Things to do at Paros and Santorini
 

We are planning a trip to Greece and Turkey in June 2011. We intend spending 3 nights at Paros, and 2 nights at Santorini in late June. At Paros, we intend to stay in Parikia, and at Santorini we are planning to stay in Oia. Thinking of making a day trip from Paros to Antiparos.

Would appreciate if people who have been there can give tips on delightful things to do on these islands. Is it worthwhile hiring a car on these islands ? Would the water temperature in late June be OK for swimming on the beaches ? Anyone tried the beginners scuba diving lessons at Antiparos or anywhere else ?

Hi, my husband and I stayed in Oia in August. This was our second visit to Santorini, last time was about 12 years ago and we stayed in Thira. We preferred Oia this time as it was quieter and seemed a bit prettier or more refined (that makes me sound a bit pompous but the streets of Thira were a bit scruffier than I remembered).

It was extremely hot when we were there so we didn't do too much. The viewing of the sunset is a must, if only to see the hordes of people that come from all over the island. I found the people watching more interesting than the sun going down. Be warned, get there early or face a crush of people that is hard to make your way through, the laneways are tiny so it doesn't take much to make it crowded. The views right at the end of the island are fabulous. There are loads of places to eat and lots of small touristy shops as well. If you want something very casual and cheap too (not easy to find in Oia) try the gyros place right where the bus stops in Oia. Mmmm...

We caught the bus into Thira one afternoon for an explore and stayed for dinner. You can also walk down to the tiny ports below Oia. There are no beaches at Oia, lots of places have swimming pools or you can catch a bus to one of the beaches. I think late June would be quite warm and fine for swimming.

We hardly ever hire a car on our Greek island visits and have been able to get around by bus. Mind you, the buses in August were unbelievably crushed with people, sometimes with no airconditioning, it was unbearable. June will be a lot better with fewer people and not so hot.

Thinking about it, we hardly did anything but still enjoyed our time and spent hours looking at the beautiful views. It's a good place for relaxing and quite romantic.

Kay

While on Paros recommend a visit to Lefkes, the pretty mountain village, and to Naoussa. Both are easily reached by bus from Parikia. From Naoussa harbour you can take a taxi boat to Kolymbithres Beach, which has unusual rock formations and good swimming. In Parikia itself visit Ekatontapiliani (Church of 100 Doors), the archaeological museum, and old town.

Antiparos has wonderful round-island boat trips, but would take a full day out of your short stay on Paros. Most day vistors to Antiparos go to the stalactite cave in the morning, head back to Antiparos Town for lunch, then beach in the afternoon. The cave is interesting, but has lots of steps to negotiate.

I've never gone out with Blue Island Divers, but the company has operated on Antiparos for many years, and has a good reputation. They also take snorkelers, so if you don't want to bother with dive instruction, that would be possible. The water around Antiparos is crystal clear, and surface temperatures warm by the end of June. I've been on dive trips on the GBR in Australia, but just used a snorkel & mask. :-)

Thanks for the inputs. KayF, I liked your statement :
"we hardly did anything but still enjoyed our time and spent hours looking at the beautiful views"
I guess we should not be looking for much action while on the islands, but just to take things slow, linger around, and gaze at the views. Incidentally, I guess "Thira" and "Fira" are the same place, right ?

Heimdall, we will certainly visit Lefkes and Naousa. Glad to know that it is all doable by bus, and hiring a car may not be necessary. Is Piso Livadi worth visiting too ? Kolymbithres Beach also sounds good on the sites and guide books - didn't realize you need a water taxi to get there. Incidentally, when you are swimming on the beaches, what do you do with your camera equipment, wallets etc ? Is there generally a place where you can keep these for safe storage ?

There is a road to Kolymbithres Beach, going on as far as Monastiri Beach, but I'm not sure if it is served by buses. I've only ever used the taxi boats, which is a fun way to get to the beach. The bus from Parikia drops you off in Naoussa, and it's only a short walk from the bus stop to the harbour where the taxi boats depart.

Piso Livadi would be worth visiting, and the bus from Parikia goes on through there to Golden Beach and Drios. This is a long stretch of sandy beaches mirroring those on the southwest coast of Naxos. If I'm not mistaken, the #4 bus from Parikia goes through Lefkes and on from there to Piso Livadi and Drios, so you could do both in one trip, stopping off at Lefkes in the morning, then getting on a later bus to Piso Livadi. :-)

A correction to my last post: it is bus #1 that goes from Parikia to Lefkes, then on to Piso Livadi and Drios.

