When we decided to visit Paros, we knew that Naxos was a quick 30 min ferry ride away, so we quickly added it to the itinerary. If you want to visit both, you might be unsure which island to make a homebase. Paros was perfect for a girl’s trip, fun nights out and during the season is a bit of a party island. If I was going with my husband, I would have spent more time on Naxos as it’s a bit chiller with cute little villages and restaurants.

We arrived on Naxos with no plan which might have been a mistake. Unless you’re renting a car it’s a bit tough to see much, other than the city of Naxos, which is the name of the Island and the port City. We went to a tour shop by the ferry and because of the size of our party- 5 people, we needed a larger car so there wasn’t anything available. Luckily, I looked across the street and saw several large taxis at the ferry port, looking for customers. I walked over and asked how much for 3-4 hours and we found a very cool guy who grew up on Naxos and was willing to take us around. This is a huge advantage of being here outside the tourist season and he took us places the regular tours wouldn’t, which was really cool.

We had a great day overall. The views were amazing, we stopped in this little village and had coffee, crepes and tasted Kitron at a distillery, which is similar to Raki but Naxos’ version. Because we weren’t on an organized tour, we even saw the oldest Olive tree in Greece- rumored to be over 5000 years old. Our taxi driver had been taken there on a school trip when he was a child, so he knew where it was. The owner has since fenced off the area to tourists, so most people don’t get to see it- rebel taxi driver for the win! Like most Greeks he was so proud to show off his island and we really enjoyed our day with him.

In the evening- back on Paros, we had a reservation at the famous Barbarossa Restaurant. We had seen the white napkin party on Instagram and it looked like a blast. In true Greek style, we had an 11:00PM reservation to check out the party. We had seen mixed reviews of the restaurant, so we went with open eyes and knew that Instagram is sometimes not reality. So, here’s my feelings on the place: yes, they overcharged for bread and yes, the party seemed to be just for a photo opp but I wish it had gone on longer as overall, I had a blast. The food was actually very good (pricey but good) and since the large table next to us left an unopened bottle of wine at their table, snagging a free bottle made it all more reasonably priced.

The next day we walked around, shopped and had coffee. Amanda even found a little sandal shop- Sandali Paros- that made sandals for her as we waited!

So overall, Paros and Naxos did not disappoint. We learned that there are 227 inhabited Greek Islands; so if you’re keeping track there’s only 222 to go! I was just invited to go to Skopelos next year with some expat ladies; it’s where Momma Mia was filmed and if you know me, you know this is my dream, already planning outfits for that one.

While I love looking back at my summer trips on this blog, winter is officially here. Sweatshirts are the new norm and the sun dresses are officially done for a while. It’s so interesting to be here in Fall, you can see a change in the vibe, the Greeks are more jovial, the bars are packed and there’s always something happening in downtown. You can truly feel the tourist season is over and it’s time to see the real Greece, I can’t wait!