Greece: Naxos and Paros - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (2024)

ReplySubscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Feb 11th, 2024, 10:46 AM

SGTravels

Original Poster

Join Date: Jan 2024

Posts: 12

Likes: 0

Received 0 Likeson0 Posts

Greece: Naxos and Paros

Looking for hotel recommendations in Naxos and Paros. We like to be close to action vs very secluded. Also, information about the best time to book ferries. We'd like to try to do the trip reservations ourselves to save some money and/or use our points. Hotel Senia and Parilio Hotel in Paros was recommended. Are they worth the money? Also, on Naxos some of the hotels are already booked so suggestions recommended. I believe this group suggested staying near Ag. Giorgios. What hotels?

Feb 11th, 2024, 05:14 PM

HappyTrvlr

Join Date: Jul 2006

Posts: 17,860

Likes: 2

Received 22 Likeson4 Posts

We stayed at Kanales, a very short distance from Naoussa. We had a good experience. Walked into Naoussa.

Last edited by HappyTrvlr; Feb 11th, 2024 at 05:16 PM.

Feb 12th, 2024, 01:55 AM

Heimdall

Join Date: Feb 2003

Posts: 9,830

Likes: 0

Received 0 Likeson0 Posts

Best time to book ferries is when you get to Greece. You don’t say when you will be there, though, and there are certain times where booking in advance is advisable. Ferries are very busy around Greek Orthodox Easter, May 5th in 2024. Ferries are also busy in August when many Europeans take their holidays.

In well over 20 trips to the Greek Islands I’ve only booked a ferry in advance once, and that proved unnecessary. The only time I wished I had booked earlier was a ferry from Paros to Athens the first weekend in September when families were returning home after their August holidays. Probably the best strategy is to book the first ferry about a month in advance, and book the rest from local ticket agents on the islands. That’s assuming the first ferry is the one from Piraeus to Paros or Naxos. You don’t need to book the ferry between Paros and Naxos, it is never full.

If you are flying to the first island you need to book your flights well in advance, the sooner the better. Same goes if you plan to fly from the islands back to Athens. Paros and Naxos both have airports. The Paros Airport is larger, with ATR-72 aircraft from Olympic Air (Aegean Airlines) and Sky Express. Naxos Airport has a very short runway, and the same two airlines use the smaller ATR-42. Naxos Airport has takeoff weight restrictions preventing the airlines to fill all their seats on flights back to Athens.

Feb 12th, 2024, 08:10 AM

travelerjan

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 4,200

Likes: 0

Received 0 Likeson0 Posts

Dates please! including length of your trip! (Note - only count arrival day if your plane lands before noon, and then only 1/2 day -- and departure day not at all. Thus when you say 10 days including travel to/from... you really mean 8.5 days. AND even that will require domestic flight arrival day afternoon to your first island (since u must be back in Athens before homebound flight). ANd those afternoon flilghts book up EARLY. If they're already full, you'll have to take a ferry at 5 pm or so, arriving PAROS 9:45 or NAXOS 10:45... so whole 1st day is lost.