Things to do in Paros: 15 Cyclades highlights

At the back of Naoussa Bay on the north coast, Kolymbithres takes its name ("baptismal fonts") from the granite boulders, smoothed by erosion, that split the beach into small sandy coves and shallow pools of clear water.

You swim between the rocks, climb the boulders for a view over the bay, and choose between the main beach, with sunbeds and umbrellas in season, and the quieter coves next to it.

Parikia, the capital, is also the port where ferries dock. Behind the waterfront, whitewashed lanes lead to the Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the "Church of a Hundred Doors": tradition credits Saint Helen with founding it in the 4th century, and Justinian had work resumed there in the 6th century.

The Archaeological Museum holds a fragment of the Parian Chronicle, a timeline carved in marble covering Greek history from 1500 to 264 BC. The bay opens to the west and faces the sunset.

Naoussa, on the north coast, grew around a large natural harbour. Its small fishing port, where caiques moor below the tavernas, is guarded by the remains of a Venetian fort half in the water.

In the evening, the whitewashed lanes fill with fish restaurants and bars. It is also the most convenient base for the northern beaches: Kolymbithres, Monastiri and Santa Maria.

Chrysi Akti, the "golden beach", is a long stretch of sand on the south-east coast, between Piso Livadi and Drios. In summer the Meltemi, a northerly wind that blows mostly in July and August, sweeps this coast steadily.

It is one of the busiest windsurfing spots on Paros, with rental and beginner centres set up on the sand and a few tavernas and beach bars behind.

Santa Maria is a sandy beach on the north-east coast, on the peninsula that closes off Naoussa Bay. The water stays shallow for several metres, which makes it pleasant for families when the sea is calm.

Exposed to the wind, it also draws windsurfers. Sunbeds, beach bars and tavernas are concentrated on the main section; the coves to the north are wilder.

Lefkes is a mountain village in the centre of the island, 10 km from Parikia, and the former seat of the municipality of Iria. Emptied by emigration in the 1970s, it has regained residents through tourism (545 at the 2011 census).

People come for its marble-paved lanes, white houses clinging to the slope and the view over the east coast. It is also the starting point of the Byzantine Road down to Prodromos.

Antiparos is separated from Paros by a strait less than 2 km wide. The ferry leaves from Pounda, and the island makes an easy day trip: its harbour village, its beaches and above all its cave, 8 km from the village.

You descend about 411 steps to a depth of some 85 m, among the stalactites. Visitors have carved their names there over the centuries, and the French ambassador, the Marquis de Nointel, had Christmas Mass celebrated inside in 1673.

The Byzantine Road links Lefkes to Prodromos over 3.5 km. This path paved with Parian marble dates from the Byzantine era, around AD 1000, and runs downhill almost all the way, apart from 150 to 200 m of climbing.

It first crosses farmland and low scrub, then drops into a ravine, with views of Naxos, the mountains of Ikaria and the coast, passing near Molos beach and the Kefalos and Antikefalos hills.

On the northern side of Mount Marathi, in the centre of the island, are the quarries where Parian marble was cut in antiquity, prized for its fine grain and translucency. Praxiteles and other Greek sculptors used it, and the Venus de Milo is believed to be carved from this marble.

You can still see the entrances of the galleries dug into the hillside above the hamlet of Marathi, on the road linking Parikia to Lefkes.

Marpissa is a village in the east of the island, built like an amphitheatre on a hill above Piso Livadi, near Prodromos and Marmara. Its white lanes, chapels and old windmills can be explored on foot in an hour.

Above the village, Kefalos hill is topped by the monastery of Agios Antonios, with views over Piso Livadi bay and, on a clear day, as far as Naxos.

Pounda is a small village on the west coast, facing Antiparos. The channel between the two islands funnels the Meltemi, which blows hard and steadily in July-August, while the water stays fairly flat: ground well liked by kitesurfers and windsurfers.

Schools on the beach rent out gear and give lessons, from first sessions to advanced coaching. Pounda is also the ferry port for Antiparos.

On the heights between Parikia and Naoussa, the monastery of Longovarda (Zoodochos Pigi) is a still-active monastery for men, founded in the 17th century and known for its frescoes and icon workshop.

To the east, the monastery of Agios Antonios crowns Kefalos hill above Marpissa. In Parikia, the Panagia Ekatontapiliani is the second great Marian pilgrimage site of the Aegean after Tinos.

Prodromos is a village in the eastern interior of Paros, next to Marpissa and Marmara. Its white houses packed around narrow lanes and small churches keep a village life, away from the beaches.

It is the end point of the paved Byzantine Road that comes down from Lefkes: most visitors arrive on foot, at the end of the walk, for a break in the shade before heading back.

The big event of the year is the Feast of the Dormition on 15 August at Parikia's Panagia Ekatontapiliani: the church is the Aegean's second Marian pilgrimage site after Tinos, and the feast draws worshippers from all over the Cyclades.

Throughout the summer, villages hold their panigiria, patron-saint festivals with music, traditional dancing in costume and shared meals, often on the eve of the parish saint's day.

Hand-painted ceramics are one of the typical souvenirs of Paros, along with local produce: honey, aromatic herbs, olive oil and the island's wines.

Parian marble, worked since antiquity, also inspires small carved objects. The lanes of Parikia behind the waterfront, and those of Naoussa, are where you find craft workshops, jewellers and delicatessens.