Paros

Where cosmopolitan meets traditional

High on the list of top Greek holiday destinations, Paros Ιsland welcomes its visitors at the centre of the Cyclades group and invites them to explore its great beauty, the long beaches with crystal-clear waters and its impressive landscapes. There is a well-developed tourist infrastructure, too, to make your holidays truly memorable.

In antiquity, Paros was famous for its white marble quarries; the so-called ‘Parian marble’ was highly sought-after for its top quality, for use in architecture and sculpture (particularly during the Classical Greek Period). Some of the masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture were made with this pure white, translucent material. The statues of Hermes by Praxiteles, Venus de Milo (i.e. Aphrodite of Milos), Nike [Winged Victory] of Samothrace, Nike of Paionios, and the Caryatids, i.e. the famous daughters [korai] of the Erechtheion, Acropolis, Athens are some of the most popular specimens of such art.  
Some of the best known sculptors, painters and poets of ancient Greece come from Paros. The island has been an administrative and commercial hub in the Aegean Sea, and it has also been the apple of discord for many conquerors (Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Ottomans), who left their imprint on this place. It has known periods of great prosperity, as shown by the ruins in its archaeological sites and its considerable historical monuments, which you can visit across the island.