Drive & Walk: Naoussa, Lefkes & the Byzantine Way

Hotel pickup5h-5h30mParikia/Naoussa

Description   A signature tour by car & on foot offering guests a true “feel of the place”; includes guided visits to three traditional villages, an easy hike on a scenic, historic trail, and a traditional taverna lunch with wine.

We pick you up from your hotel in our minivan and drive you to Naoussa for a short tour of the traditional town center and the picturesque fishing port with the remains of the Frankish (Venetian) fortifications. We then drive you to the mountainous heart of the island – to Lefkes, the highest-situated village of Paros, for a short walk around the village. Perched high on the hills, but still invisible from the sea, Lefkes was the epicenter of a rustic, agricultural Paros for ages, and is therefore surrounded by farming land in the form of centuries-old dry-stone terraces; the town itself is a fine example of Cycladic architecture, characterized by narrow, winding alleys, white-washed stacked houses and chapels. We soon find ourselves on the historic Byzantine Way, the best-preserved part of the medieval ‘mule-road’ network that traversed the island and connected the medieval fortresses of Parikia and Kefalos/Marpissa to the villages of the interior, and the port of Molos (and beyond, to Naxos Island). This ancient path is cut into the marble rock and is often paved with ancient stone plaques; it offers beautiful views of the Parian countryside as it winds around stone-terraced hillsides with olive groves, vineyards and grain fields; in springtime, it is also full of flowers and herbal aromas from thyme, oregano, sage and other wild plants that skirt the trail. There are a couple of uphill parts along the way, but nothing too difficult. We close the loop after a 5km & 1h30m/2h-long hike at the impressive marble-built cathedral of Lefkes and head back to our car.

Our next and final stop is the village of Prodromos, with its labyrinthine alleys and white-washed houses framed by multi-colored bougainvilleas – where a hearty lunch with local dishes & wine at the garden of a traditional taverna will nicely round off your exploration of authentic Paros!

After lunch/dinner, the return to your hotel is a short drive along an alternate route in order to see more of the island’s countryside and coastline.

More info or your booking request? Ask here!

In a nutshell  [A Trip-full of Paros: Traditional villages, countryside & food] Tradition/nature/taste, relatively easy, drive=30-35km & walk=6km, duration: 5h/5h30m (incl. hotel pick-up/drop-off).