Although Antiparos is a separate island, it is actually quicker to get there from Parikia than to some parts of Paros itself. Excursion boats leave from Parikia harbour reaching Antiparos in only 30 minutes. There are also buses to Pounta port (route #4) that meet a 7 minute ferry across to Antiparos. This is a landing craft type ferry that is able to take cars and lorries.

Hi there, yes Thira and Fira are the same place, just different spelling. It's prononounced Thira. You will find in Greece that many places/words have more than one English spelling. I did read once why that was but have forgotten. The island of Santorini is also called Thira (I think only by the Greeks) which can be a bit confusing.

We've always got by with English and a smattering of hello/goodbye/thank you etc in Greek. For the buses, it would pay to know the Greek alphabet so you can recognise the words Oia, Fira etc, on the front of the bus. If in doubt, just ask someone at the bus depot, there are usually people milling about, just about to get run over by a bus. It's typical Greek chaos in Thira at the bus station, quite amusing to watch. Thira is the hub, so if you come from the port, you get a bus to Thira, then get another bus to Oia. Or a taxi from the port of course if you want, that would be quicker but a lot more expensive.

Kay

Hi

We hired a car on Paros and can thoroughly recommend it (we hired one on Santorini too). It's not expensive and you get to see alot of the island. You can even take it to Antiparos via the car ferry at Pounda, a short inexpensive trip. My favourite spots are Lefkes, Naoussa, Lageri, Kolymbithres (scenic rocky beach) and Aliki. We stayed at the Sunset View - http://www.sunsetview-paros.com - and can highly recommend it. Check out our photos for a "taster" - http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h1.../Greece/Paros/. Photos of the hotel can also be viewed using this link.

No, Thira and Fira are not the same place or a separate spelling for the same thing. At no time is Fira known as Thira. Thira, also spelled Thera as in Ancient Thera, is the island's name. Fira is the main village's name. They are NOT interchangeable.

Santorini is the most recent name for the island. It is also known as Thira=Kallisti=Strongili.

Brotherleelove is correct. The conventional spelling of the island is ΘΗΡΑ, which transcribes to Thira. The village is spelled ΦΗΡΑ, which transcribes to Fira. Θ is "th", and Φ is "f" in Greek.

I have been to Paros 20 or so times, and have never hired a car. I don't deny there are advantages, but the bus system is excellent, so you don't really need one. There have been many cases throughout Europe (not just in Greece) where car hire companies have added unauthorised charges to customer's credit cards, so be careful. You will also need to obtain an International Drivers Permit (IDP) before you leave India.

Before you decide to hire a car, read this: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...icle713476.ece

Thanks everyone for great info. Heimdall, nice to know that the bus system works well on Paros. We always avoid renting cars unless absolutely essential; much more fun to use public transport and jostle with locals, and get a closer look at their way of life and attitude.

However, we were planning on renting a car for 2 days on the mainland, to drive from Athens airport to Nafplio, and to use it for touring around Nafplio (Mycanae, Epidavros, Corinth Canal etc), before driving it back to Athens airport. Would you not recommend it ? We will of course take the Super CDW coverage, no matter how much it costs (we always do, when renting a car in a foreign country). And I will have my Intl Driving Permit.

Lots of good places recommended by worldinabag at Paros. Thanks. Still looking for info about what people do with their valuables while swimming at a beach.

And what is the best way to get from the Santorini port (arriving by ferry) to Oia ? Bus, or taxi ? And from Oia to Santorini airport ?

Apologies for mixing up Thira and Fira. I had no idea and am glad you corrected me. Now I know!

We caught the local bus from the port in Santorini to Fira, then another bus to Oia. We had a small wheeled bag each and it was OK, if a bit uncomfortable because of the crowds on the bus. It was quite cheap, I think bus fares were about 1.20 euro each. There is a bus to the airport too but you would have to get a bus to Fira, then change to another bus to the airport so it would be quicker to get a taxi. Taxi would be about 25 euro I think.

Kay

If you go to Lefkes on Paros and enjoy a walk, there is a Byzantine road which leads from Lefkes down to Prodromos and on to the coast at Marpissa. It is a paved footpath edged by wild thyme and other fragrant foliage.

It takes about an hour/hour and a half to walk and has fine views across the island and back to Lefkes. You also get a real sense of the history of the road, even though part of it has obviously been restored.

You can catch a bus to Lefkes and taxi from Marpissa. Or if you have a runner with you, have a coffee at Prodromos and wait while he/she runs back up the road to bring the car down from Lefkes! Go early before it gets too hot and you will have a memorable day.

Hi Indiancouple,

A hire car for touring the mainland sounds like a good idea. Carefully inspect the car in the presence of an employee for dents and scratches when you check it out, and again when you return it. Make sure it is documented that the car was returned in the same condition as when you received it.

