ParosParadiseOur experience will enhance yours

Livadia Beach is a sandy beach in Parikia, east of town. This beach is very close and accessible to hotels and some beach side restaurants. Umbrellas and lounges are for hire or you can spread your towel on the beach for free. A nice restaurant called Tango Mar has tables and loungers right on the beach if you decide to eat a light lunch or enjoy a drink. A nice place for families with small children as the beach is big and the water is shallow for a long ways out. While swimming here you can watch the ferries come in across the large bay. Very beautiful at night…again while eating or drinking at restaurants at the beach.  Recently awarded a Blue Flag, I beleive.

Krios is a popular and fun beach across the bay from Parikia. In season you can go to and from this sandy beach via a small boat that costs very little. Or go by scooter or car on the road that winds around the bay. There is no free shade here, so you might want to take an umbrella unless you are working on a tan. Also nearby are some beach clubs that have food and drinks–and night life. Marchello Beach is part of this area. Our Panorama Village villa is on the hill just above this beach.

Kolimbithres is a very unusual beach…shallow, with great smooth rock formations giving little coves and a bit of whimsy. It is a great place for families. One beach has umbrellas and lounges for hire, the others are just free for the taking.  During the season you can get here by boat from the marina in Naoussa.

Keep going past Kolimbithres through a boat marina to the end of the road to reach Monistiri.  We had left this beach off our original list because we had read it was being converted to a conservation park.  But a recent visit shows that it is alive and well with a large beach club, umbrellas and volley ball — it still attracts the same young crowd, probably because of the back-to-nature privacy just up and over a small ridge  😏

We blogged about the beach and environs here and here . . .

Piperi is a fun and interesting beach as you enter Naoussa. Though surrounded by hotels it has a small park and both a sandy beach and rock formations at the ends.

Anargiri Beach is in Naoussa, just east of the town. You might consider it “the beach at Naoussa”. It is not huge, but is sandy with a few rocks here and there in the water. Trees line the wall in the background on part of the beach, so if you are lucky, you can find a spot in the shade. If there is a North wind blowing it can be rather wavy. It is shallow right near the shoreline, but gets deeper a bit further out. There are places to get refreshments just a block away and one of our favourite studio apartments overlooks the beach.  Find accommodations here.

Langeri is east of Naoussa on a huge shallow bay, but not as far as Santa Maria. It is well known as a Nudist Beach. This may be changing as new villas are being built in the area.  You can Google it as Lageri or Laggeri.  Their pics show mostly clothed people. It is not on the main road, apparently you have to cross a farmer’s field. I have heard of no problems doing so. The one time Karin and I checked it out we turned off the road at the sign and parked at the end of the lane, then it is apparent what path to follow. I marked it on the footer map below. Good Luck!

Santa Maria is a long fantastic sandy beach–on one end are little cabana’s with drinks. Here too are water sports equipment for hire: boats, skis, etc. And music for the young at heart! Further down, on the other end it is the exact opposite: quiet. This beach is shallow for a long ways out making it very safe for children.  In some places the cliffs give shade. In the distance you can see the island of Naxos and the Blue Star ferry creeping it’s way between the two islands. A very beautiful place and a real favourite.

Glifada & Tsoukalia are off the beaten track and usually exposed to the prevailing wind so they are frequented by just a few hearty souls, mostly Germans in camper vans, it seems.  Yet Tsoukalia has a Blue Flag.

Molos has a good road to it with tavernas so it gets a few more people but is also quite wind blown. Good for beach combing and some say kite boarding and surfing. 

We remember it fondly as being the only guests at one of the tavernas helping to eat the family’s noon meal.

Vigla Beach is a very unusual beach. Most people never heard of it, or don’t understand how to get there. One just hears tales about the famous mud baths near Molos.  The old timers don’t want to give directions in fear of spoiling the experience from overuse.  But guiding people is my job . . .  

You must go through Marmara and follow the only road to the end. Most people turn left to Molos Bay. But in this case, you must turn right! The road goes up a slight hill and you park at the top. Then a short easy walk down to the sandy/pebbly beach. Keep right…up the beach a very short walk until you get to the cliffs….that is where you find the mud–actually a type of green clay found at various places around the world.

How to take a mud bath! Be sure you have a plastic bucket with you and a plastic shovel (pretend you are a kid). Then scrape out lots of the greenish cliff dirt. Mix with water. Spread on your body. Lay in the sun and bake! It gets hard and slightly green! Then you jump into the sea and wash it off. Results? A very smooth skin!

