Cyclades Antiparos Island guide

Antiparos, Greece: Island Guide, Villages, Beaches and the Cave

Antiparos is a small island in the western Cyclades of Greece, south-west of Paros and separated from it by a shallow channel about 4 metres deep. The island covers 35 square kilometres, and its long shape gives it 57 kilometres of coast. It stays relaxed and low-key, with the car-free Chora around a Venetian castle, sandy west and south beaches, a famous stalactite cave and boat trips to the uninhabited island of Despotiko.

Group: Cyclades
Area: 35 km2
Coastline: 57 km
Off: SW of Paros

The island of Antiparos

Antiparos lies just south-west of Paros, from which a shallow channel about 4 metres deep divides it; because the channel is so shallow, the big ferries sail around Antiparos rather than between the two islands. It covers 35 square kilometres, and its long shape gives it 57 kilometres of coast. The main settlement is Antiparos Town by the port, with the villages of Agios Georgios, Soros and Glyfa spread around the coast. The island stays quiet and welcoming, and its life gathers in the car-free Chora and along the harbour.

Geography and surrounding islands

Antiparos landscape and surrounding islands, Cyclades

The north of Antiparos is flat and fertile, while low hills rise to the south, the highest being Profitis Ilias at 300 metres. The west coasts are smooth and sandy and the east coasts rough with small bays. Smaller islands surround Antiparos: to the north lie Kavouras, Diplo and the rocks Kokkinos Tourlos and Mavros Tourlos; at the north entrance of the channel are Rematonisi, privately owned and set with a house, palm trees and beaches, and Saliagos, with a lighthouse and the remains of a prehistoric settlement. To the south-west is the largest, Despotiko, and beyond it Strogilo. All except Rematonisi are uninhabited, and some are used as pasture. The Despotiko digs and the sea caves are covered in the Antiparos sights guide.

Villages of Antiparos

Antiparos keeps its life in a handful of small villages, led by the car-free Chora by the port and the quieter coastal settlements of Agios Georgios, Soros and Glyfa. The Chora holds the shops, tavernas and the Venetian castle, Agios Georgios faces the islet of Despotiko in the south, and Soros and Glyfa sit by two of the island's best beaches.

Antiparos Town (Chora)

Antiparos Town, the Chora, is the island capital by the port, built around a Venetian castle of the 15th century at its heart. The old core is a car-free maze of white-washed lanes and small squares, with the shops, supermarkets, the bakery, tavernas and cafes close to the harbour where the small ferry from Paros arrives. On the main road through the town the family-run Taverna Yorgis is a reliable place to eat, with tables on both sides of the road. The castle is described in the Antiparos sights guide.

Agios Georgios

Agios Georgios is a quiet village in the south of Antiparos, about 12 kilometres from the port, set on a bay that faces the uninhabited island of Despotiko. It has a large sandy beach with shallow, child-safe water, a few beachfront tavernas and a small cluster of apartments, and the wooden boat of Captain Marianos runs from here to the sea caves and the archaeological site on Despotiko. It suits travellers who want the calmest corner of the island. The boat trips are set out in the Antiparos sights guide.

Soros

Soros is a small settlement on the east coast around the bay that holds the best beach on the island. It has two good tavernas and a section where naturism is allowed, with the restaurant Still Waters at Apantima about 1 kilometre away and Agios Georgios roughly 1 kilometre in the other direction. Holiday houses and apartments sit back from the sand, and supermarkets and an ATM are in Antiparos Town. It is a very quiet base with no bar noise.

Glyfa

Glyfa is a small coastal spot close to Antiparos Town, on the Paros–Antiparos channel, fronting a sandy beach about 3.5 kilometres from the port. It is quiet and convenient, within easy reach of the town's shops and tavernas while keeping its own stretch of sand, and it looks across the channel to Paros. Self-catering apartments here put you 30 metres from the water.

Beaches of Antiparos

Antiparos keeps its best beaches along the west and south coasts. Soros is rated the best beach on the island, with two good tavernas and a naturist section; Agios Georgios in the south has a large sandy beach where the rare beach lily sometimes grows and shallow water that is safe for small children; and Glyfa, Psaraliki, Sifneiko, Apantima and the camping beach by the town round out the choice. The full run, area by area, is set out in the Antiparos beaches guide.

The Cave, the Kastro and Despotiko

Sea caves and Despotiko island, Antiparos, Cyclades

The marquee sight of Antiparos is its stalactite cave, on a hill about 250 metres high in the south of the island, roughly 7 kilometres from the port. In Antiparos Town the Chora is built around a Venetian castle of the 15th century, 500 metres from the town beach. From Agios Georgios, boat trips cross to the sea caves and to the archaeological site on the uninhabited island of Despotiko opposite, where digs have uncovered a Classical sanctuary. The cave, the Kastro and Despotiko are described in full in the Antiparos sights guide.

Where to stay

Accommodation on Antiparos concentrates in Antiparos Town and around its port, with quieter villas and studios at Agios Georgios, Soros, Glyfa and Apantima. The island is small with a limited choice of rooms, so in high season it is wise to book ahead once you find a place you like. Compare hotels, apartments and self-catering villas in the Antiparos hotels & villas guide.

Where to eat

Antiparos serves its best food in Antiparos Town, around the harbour and the main street, and in Agios Georgios in the south. Yorgis Taverna in town is our clear favourite, with Zombos and Captain Pepinos leading the tavernas at Agios Georgios. Every place we recommend we have eaten at ourselves; the ratings are in the Antiparos restaurants guide.

Getting to Antiparos

Antiparos is reached by way of Paros, with daily ferries to the Cyclades from Piraeus and from Rafina near Athens. The crossing to Paros takes about 4 to 5 hours depending on the boat; from Paros you take the small ferry to Antiparos, a 30-minute trip, or a taxi to Pounta in the south of Paros and then the car ferry, which crosses in 10 minutes. Regular buses run from Athens airport to Rafina in about half an hour, so you avoid driving through Athens. You can also fly to Mykonos and reach Antiparos by ferry in about one and a half hours.