I was very hesitant when I heard that one of the top things to do in Paros was take the ferry over to Antiparos. “Why did I come to Paros if the top thing to do is ferry over to Antiparos??” However, the trip to Antiparos is a very easy and smooth one, and can easily be done in a day. You can bring your car or quad over from Paros with ease.
Why go to Antiparos? Antiparos is a more relaxed and calm version of Paros. While many of the top beaches on Paros can get pretty crowded during high season, this is rarely the case on Antiparos. Antiparos offers beautiful beaches without the crowds. (VERY family-friendly) Plus, you have a massive cave to explore in the middle of the island that is consistently rated as one of the most impressive caves in the world. Finally, the beaches on the Southern Tip of Antiparos are an adventure and you can easily discover pristine sea coves and caves that you will have all to yourself!
Have we sold you yet??
💡Make sure you book your ferries through the Greek islands early with Ferryhopper! The ferries are known to sell out in the summer. 🚢
Logistics of Day Trip to Antiparos
First off, you can find the complete official Ferry Schedule Here. Here is some key information you will need.
- You can find a list of Antiparos tours here.
- The ferry for cars (and people without a car) leaves Paros from The Port of Pounda (not the main Paros Port). There are also ferries from the Main Paros Port, but they are less frequent and take a bit longer.
- You cannot pre-book your tickets. You buy them inside the boat with cash or card.
- The ferry takes 7 minutes from Pounda, 30 minutes from the Main Paros Port.
- The Antiparos Port is right next to the Antiparos town. If all you want to do is explore the town, no need to bring your car. You can also walk to some other spots from Antiparos town such as Naturist Beach and Sifneiko Beach.
- 1.50 euro per passenger (.75 for children), 2.00 per scooter, 7.30 per car. Meaning if 2 people take a car they will pay 10.30 euros total.
⛴️ Check Your Tour Options to Antiparos from Paros HERE!
Things to Do – Day Trip to Antiparos
Antiparos is a much more peaceful, much calmer version of Paros. There are plenty of beautiful beaches to visit on Antiparos that won’t be crowded. Here are our top things to do for a day trip to Antiparos.
1 – Visit Antiparos Cave
Last entry is at 3:30, closes at 4 PM. We got in for free on May 29, 2024, however there is an entry fee during high season.
This is the top thing to do in Antiparos in pretty much every guide online. This is a HUGE cave where you can walk down hundreds of steps deep into the cave. The steps are well built, so you don’t need “hiking shoes” or anything like that. Just a decent pair of shoes to walk up and down steps. The attendant at the ticket office give you a nice pamphlet with the history of the place and a map of the different sections of the cave, which was helpful in learning the history behind the wonder.
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The Cave is about 15 minutes from the port. You are going to need your own transportation to get here. This cave is very impressive and holds so much history. You should definitely visit when you come to Antiparos.
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2 – Naturist Beach in the North
This is a beautiful sandy beach only about 5 minutes from Antiparos town. You can walk here in 15-20 minutes if needed. This beach is clothing optional, meaning you will see quite a bit of naked people here.
The cool thing about this beach is that you can swim/walk (the water’s not very deep) to the island of Fira. Once you get to Fira, you can hike around the island and explore. (no one lives on Fira) We highly recommend everyone who comes to Antiparos do this.
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Tip ✨ If you walk to the right of the beach about 50 meters you’ll find a secluded cove where not many people go. There’s tons of space to chill here.
3 – Sostis Beach
A beautiful beach almost at the Southern tip of Antiparos. Beautiful blue water, and sand to sit on. The road to get here is rocky at the end, but very doable for cars. If you want to continue on to the beach at the very Southern tip of the island (Faneromeni Beach) we would recommend a quad as the roads gets quite rocky after Sostis.
We had a small Economy Car for our trip to Antiparos, so we settled for Sostis Beach as we heard getting to Faneromeni with a small car would be tough. (We always rent with Discover Cars) If you have a quad or 4×4, we recommend you checkout both.
🚗 Check rental prices with Discover HERE!
4 – Faneromeni Beach
This is the gem of the Southern Tip. 4.8 stars on Google Maps. You should definitely have a Quad or 4×4 to come here. I would consider this the coolest spot to visit on all of Antiparos. Obviously the prime spot for tourists is the HUGE cave in the middle of the island, but Faneromeni Beach is extremely beautiful and peaceful plus not many people make it here because of the road being pretty rough – this adds a ton of value in my book.
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5 – Glyfa Beach near Antiparos Cave
Most people pair this beach with a visit to Antiparos Cave. To us, there is nothing too special about this beach. There are better beaches to visit on your day in Antiparos, but it is an option.
6 – Sunset at Sifneiko Beach
If you are in Antiparos in high season (June-August), then you can come here to catch the sunset. Sifneiko is on the Western side of Antiparos. You can easily walk to this beach from the main town – it’s only about a 10-15 minute walk.
At Sifneiko there is a restaurant/bar to relax at and catch a beautiful sunset.
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7 – Boat Trip to Explore Sea Caves and Coves on Southern Part of Island
If you come to Antiparos but you don’t have transportation, or you only have a small car and you can’t get to the Southern Tip – this is a good option. There are some beautiful coves and caves down in the Southern part of the island and there are plenty of boat tours leaving from the port town that will take you there.
If you are going to do a boat tour and you are staying in Paros, you may as well do the boat tour that leaves from Paros Port. It wouldn’t make sense to take the public boat across to Antiparos just to do a private boat tour once you get here.
8 – Walk around Town
Antiparos is a wonderful little town with tons of restaurants and shops. You should definitely spend 30 minutes wandering the town when you come to Antiparos!
Map of Day Trip to Antiparos
Itinerary for Day Trip to Antiparos (with a car)
Make sure to swim across to Fira and explore! (bring shoes to wear once you get to Fira)
We got Gyros at __ and would highly recommend. Cost was 4 euros per Gyro.
Get here between 1 and 3:30 PM to avoid the crowds
Normal cars can make it here.
Remember! The road here is really bad. Only take this stop if you have a quad or 4×4.
Depending on when you choose to make the ferry back, you may have to wait if it fills up before you can drive on.
Car or Quad for Antiparos?
If you have the option, I would elect a Quad for Antiparos. You are going to have a much easier time visiting the beaches on the Southern Tip with a Quad. The island isn’t that big, so you don’t have to worry about being uncomfortable on the Quad for long drives.
We had a car for our four days in Paros, and just brought this on the ferry over to Antiparos. This ended up being fine to visit Sastis Beach, we just couldn’t make it all the way South to Faneromeni!
🇬🇷 See our Greece Travel Tips post for more helpful tips for Greece!
Do I Need a Car for Antiparos?
No. From the Port Town, you can walk to Naturist Beach. (about 15 minutes North) You can walk to Sifneiko Beach (15 minutes West), and you can also explore the town. If you don’t have a car, or you can’t drive for whatever reason, we would still say it is worth it to visit Antiparos.
Plus, it’s cheap. Without a car it’s only 1.50 euros each way!
🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!
Day Trip to Antiparos – Final Thoughts
Paros gets really crowded during the summer. Antiparos is an awesome way to get away from the crowds and have some peace while you discover beautiful beaches and a really cool cave. (to this day this is the coolest cave I have ever seen!)
Something to consider if you’re looking for a more peaceful get-a-way would be to stay on Antiparos, and then just do a day trip to Paros. Antiparos is much more quiet and peaceful than Paros.
If you’re debating whether or not a day trip to Antiparos is worth it for you, we would say DO IT! If you want to get away from the crowds and have a bit more peace, then Antiparos is your spot.
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