Paros Kea Ferry

Paros Guide

Located in the Cyclades group of islands, the Greek island of Paros lies in the Aegean Sea, to the west of the island of Naxos from which it is separated by a channel that is around 8 km wide. The island is 160 km to the south east of the Port of Piraeus. Historically known for its fine white marble, which gave rise to the term 'Parian' to describe marble or china of similar qualities, the marble mines and quarries have now been abandoned and can be found around the island. Today, the island's principal source of income is derived from tourism. The capital of Paros, Parikia, is a typically beautiful Cycladic village with whitewashed houses and lovely grand neoclassical mansions. Standing atop a hill in the centre of the village is a 13th century Venetian castle which provides glorious views of the town and surrounding area. There is also an important ecclesiastical attraction in the town in the form of the 6th century Church of Panayia Ekatontapyliani, also known as Katapoliani.

The island's port is also in Parikia and hosts both conventional ferries and high speed ferries. Ferries generally depart to Piraeus and to the other islands of the Cyclades.

Kea Guide

The Greek island of Kea is one of the Cyclades group of islands although it is interesting in that the architecture of its buildings or its landscape has little similarities to the other islands of the Cyclades. The island is also called Tzia, and lies to the south of Attica and is opposite the town of Lavrion on the Greek mainland. Due to Kea's proximity to Athens it is popular with many Athenians who visit the island for weekend breaks. The island's port is in the pretty little town of Korissia which is also one of the island's most popular visitor attractions. The town is characterised with its white washed houses, complete with colourful roofs, its enamel factory, its winding cobbled streets and lovely churches.

The island is also popular with scuba divers who love the island's crystal clear waters and rich marine life and amazing wall dives. A popular dive site is to the wreck of the steamship Patris which sank in 1868. Also located around 1.5 miles offshore is the HMS Britannic, the sister ship of HMS Titanic, and is popular with Tec Divers as the wreck lies at a depth of around 120 meters.