

It follows along the side of a hill for most of the way, working gradually downward, though there is a section of steep climbing about 2/3 of the way through.Ī shows a 850 foot gain for this hike. Ultimately, a more official-looking sign marks the beginning of the Road.

I needed Google Maps to help us find our way down through the maze of streets to the trailhead. There is some signage, but you have to look close to see it. Access to the Byzantine Road is located off the lower streets of Lefkes. Our lunchtime view over the village of Lefkes The Byzantine Road Finding ItĪfter lunch it was time to hike. But given the online hype, I thought the food was surprisingly mediocre. We chose Chrisoula Tavern based on it’s great online reviews. Most of these restaurants open for lunch at 1 pm. Outdoor seating on the balcony at Chrisoula Tavern You can even see the nearby island of Naxos. Lefkes has several restaurants strategically perched at the top of the town, giving diners a great view out over the town and down to the sea. The Byzantine Road can be seen cutting across the bottom of the hill Lunch with a View But from its grounds, we could look across to the adjoining hillside and see hikers walking along our eventual destination – the Byzantine Road. Sadly, it was closed on the day of our visit. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lefkes is one of the island’s largest. We soaked up the classic Cycladic architecture, narrow alleys, colorful doorways, crawling bougainavillea, and views down to the Aegean from the town’s elevated vantage point. After our arrival at noon, we had about an hour to wander before lunch. Lefkes Greece is known for its beauty, and wandering through its streets did not disappoint. And the bus is comfortable….more touring bus than city bus. From here, it took a little more than 20 minutes to reach Lefkes. We grabbed the bus from Parikia – our base while on Paros The central bus terminal sits next to the main ferry pier. You can see a list of the routes and a current schedule here. It seems to me that it is more designed for tourists than for locals, but it is convenient and easy to use. We generally use public transportation on our travels, and Paros is pretty well connected by a public bus system. Lefkes Greece nestled up against a mountainside on the Cycladic island of Paros Getting to Lefkes & The Byzantine Road But visiting Lefkes and hiking that old road, now called the Byzantine Road, are Paros must-dos. Now seaside Parikia is the capital city of the island, and a winding asphalt road links Lefkes with Prodromos. And they paved it with marble from a local quarry. Ultimately the early Parians built a road connecting Lefkes to nearby Prodromos, located a few kilometers down the mountain. This mountainside town became the first capital city of Paros. Its first inhabitants chose the mountain location for protection from pirates. Lefkes was built during the Middle Ages, when Greece was part of the Byzantine Empire.