Piso Livadi has a beach surrounded by a fishing village. At one end are swings for kids on the sand. The rest of the beach has trees and lots of shade. It is shallow for a little ways and slowly gets deeper. What makes this beach so nice is a bus goes right past it! So you can get to it easily from Parikia or Naoussa. There are lots of different little restaurants next to this beach and a boat quay. Piso Livadi is a village a lot of people find very quaint and enjoyable. I agree.

Logaras is literally just around the corner from Piso Livadi. This is a fairly long beach also with some trees at one end and 3 or 4 restaurants at the other end. It is sandy and has a water spout to wash the sea water off. A great place to sit and eat and watch the bathing beauties walk past. Good place for children as well.

Pounda (East): While there is a beach here, it really seems more of a Club. It is a place all young people like to go, at least once. The club consists of different levels of pools, shops, and bars for dancing on. One time I happened by and saw them bungee jumping off a crane into the main pool! Loud music all day….I wonder if anyone goes in the sea? It closes at sunset. A bus lets you off at the road in, then about a 5 minute walk. Don’t confuse it with Pounda (West) near the ferry port to Antiparos, many people find themselves on the opposite side of the island from what they want.  The kite-boarding capital is on the west side–overlooked by one of our villas:  Randianna.

Mesada is a rather small sandy beach with trees and not on the list of beaches one must see. I think it might be nudist because it is so quiet –or it could be that if you are the only one there. Perhaps it is just a small local beach used by the few houses in the area.

Though I just remembered a situation in Ireland, where they are slightly more prudish than Greece, in which a young man had the beach to himself when he went into the sea nude but before he came out we showed up with a bus load of mostly women.  He had a long walk from the water to his clothes during which the women, all artists by the way, were thoroughly enjoying themselves.  More adventures in Ireland at our sister site.

A sandy beach more for wind surfers although there are hotel pool bars just across the street.

Golden Beach — Christi Acti on the maps — is probably one of the longest and sandiest beaches on Paros. It is on the south of the island and is great for windsurfing. Golden Beach is very shallow making a great place for families with small children. Some of the areas have umbrellas and lounge chairs for hire….lots of space in between for those that don’t want them. On the western end of the beach are a couple nice tavernas with good food and along the middle plenty of beach bars.

I usually try to show photos without lots of people but I think that is the main attraction of Golden Beach.

There are really two beaches at Drios. One is reached from the center of town next to the supermarket. However it is not as nice as the one called Drios Beach. To reach the Drios beach you must go a bit further east, almost at the edge of town. There a sign points down a very interesting windy road that goes between houses and in front of tavernas ending at a pier with room to turn around to go back to the parking lot behind tall walls. At this beach you have it all…three restaurants and a little gift shop. This beach is pebbly (rather pretty little pebbles). There are trees to sit under and also the restaurants at the edge of the beach are also under tall trees making it a very nice cool spot to eat lunch or have a cooling drink. Also a nice spot for a romantic dinner. Some people come here just for the atmosphere and sit and read and pick up pretty rocks–thats me, Karin. Be sure to take your snorkel gear as there are lots of big rocks under the water. Actually this beach goes deep very quickly–probably not a good place for small children who cannot swim. Two additional points:  one, a mystery and two a family villa for rent.

Lolandoni is near Aspro Horio. There is a sign pointing down a road towards the sea. It is rather a long jaunt down but when you get there…it is really nice. A great taverna for lunches and dinners sits above the beach. The beach is sandy and good for families. A few trees line the edge You can even get coffees and other drinks from some very pleasant girls who come down from the taverna and take your requests. The prices are quite fair for this service.

Lately this beach has become so popular that no one goes there anymore 😉

Glifa/Tripiti Beaches: Two for the price of one! Actually separated by a wee bit of rock and land. Glifa is sandy, has a row of trees so just about everyone can have shade. There is a very nice taverna/restaurant sitting back from this beach. Tripiti is smaller but good for snorkeling because there is a cliff and the rock goes into the water.

There are two roads that go to both. The one is just after you come over the “pass” from Aliki area. It is rather steep and can be a bit rough in places. It goes to Tripiti first. The other is much further on, almost to Aspro Horio. It is a nice gentle asphalted road most of the way. Once down to the beach, you can go on a road between them. Both roads are sign posted. Note, however, that maps conflict with the signs by showing Tripiti on the south side of the island closer to Farangas. Maybe this is an attempt to keep the true Tripiti more private?

This isolated little beach has seen attempts by nearby landowners to make it private.  Just stay on the path straight down to the beach and you will be rewarded.  Though one time we had to sit in the middle with a nudist couple at each end.

If you don’t mind a short hike you can also see a geologic oddity.  Read about it here with photos.

