Byzantine Road, Paros

Not all hiking needs to be extreme! This easy path on Paros makes for a great afternoon.

From Athens, we knew we had to get to one of the fabulous Greek islands we’ve heard so much about. But while most tourists will opt for the super insta-worthy Santorini or Mykonos, we like to take the path less traveled to get a more unique experience. So, first stop Paros.

In the month of March we seemed to be the only non-Greeks on the island. This was a huge relief to us after living in tourist-central in New Zealand, and offered us a more genuine experience interacting with the locals. We also learned some tricks as to how to go hiking and explore the island without a car or motorbike. Yes, we could rent, but we were just hopping back into long-term travel and chose to pinch some pennies.

Starting from the port town of Parikia, we hopped on a KTEL bus one-way to Lefkes for just a couple euros each. During the off-season, this bus was only running a couple times a day so we had to plan our hiking accordingly.

We arrived at Lefkes mid-day, after about an hour on the local bus. From the cute town of Lefkes lies an old Byzantine-era path that leads to the small town of Podromos, which then links up with modern roads leading through a couple other villages to the coast in Piso Livadi. This path is one of the more unique trails we’ve walked on, as it’s part trail, part marble road that dates back to about 1,000 AD. The marble used here is all Parian, quarried from the island and is highly prized around the world for its completely flawless appearance. Turns out it also makes for a nice roadway.

This was quite an easy walk from Lefkes to Prodromos, and we continued through the other villages down to the coast. The trail leads past some old rock buildings and through grazing land for goats, sheep, and a handful of cattle. The walk only takes about an hour and a half, but we took our time and appreciated the views, both of the island and of Naxos in the distance. From guides we’d seen this trail is absolutely full of people in the summer, but we lucked out and had the whole thing to ourselves.

During summer months the towns of Podromos and Marpissa will offer some lunch options, but when we passed through most everything was closed. When we arrived in Piso Livadi, we sat back and enjoyed a cold beer overlooking the Aegean sea at a small cafe while we waited for the only bus back to Parikia.

Hike: Byzantine Road, Island of Paros, Greece
Distance: 6.3 km to Piso Livadi / 3.9 miles
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes one-way