Antiparos is the easiest great decision you'll make on Paros: a 10-minute car ferry across a channel you can practically shout over, landing you on a smaller, slower island with one perfect town, a world-class cave, and beaches that empty out a five-minute drive from the port. Tom Hanks famously has a house here; you'll see why. Here's how to do the day properly.
Getting there: the Pounta car ferry
Forget complicated logistics — this is the simplest crossing in Greece:
- From Pounta (10 minutes' drive south of Parikia), the open-deck car ferry shuttles continuously in season — roughly every 30 minutes from early morning until around midnight.
- Crossing time: about 10 minutes. Foot passengers a few euros; a car around €7–8 each way (driver included, tickets at the kiosk).
- Yes, take your rental car across — with Car Hire Paros it's allowed and it's the whole trick: Antiparos's best beaches and the cave are spread along 12 km of island that the local bus serves only loosely. Sort your car here.
- In summer, a passenger-only boat also runs directly from Parikia port to Antiparos town.
First stop: Antiparos town
The island has essentially one settlement, and it's a beauty: a single long pedestrian main street running from the harbour to a 15th-century Venetian kastro, whose inner courtyard — houses built into the castle walls in a perfect square — is one of the most atmospheric corners of the Cyclades. Bougainvillea, low-key boutiques, and a taverna-and-bar scene that's grown quietly cool without prices to match. Coffee here first; the town is best before 11am and after 6pm.
The Cave of Antiparos
Eight kilometres south of town (15 minutes' drive) is the island's headline sight: a vertical cave 100+ metres deep, descended by about 400 concrete steps past genuinely enormous stalagmites — including one claimed as the oldest in Europe, and graffiti left by visitors back to antiquity (Lord Byron allegedly among them). It's cool inside whatever August is doing outside. Allow an hour, wear grippy shoes, and remember the 400 steps run both ways. Small entry fee; open daily in season, mornings only off-season.
Beach-hop the west coast
- Psaraliki 1 & 2: two sandy, tamarisk-shaded coves walkable from town — shallow, calm, family-perfect.
- Soros: the locals' pick, 10 minutes south by car — a long sweep of sand with two tavernas and space even in August.
- Agios Georgios: the end of the road, facing the uninhabited islet of Despotiko (boat-hop over for the archaeological dig and empty beaches). Fish lunch here is the day's quiet climax.
- Sifneiko: back near town for the sunset — the beach faces due west, and the beach bar knows it.
The one-day plan
9:00 Pounta ferry with the car → 9:30 coffee in Antiparos town + kastro → 11:00 the cave → 12:30 Soros or Agios Georgios for swim and taverna lunch → 17:00 Sifneiko sunset drink → evening ferry back, dinner in Parikia or Naoussa. It slots in as day 4 of our Paros itinerary, and pairs the next day with the Paros beaches you haven't ticked yet.
Frequently asked questions
Is Antiparos worth visiting?
It's many regulars' favourite day of a Paros holiday — and the strongest argument for having a car on Paros, since the ferry takes vehicles and the island rewards wandering. See also do you need a car in Paros?
How long is the ferry from Paros to Antiparos?
About 10 minutes from Pounta, running roughly every half hour in season. The passenger boat from Parikia takes 20–30 minutes.
Can you take a rental car to Antiparos?
With us, yes — the Pounta car ferry is designed for exactly this. Check your terms if renting elsewhere.
One day or overnight?
A day covers town, cave and two beaches comfortably. Stay overnight if you want the town after the day-trippers leave — it's a different, lovelier place at 10pm.
Cover image: SNappa2006, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.