Farangas Beach is a favourite of many people because it is very sandy. It used to be a very quiet place, but now has chair loungers to rent. However, there is plenty of space to just put down a towel. The taverna there plays music. Plenty of parking and a short walk down a nice path to the beach. Another little beach which is rocky can be found just over the little hill to the right; nudists sometimes present. A good snorkeling spot.

Aliki Beaches: Aliki is a small village on the sea and our home. We have 3 beaches here: Piso, Central and St. Nicholas.

Piso Aliki (which means behind Aliki): This beach is a very short distance away from the village. Just a round the corner, so to speak. It is sometimes sandy, sometimes a little rocky around the edges. That is because during winter it gets the brunt of many storms, it is always changing. Usually it is sandy. Underwater you can find a shelf of rocks for snorkeling. A few trees for shade –First come, first served! There is a taverna on one end of the beach, however the village tavernas are very near. Aliki Center Beach: This is a sandy beach in the center of town and very popular. Next to it is a children’s little playground with trees and a kiosk for quick treats. Also are a couple of tavernas right on the beach, and just on the other side of the seawall is a row of restaurants. This is a great beach to swim at sunset time…..and it is very children safe. St. Nicholas Beach is just the far end of the Aliki Central beach. But there is a slight interruption of the beach because of a little boat shelter made from rocks, a rocky area and then St. Nicholas Beach. This is a long sandy beach. Few trees however. And a bit further to the restaurants and other amenities but close to another playground, football field and tennis/basket ball courts.  On the way you see the salt flats from which the village takes its name.

This beach is our favourite for flotsam and jetsam.  It is a bit hard to find but can be reached by road and by walking North along the coast from Aliki.

Boutakas Beach is another long sandy beach on what is known as the “back road to Pounda”. It is hard to find because it is not sign posted. Locals can tell you how to find it and a map will show it. Once you have found the road you will discover how easy it was to find! This beach is the favourite of many locals because it is so undeveloped. Some rather nice villas are here, otherwise it is rather private. Some people swim nude at the western far end. aka Voutakas

Pounda Beach (West) is not a swimming beach even if it is long and sandy (and shallow for a long ways out). It is famous around the world for kite boarding and windsurfing. This is the place to “fly” across the channel from Paros to Antiparos (the island just across the channel). It is frequently confused with Pounda Beach Club on the east side of the island.

St. Irene…such a nice sounding name for a beach. This beach is actually 2 beaches with 2 separate entrances. However you can walk between them on a path which takes all of 5 minutes!  In the header photo is the North is on the left; the South is in background on right. The principal advantage is that one or the other is sheltered from the wind depending upon wind direction–unless coming from due West.

The one you come to first (coming out of Parikia) is called Lividakia and has a windy narrow road down. This beach has a nice taverna further back and chairs and tables down at the beach. A great spot to watch the sun set. However, this beach has a tendency to get a lot of “sea grass” piled up during winter and no one is in a hurry to clean it up. But when it is cleared off, the water is sandy with a few rocks here and there. Along the edges is great for snorkeling. And trees for shade.

The other beach is on the road further along, actually on the road to Pounda ferry. It is called Palm Beach. It is also a rather long and narrow road down. There is a row of Palm Trees and a sea wall which makes for comfort….a place to sit and shade. Here also is a campground and taverna. Again, I have to say, this beach used to be my favourite, but it is not always cleaned up properly until quite late in the season. It is also nice and sandy in the water.

Parosporos is a very nice beach with a taverna and a beach club on it. Good food. Lots of sand. Loungers for rent if you want. Because the wind blows here often, this beach gets the brunt of the North winds. Which actually makes it fun…for kids and adults who like to play around like kids! There are great waves…that you can dive into, get pushed around by, ride a surfboard on…etc. Everyone seems to like this beach, even people who get married on it! A very pretty spot in the evening when the sun sets.

The maps say Delfini everyone else says Magaya; the Restaurant/Taverna… It is not such a great spot for swimming, but since you are there, why not? You can go to Magaya’s early in the day, sit in the outside part of this very interesting restaurant (or get into one of their hammocks) and just wile away the hours. Kids play, very nice music plays, adults play board games, you take a dip to cool off, drink another beer, order lunch, nap, swim, and then you can eat dinner before going home! A real fun full day at the beach! The food is excellent. Can you tell I love it there?

I don’t know if this beach even has a name. It is on the western end of Parikia, in front of restaurants and before you get to the road that goes up to the windmill bar. I only see old ladies swimming here. It gets quite choppy when the ferries come past…I personally cannot imagine swimming here…but how can little old ladies steer you wrong?  For people staying in old town the sunbathing is good though. So there you have it, an around the island tour of the highlights.  Comments  and opinions welcome.

Our guide for nude and topless beaches is found  here

Some ideas to Work at Home — On the Beach