Paros travel guide

Paros is one of the most touristy islands of the Cyclades. Located south of Mykonos and next to Naxos. Its main town and Port is Parikia on the west side of the island the second largest town is Naousa at the east part. Near to Naousa is the amazing beach of Kolympithres with golden sand. At Parikia is the famous Byzantine church of Ekatontapyliani and the ruins of an Ancient fortress.In the small streets of Parikia and Naousa the visitor will find any kind of shops ,restaurants ,cafes and Greek art souvenir shops. Its residents focus on fisheries, agriculture, and tourism. The products of Paros is diverse and have excellent quality. It produces large quantities of wine annually so it has small industrial units of wine and ouzo, as well as cotton, oil and figs, mostly for the needs of its residents. Most fertile areas are those of of Paroikia, and Marpissa. The island also has valuable minerals, including the well known Parian marble.

The church of Ekatontapyliani in Parikia is one of the most famous churches of the Cyclades. Its name would rather be "Katapoliani" meaning outside of the city, since it was long located outside the original village around the Kastro. In fact, the name would have been corrupted during the Ottoman occupation. The legend says that the church would have only 99 gates and the hundredth will appear miraculously when Constantinople would be regained.
Among the most famous beaches in Paros is the beach of Kolymbithres near to Naousa. Another attraction of the island is the Butterflies valley like in Rhodes.

Paros was already inhabited from the prehistoric times 5,000 ago, while during the 3 millennium allegedly was an important centre in accordance with the findings in Parikia, Koukounaries and Kampos. Later its residents were subjects of king of Minos hence the first name of the island was Minois or Minoa. Later Paros was occupied by the Arcadians whose leader was Paros from which the island took its current name. Its inhabitants except Cretans was Arcadians as well. After the late Mycenaean period the Ionians where settled and Paros began growing in strength with remarkable maritime shipping through which established colonies in Thassos, which took the gold mines there, Propontis and in the Adriatic in Faro of Italy . In 600 BC The island cut its own currencies.
During the Persian wars Paros was drafted with the Persians, against the Athenian sovereignty and its main commercial competitor. This resulted later the Miltiadis to unsuccessfully make an expedition against the island, Themistocles later conquered the island in 479 BC and Paros became a part of the Athenian Alliance.
Later Paros was occupied by the Macedonians and Romans. The Byzantine Empire maintained its strength on the island until 1207 when the Venetians founded the Duchy of Naxos in which Paros was a subject. In 1537 Paros was occupied by the Turks. After the Greek war of independence Paros was unified with Greece like the rest of the Cyclades islands.
There is an airport and the island has daily many ferry connections with Athens and other islands of the Aegean.