Naoussa Is a Village on Paros, Not a Separate Island
If you’ve been reading about Paros for a Santorini stopover and keep running into the name Naoussa, here’s the confusion cleared up: Naoussa is not another island, and it isn’t the same place as Paros either. Paros is the island. Paroikia is its main town, its ferry port, and the place almost every visitor from Santorini actually lands. Naoussa is a separate village on the island’s north coast, built around a small fishing harbor, and it’s a genuinely different kind of stop — smaller, quieter outside peak hours, and shaped around boats rather than a port terminal.
There’s a third name that gets folded into the same conversation: Antiparos. That one really is a separate island, a short hop from Paroikia by its own local ferry, with its own harbor town and not much beyond it. So the three names sort into three different things — Paros the island, Paroikia its capital and gateway, Naoussa its second town, and Antiparos a small island next door. This page is about Naoussa specifically: what it adds if you’re already weighing a Paros stop from Santorini, and what it doesn’t.
How Naoussa Differs from Paroikia
Paroikia carries the weight of being the arrival point. It has the port, the bus station, most of the shops and pharmacies, and the well-known Panagia Ekatontapiliani — the Church of a Hundred Doors — one of the oldest working churches in Greece. It’s practical first and atmospheric second, though its old town has its own tangle of whitewashed lanes worth an evening walk.
Naoussa flips that balance. There’s no ferry terminal handling international arrivals, so the working harbor stays a working harbor — fishing boats still tie up alongside the excursion caiques, nets get mended on the quay, and the ruins of a 15th-century Venetian kastro sit half-submerged at the harbor mouth, visible at low points and swum around at others. The old town behind the harbor is denser with boutique hotels, design shops, and seafood tavernas than Paroikia’s, which is part of why Naoussa has built a reputation as the more polished, more photogenic of the two — and, in July and August, the more expensive one.
Neither town has a plague of coach tours the way Santorini’s caldera villages do, but Naoussa’s harbor square fills up hard on summer evenings, when the day-trippers arrive from Paroikia and the yachts crowding the quay spill their passengers into the same three or four streets of restaurants.
| Paroikia | Naoussa | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Island capital, ferry port | Second town, fishing harbor |
| Ferry access from Santorini | Direct, most routes land here | None direct — via Paroikia, then road |
| Character | Practical, historic old town | Boutique, harborside, seafood-focused |
| Peak-season crowding | Busy but dispersed | Concentrated around the harbor at dinner |
| Best for | First arrival, day-to-day logistics | An evening base, photography, seafood |
Getting There from Santorini
There is no ferry that runs from Santorini’s port at Athinios directly into Naoussa. Every option starts the same way: a ferry from Santorini to Paros, landing at Paroikia. From Athinios, that crossing runs roughly two hours on a fast ferry — treat that as an order of magnitude rather than a fixed schedule, since it depends on the boat, the operator, and whether the route calls at another island first.
A conventional (non-high-speed) ferry takes noticeably longer. Check a current timetable close to your travel dates rather than planning around a number you read months in advance — for the general mechanics of buying tickets and reading Cycladic ferry schedules, see the site’s ferry guide.
Once you’re off the boat in Paroikia, Naoussa is about 25 minutes away by road. A taxi is the simplest option if you’re only staying a night or two; the KTEL bus network also runs a regular service between the two towns and is the cheaper way to do it if you’re not in a hurry. If you’re renting a car or scooter for a multi-day Paros stay, the drive is straightforward and scenic in its own right, running past inland villages before dropping to the coast.
Because the whole trip involves a sea crossing plus a road transfer, Naoussa doesn’t work as a same-day return trip from Santorini — the crossing alone takes up most of a day each way. It belongs to a multi-island itinerary, not a day excursion, unlike some of the closer islands covered in the site’s guide to day trips from Santorini.
Before the Ferry: Port Timing and Getting Around Naoussa
Checking in at Athinios
Naoussa-bound travelers still start at Athinios, Santorini’s only ferry port, and the same check-in habits apply as for any Cycladic route out of the island: arrive at least 45–60 minutes before departure, since the port has little shade and boarding lanes fill fast during the July–August peak covered in the site’s guide to the best time to visit Santorini. The Athinios port guide covers parking, ticket counters, and where to wait if a sailing is delayed — a missed ferry to Paros means waiting for the next scheduled departure, not an easy rebooking.
Walking Naoussa’s old town
Once you’re off the bus or taxi in Naoussa, the old town behind the harbor is on foot only — narrow lanes, uneven flagstones, and steps that rule out wheeled luggage and make the walk harder for anyone with limited mobility. The same cobbled layout shapes several of Santorini’s own villages, and travelers weighing that trade-off across the wider trip can check the site’s accessibility guide for what to expect and where flatter alternatives exist.
What to Actually Do in Naoussa
The harbor and the kastro
The harbor itself is the reason to come. Circle it on foot in twenty minutes, or spend an hour with a coffee watching fishermen unload the morning’s catch a few tables down from where it will be grilled that evening. The kastro ruins at the harbor mouth are a low, weathered stub of fortification rather than an intact castle — worth the short walk out, not worth planning a whole visit around.