If you wish to avoid hiring a car on the mainland, there are tour companies that can take you to the places mentioned in your post. Do a Google on Chat Tours and Key Tours for more information. There may be other good tour companies, but those are the ones that come to mind. Frankly I'm not an expert in that part of Greece, but travelerjan and others may be able to help.

What to do with your valuables while on the beach? Well, the best answer is to leave them in your hotel, locked up in a safe or sturdy suitcase. You don't need to bring much with you to the beach, just a little money for drinks and lunch, and maybe your camera. I've never worried about it though, leaving wallet, camera, etc. in my day pack when going for a swim, and nothing has ever been touched. The Greek Islands are a low crime area, and thefts are rare. The place to worry about your wallet is Athens, especially on the metro.

HI Indian Couple:
Heimdall has it right about the money. I always leave that stuff locked in my suitcase. Greece is one country where you don't worry about the cleaning ladies rifling thru your stuff. I bring my beach money in a small cloth change purse which I pin inside my shorts pocket & just leave on my towel. Like H, never any problem. If u are driving to the beach, just lock stuff in the car. Let's not over-engineer this matter.

As for the mainland loop to the Nafplio/Argolid area, I certainly AM an enthusiast for this -- you can just use the search slot for the MANY posts on this topic by me and/or another Fodors regular, stanbr. The drive is easy, on modern divided highway to beyond the Corinth Canal, then shortly thereafter you turn south on smaller road, but not much traffic. If you drive, you then can see mycenae & Epidaurus, and maybe even Tiryns or Asine in one day, and have a swim at the end of your ruins-scramble, besides. It's good to buy a good road map (the brand ROAD EDITIONS is best - available in airport bookshop) but here's the best online map (click to enlarge), showing clearly the bypass highway from Airport, all the way to Nafplio, as well as the roads to the nearby ancient sites: http://www.esperides.gr/images/pelop..._esperides.jpg

BEST Argolid website = http://www.visitnafplio.com/visitnafplio.com/Home.html -- also check stanbr's gorgeous pix = http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/551991579dJbWvh

For Nafplio lodgings, I love Hotel Leto, tell Mr. Tzaneto janet sent you, and stanbr swears by the next-door place, Pension Eleni. Both have websites... they look down on town & bay. You can drive up a ramp at the end of the seafront road, to get to a high-up parking square, then roll your luggage 75 meters or so to hotel doors.

travelerjan, thanks a ton for the wonderful information. Will check out all the sites you have sent. I would imagine the car rental agency should be able to provide a GPS ; always prefer the GPS to a map.

Ever witnessed a play at the Epidavros theater during the Hellenic festival ? Worth it ? We will be in Nafplio on July 1st & 2nd (Friday and Sat), which are probably the first two days of the festival in Epidavros in 2011. We were thinking of watching a theater performance there on one of the two days.

Do NOT, repeat NOT disregard a good map! Greece forums abound with examples of GPS leading drivers astray in GReece -- including, on the way back from the Argolid to the airport, , directing the driver to turn instead onto the road that led directly into Central Athens.

As for Epidaurus, I've never been in the area during the theatre season (July-August). DO order tickets in advance as soon as available... they often sell out.

On Paros, when you travel to the mountain town of Lefkes, visit the Yria Lefkes pottery shop. Beautiful piieces shipped worldwide. We rented a car through our hotel for a day or two and drove around the entire island which we enjoyed. We stayed in Naoussa and it was one of our favoirte places in the Greek islands. We much preferred Paros to Santorini although Oia was quite pretty.

Sorry for been the dream buster here, but even if you have an active and fast paced travelling style, you can cram in only as much in a tight time frame.
2 nights in Santorini comes into one full day plus mayube half a day depending on arrival/departure time. 3 nights on Paros comes down to 2 or 2 and a half days accordingly. I spent all previous "summer" (middle April till start of November) working/living on Paros, and I can tell you that bus shedules change literaly every week. On late June there may or may not be enough buses to fit in on those places, but what time you'll have left to actually experience the places theirselves? It is different to stay in Paros one week and visit a different place at leasure by bus, than trying to cram in Lefkes,Naoussa,Kolibithres,Piso Livadi,maybe Marpissa and Prodromos in one day!(Your other day will ne spend on Antiparos) And I can tell you for sure, that last bus running will most possibly be at late afternoon/early evening rather than middnight as eg on middle August. On Santorini, in one full day you can hardly see the museums in Fira, take a bus to Kanari or Perissa, climp up to ancient Thira and then go back to Oia trying to enjoy Oia itsself, or take a long boat trip to volcano,Thirasia and enjoy an Oia dinner. This is just my humple opinion anyway.