Antiparos

Antiparos is a small, low-key island tucked just off the west coast of Paros, separated by a channel barely a kilometre wide. Long a favourite of Greeks and, more recently, a discreet celebrity bolt-hole, it has kept an unhurried, village feel that its busier neighbour has largely lost. There is one main settlement, a scatter of beaches and a famous cave, and that is much of the appeal.

Antiparos town (Chora) runs along a single pedestrian street of whitewashed houses, bougainvillea and small tavernas, leading up to a Venetian kastro built as a fortified refuge against pirates in the 15th century. The waterfront square fills gently in the evenings, and the whole place can be crossed on foot in minutes.

The island's headline sight is the Cave of Antiparos, one of the oldest tourist attractions in Greece. A long stairway of some 400 steps descends past huge stalactites and stalagmites into a cool cathedral of rock, its walls carved with centuries of visitors' names — including, reputedly, Lord Byron. Elsewhere, gentle beaches ring the coast: Psaraliki, an easy stroll from town, is a pair of shallow, tamarisk-shaded bays, while Sifneiko on the west side catches the sunset and Soros lies quiet to the south. Off the south-west tip, a boat or a summer shuttle reaches the tiny islet of Despotiko, uninhabited today but home to an important ancient sanctuary of Apollo that is slowly being excavated and partly restored.

The island is small and mostly flat, which makes it easy to explore by bicycle, scooter or the local bus, and much of the pleasure lies simply in its slow, unshowy rhythm. Evenings revolve around the tavernas and cafés of the main street rather than any nightlife of note.

Antiparos has no airport of its own. Almost everyone arrives via Paros: a frequent car ferry crosses from Pounta in around ten minutes, and small passenger boats run directly from Parikia in summer. That easy link makes it a rewarding day trip, though staying a night or two lets you enjoy the island once the day-trippers have gone. A day or two is plenty for most.