Mykonos vs Paros

Quick Verdict

Choose Mykonos if the point of the holiday is the scene; choose Paros if you want a proper island with a town, and beaches you can reach without a crowd.

How they compare

Dimension	Mykonos	Paros
Beaches	Good but organised and crowded; Super Paradise and Elia are the famous ones, and the wind decides which are usable.	Better overall and easier: Kolymbithres, Golden Beach and the quiet north coast, with more sand and less noise.
Nightlife	The reason many people come — beach clubs by day, bars until four, and a scene with prices to match.	Bars and a couple of clubs in Parikia and Naoussa, but it is not a party island.
Villages	Mykonos Town and Little Venice are genuinely beautiful, and the most photographed streets in the Cyclades.	Parikia and Naoussa are proper towns with year-round life, and Lefkes inland is one of the best villages in the group.
Prices	The most expensive island in Greece for rooms, food and drinks in July and August.	Cheaper at every level, with a good double room and dinner for two costing what one night costs on Mykonos.
In winter	Mostly shut from November: the town functions, the beaches and the scene do not.	Parikia works all year, shops stay open and the ferries keep running.
Getting there	Flights from Athens and Europe, and the biggest ferry harbour in the Cyclades.	Ferries from Piraeus and Rafina, and flights from Athens.

Choose Mykonos if

— you are coming for the beach clubs and the bars
— you want the most photogenic town in the Cyclades
— you are travelling with friends who want a scene

Choose Paros if

— you want a town that is a town and not a stage set
— you are driving and want to explore
— you are travelling in June, September or October
— you want two weeks rather than four days

Our Verdict

Paros, for most people. If you want one island with good beaches, a functioning town and an off-season that exists, Paros does more of the work. Mykonos earns its reputation as a scene rather than an island: go for two or three nights, out of season, when it is a beautiful place that happens to be expensive.

All comparisons