Paros Yacht Anchorages: The Complete Guide

Paros is the Cyclades' geographic centre and arguably the best anchorage island in the chain.

The east coast has Meltemi-protected bays, the west coast offers calmer-water swimming, and the channel between Paros and Antiparos is one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful cruising stretches.

This guide covers every meaningful Paros anchorage.

Compared to Mykonos: Paros is quieter, anchorages are less crowded, the food is comparable, and the cost is lower.

For repeat Cyclades charterers, Paros increasingly displaces Mykonos as the preferred base.

On the Greek Charter Index island ranking, drawn from what clients ask this desk for, Paros is fourth behind Mykonos, Santorini and Milos, and rising with younger clients as the sophisticated alternative to Mykonos.

On our distance table it is 30 nautical miles from Mykonos, 95 from Alimos, 5 from Antiparos, so it sits in the middle of every Cyclades week we write: from Mykonos it is the third or fourth night, from Athens the turn of the loop.

The island's gift is that it has a lee for every wind.

Naoussa, eight to fifteen metres over sand, is the prettiest anchorage in the Cyclades and open to the Meltemi; Parikia on the west side is Meltemi-protected; the Despotiko channel on the far side of Antiparos is four to nine metres over sand with excellent holding and one of the most protected anchorages in the southern Cyclades in a northerly; Soros on the south of Antiparos is sheltered from every direction.

A captain who knows Paros never loses a night to the wind, and in August that is the whole argument.

The yachts that carry the Cyclades wind comfortably are the 20 metre and larger catamarans and the 26 metre and larger motor yachts: on the Index a 20 to 22 metre sailing catamaran runs EUR 31,500 to 43,500 a week, a 23 to 24 metre EUR 54,900 to 90,000, a 26 to 31 metre motor yacht EUR 35,900 to 75,000, per yacht before VAT and APA.

Six guests was the most common party in the 68 enquiries this desk logged in the 2026 season, and the Cyclades and Mykonos were the cruising grounds named most after Athens.

Where can a yacht anchor at Paros?

Paros has 6 anchorages in this guide: Naoussa Bay, Parikia, Antiparos Channel (between Paros and Antiparos), Soros Bay (Antiparos south), Kolymbithres, Pisso Livadi. Each entry below gives depth, holding, shelter direction and what is ashore.

Which Paros anchorages are sheltered from the meltemi, the summer north wind?

Parikia: Excellent from north (Meltemi-protected on the west side). Kolymbithres: Good from north (the rock formations provide unusual shelter). Pisso Livadi: Good from north and west.

How deep are the anchorages at Paros?

Naoussa Bay 8-15m; Parikia 6-12m; Antiparos Channel (between Paros and Antiparos) 5-15m; Soros Bay (Antiparos south) 6-12m; Kolymbithres 4-8m; Pisso Livadi 6-10m. Depths are typical sand-bottom anchoring depths; the captain drops on current chart data.

What is the holding like at Paros?

Naoussa Bay: Good (sand). Parikia: Good (sand and rock). Antiparos Channel (between Paros and Antiparos): Good (sand). Soros Bay (Antiparos south): Excellent (sand). Kolymbithres: Good (sand). Pisso Livadi: Good (sand).

When is the best time to anchor at Paros?

Naoussa peaks in July and August but never reaches Mykonos congestion; the Antiparos channel is busy in peak but has more anchorages than yachts. June and September are excellent everywhere, and on the Greek Charter Index the shoulder months price 15 to 25% below peak on the same rate card with three to four months of lead time rather than a year. The Meltemi blows hardest through the central Cyclades on July and August afternoons, and Paros is where the week rides it out: every day of a Paros week can be planned so that the passage is done in the morning calm and the night has a lee. May and late September are the Cyclades without the wind, and the anchorages on this page are empty.

What does the captain plan around at Paros?

Paros gives the captain more routing flexibility than Mykonos because the alternatives are five miles apart, not thirty. On a Meltemi day the yacht crosses in the morning, swims at Kolymbithres, four to eight metres among the boulders, and sleeps at Parikia, Meltemi-protected on the west side, or in the Despotiko channel, four to nine metres over sand with excellent holding; Naoussa is for the evening ashore by road, not the night at anchor. On a calm day Naoussa itself, eight to fifteen metres, and Soros on Antiparos, six to twelve metres and sheltered from every direction, are the two anchorages guests remember. Pisso Livadi on the east coast, six to ten metres, is the fishing village for the last dinner. The 30 miles to Mykonos and the 95 to Alimos are morning passages, and a fast hull does the Alimos run in four hours.

Cyclades

Saronic

Ionian

Sporades

Dodecanese

Crete