter to explore the island. It was very fun. Naxos Town was much busier and, I felt, more overrun with tourists. Again, we explored by scooter and found a wonderful, out of the way, brand new, traditional hotel in Mikro Vigla. We had a taxi drop us off there for a few days and we loved the privacy and tranquility. We are budget travelers and out two best hotels only cost us 55 Euros per night. You will love the Greek Isles!

I have been to both & I would say a day in Paros is good but, there is more to do in Naxos. Naxos is more commercialized but, they are both great islands. Check out this blog for things to do on each one.

http://travelring.blogspot.com/2009/...and-greek.html

I prefer Paros to Naxos hands down, but then I am a snob. First off, Naxos Chora is not a patch on the towns of Parikia or Naoussa on Paros for sheer beauty. The restaurants on Paros are generally higher standard too. Naxos is touristy, commercial and brash, there is very little of that on Paros. The local naxian wine isn't as good as Paros. There are also too many Brits and Germans overrunning the place. So what's good about Naxos? Yes, it's cheaper. It is bigger than Paros and has more and bigger beaches too. That's it. No, let's be fair; the Naxos archaeological museum has one of the best collections of cycladic figurines on the planet (Athens of course has the best). As to Paros, this small but perfectly formed gem of an archaeological museum has part of the original Parian Chronicle (the other two parts are at the Ashmolean in Oxford), no less, and the amazing winged Gorgon (6th century BC), just to name two of the highlights. I should mention the Church of 100 Doors in Parikia. Naxos has nothing to compare with this. On Paros, there are plenty of beautiful undeveloped beaches without even tavernas on them (Molos, Santa Maria, Tripiti to name a few) and you will share the beach with maybe one or two others or have it all to yourself! The shops in Parikia and Naoussa are really classy, unlike Naxos, full of tatty souvenir places. There are wonderful patisseries in both Parikia and Naoussa, family run, founded years ago. The one in Naoussa makes all its own patisserie on site as well as its own delicious ice cream. I don't remember seeing any patisserie of that calibre in Naxos. There are monasteries around every corner and on many hills and lots of windmills. Lefke the old village in the mountains is spectacular - nothing like it on Naxos. There are Antiparos and Despotiko islands too, with more beautiful beaches, a dramatic grotto and a very important archaeological site on Despotiko. The Cave of Archilocus, arguably the first ever poet. The marble quarries go back to ancient Greek times - the Parian marble was used all over Greece and Rome for some of the most famous statues. It's whiter and superior to Naxian marble. There's a ballet school on Paros and a number of pet shops, because Parians love fancy dogs. And finally Paros is one of the dozen or so major ferry hubs in Greece, Naxos isn't. You won't be surprised to hear that many Parians regard Naxos as not just an island full of farmers, but country bumpkins. There is a Dance Academy and Ballet School on Paros, but not on Naxos. There is a sense of culture in Paros which is rather lacking on Naxos. Paros is a smaller island but with a bigger heart. And when did size mean anything anyway? I must admit I was annoyed at so many people on here finding Naxos superior to Paros without really saying WHY, apart from the alleged superiority of Naxos beaches. Maybe someone will come back at me now and convince me I am wrong. I will be happy to be corrected...

This is a 2008 thread. Not sure why you made an effort to discover it and start preaching...

Thank you misslawbore. I appreciate the update as I am planning for a Sept trip.

rr the actor

will you now go to Paros because it has a ballet school and Naxos doesn't ?