Naoussa Bay's Best Beaches: Sculpted Kolymbithres, Monastiri (Paros Park) and Santa Maria

The deep, circular gulf of Naoussa Bay on the northern coast of Paros is flanked by two rocky peninsulas that hold three of the island's most famous beaches: on the western cape sit the sculpted granite coves of Kolymbithres and the nature reserve of Monastiri (Paros Park), while on the eastern cape stretches the golden sand and cedar shoreline of Santa Maria and Lageri.

1. Kolymbithres Beach

Directly across the bay west of Naoussa (reached in 10 minutes on the wooden water-taxi boats departing Naoussa port pier every 30 minutes, or in 10 minutes by car/bus along the bay road), Kolymbithres looks like a coastal sculpture park carved by Henry Moore or Salvador Dalí:

• Why the Rocks Look Like Melted Clay: over millions of years, salt spray, waves and the northern wind eroded the peninsula's coarse grey-and-gold granite into smooth, rounded, hollowed-out domes and arches that divide the shoreline into a chain of miniature sandy pockets and natural wading pools (literally kolymbithres, meaning 'baptismal fonts'). Because the water inside these granite pockets is shallow, wind-sheltered and backed by pale sand, it warms up like bathwater.
• Pro Tip for Free Towel Space: the two main central coves near the boat pier fill quickly with sunbeds during core daytime hours; climb 3 minutes over the smooth granite ledges toward the western end of the rocks to find quiet, unorganized mini-coves and flat granite sunbathing slabs.

2. Monastiri Beach & Hiking the Cape Korakas Lighthouse Trail at Paros Park

Five minutes north of Kolymbithres at the end of the western road lies Monastiri (Agios Ioannis Detis): a deeply recessed, windless emerald cove watched over by the gleaming whitewashed 16th-century Monastery of St John Detis. Behind the beach stretches the 80-hectare Environmental & Cultural Park of Paros (Paros Park, Free Entry 24/7), laced with three signposted, easy walking trails (30 to 60 minutes) winding through dramatic granite rock arches to the 1887 Cape Korakas Lighthouse and secluded hidden coves like Tourkou Ammos.

3. Santa Maria, Mikri Santa Maria & Secret Lageri Dunes (East of Naoussa)

On the eastern peninsula 10 minutes from Naoussa, Santa Maria offers a long, golden-sand bay looking straight across at Naxos, with sheltered, crystal-clear Mikri (Little) Santa Maria just around the cape and the completely unorganized, cedar-backed sandbar dunes of Lageri Beach 15 minutes' walk north.