The Greek Island That Beat Mykonos and Santorini
- GSS Staff
- Nov 3
- 2 min read
Paros has been named World’s Best Island 2025, yet what stands out isn’t luxury or nightlife—it’s the way ordinary routines still hold.
Among the Cyclades, Paros has always existed in the margins of its louder neighbours. This year, the margins took centre stage when Travel + Leisure readers placed the island at the top of their 2025 World’s Best Islands list. Independent reviewers—from Lonely Planet to Discover Greece—describe the same appeal: food that comes from nearby farms, hill villages still inhabited year-round, and a coastline that remains walkable.
Naoussa, once a fishing settlement, has evolved without losing its bearings. Morning boats still unload their catch beside boutiques and cafés; evenings bring a tide of diners rather than crowds. Inland, Lefkes and Prodromos preserve marble alleys, community bakeries, and the start of the Byzantine Trail, a 1,000-year-old stone path that links the two villages across olive terraces. Hikers use it as locals once did—for passage and fresh air.
Cuisine forms part of the island’s continuity. Traditional dishes—revithada chickpeas slow-cooked in clay, octopus dried on ropes, wild greens dressed in olive oil—remain central to daily menus. Nutrition is unstudied and practical, a by-product of geography rather than ideology.
Boutique hotels such as Parīlio, Cosme, and Summer Senses emphasize daylight, whitewashed geometry, and open courtyards. Other notable properties include Paros Agnanti Resort & Spa, honored at the 2025 Greek Hospitality Awards for its sport and wellness programs, and Aura Suites Paros, recognized by the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2025 as the Best Luxury Sea View Hotel in the South Aegean. Wellness services are present but measured: a sea-salt treatment here, a yoga deck there, nothing imposed.
Paros has avoided the overdevelopment seen elsewhere in the Aegean. Local zoning laws cap building heights and preserve sightlines to the sea. Renewable-energy initiatives led by the municipality are modest but consistent, aimed at maintaining air and water quality rather than expanding capacity.
Well-being on Paros is familiar: the smell of thyme in late afternoon, the daily ferry rhythm at the port, conversation that extends into the night. In an era when wellness travel often depends on scheduling and supplements, Paros offers something sturdier—the health that emerges when place and habit still align.