Boat trips along the north coast
Naoussa’s harbor is also the departure point for small-boat excursions along Paros’s northern coastline and across to Antiparos, a different way to see the coves than by road. A short cruise typically threads past sea caves and swimming stops before turning back, and gives a sense of the coastline’s shape that’s hard to get from the beaches alone:
a half-day cruise along Paros’s north coast from NaoussaFor a longer day on the water that combines Naoussa’s bay with a wider swing along the coast and an optional sunset return, there’s also:
a Naoussa bay cruise with swim stops and a sunset optionLefkes and the inland villages
Inland from both Naoussa and Paroikia, the marble-built hill village of Lefkes sits at the island’s highest point, reached by a stretch of the old Byzantine marble path that once connected Paros’s villages before roads existed. It’s a common half-day pairing with Naoussa or with a Paroikia sunset, and it’s covered on this site’s Paros activities page alongside other things-to-do in and around the island.
Beaches near Naoussa
The best-known beach near the village is Kolymbithres, a run of coves shaped by wind-sculpted granite boulders rather than open sand — distinctive rather than conventionally beautiful, and popular enough in August that arriving early matters. Santa Maria and Lageri, both a short drive east, add windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions when the meltemi is up, the same seasonal wind that shapes conditions across the Cyclades and that the site covers in more depth for Santorini’s own beaches.
Food and a fishing-village evening
Naoussa’s tavernas lean hard into the harbor’s own catch — grilled fish sold by weight, octopus dried on lines along the quay before it’s grilled, and the ouzeri tradition of small plates with a glass of something anise-flavored. A tour built specifically around that side of the village pairs the harbor walk with tastings:
a Paros highlights tour with a fishing tasting stop in NaoussaFor a single itinerary that covers Naoussa’s harbor, Lefkes, and the island’s coastal viewpoints in one outing without arranging transport yourself, there’s also:
a Paros highlights tour combining Naoussa, Lefkes, and the island’s coastal viewpointsWhere Naoussa Fits in a Bigger Trip
Naoussa rarely stands alone in a Cyclades plan. The most common pattern for someone based in Santorini is to treat Paros — Naoussa included — as one leg of a wider island-hopping route, adding Naxos, Antiparos, or a longer chain through the Petite Cyclades. Because Paros sits roughly in the middle of the Cyclades ferry network, it also works well as a hub for onward hops to Mykonos or a day trip to Delos via Mykonos, rather than routing everything back through Santorini.
If your trip has room for it, an overnight in Naoussa breaks up a longer hop nicely — arrive at Paroikia in the afternoon, transfer to Naoussa for the evening and the harbor at its best (after the day-boats leave and before the dinner rush peaks), then continue the next morning. Travelers building a full route rather than a single stop should start from the site’s guide to Cycladic island-hopping routes or the broader piece on island hopping from Santorini, both of which set Naoussa in the context of a multi-stop plan rather than an isolated add-on.
Practical Notes for a Naoussa Stop
Book ferry tickets ahead for July and August — routes fill, and last-minute availability shrinks fast in peak season. The same applies to accommodation in Naoussa itself: its boutique-hotel reputation means rooms in the old town book out well before the shoulder-season islands do. If budget matters more than being inside the old town, Paroikia generally runs cheaper for a similar standard of room.
Pack for a walking, boat-based few days rather than a driving one if you’re not renting a vehicle — sandals that survive a wet caique deck, a light cover-up for harbor-front tavernas that don’t love beachwear at the table, and cash for the smaller kiosks and boat operators that don’t always take cards. The euro is the currency throughout, as it is on Santorini.
For travelers coming from the Cyclades toward Santorini rather than the other direction, there’s also a return option worth knowing about:
a full-day trip to Santorini bookable from Paros
Naoussa, Paros, and Antiparos: Common Questions
Is Naoussa the same as Paros?
No. Paros is the island, and Paroikia is its main town and ferry port. Naoussa is a separate village on the north coast, about 25 minutes by road from Paroikia. Most ferries from Santorini land at Paroikia, not at Naoussa.
How do I get from Santorini to Naoussa?
Take a ferry from Athinios to Paros — roughly two hours on a fast ferry, longer on a conventional boat or a route with a stop — then a taxi or KTEL bus on to Naoussa. There is no direct ferry from Santorini into Naoussa’s own harbor.
Is Naoussa better than Paroikia?
They serve different purposes rather than one beating the other. Paroikia is the arrival town, with the port, the bulk of the shops, and the Hundred Doors Church. Naoussa is smaller, built around a working fishing harbor and a ring of coves, and leans toward boutique stays and seafood tavernas.
Is Naoussa or Antiparos better for a day trip from Santorini?
Neither is realistic as a single-island day trip from Santorini — the ferry alone eats most of a day each way. Antiparos is a separate small island reached by a short crossing from near Paroikia; Naoussa is on Paros itself. If you’re island-hopping rather than day-tripping, they pair well together on the same stop.
How many days should I spend in Naoussa?
One full day covers the harbor, the kastro ruins, and a nearby beach. Two days allow a boat trip to Antiparos or the Koufonissia, and an evening in the old town after the day-trip crowds have gone.
What is Naoussa known for?
A working fishing harbor still used by local boats, a partly submerged 15th-century Venetian kastro at the harbor mouth, whitewashed lanes lined with tavernas, and beaches within a short drive or boat ride, including Kolymbithres’ rounded granite rocks.
Can I do Naoussa as part of a Santorini itinerary without a car?
Yes. Ferries connect Santorini to Paros, buses and taxis connect Paroikia to Naoussa, and boat excursions from Naoussa’s harbor reach nearby beaches and Antiparos without needing to drive.
