Greece · Cyclades
Yacht Charter Antiparos
A cave that has been drawing visitors since the seventeenth century, and a sanctuary being dug out of the island next door.
Antiparos sits a narrow shallow channel west of Paros and is the quieter half of the pair — one Chora built round a Venetian kastro of 1440, beaches on the east side, and a cave in the hill above the south coast that people have been coming to see, and carving their names in, for four hundred years. West across the water, an Archaic sanctuary of Apollo is being excavated on the uninhabited island of Despotiko.
The cave and the kastro
The cave goes about eighty-five metres down and holds a stalagmite claimed as the oldest in Europe. In 1673 the French ambassador, the Marquis de Nointel, had Christmas Mass celebrated inside it with five hundred people present; the signatures cut into the walls include Byron's and King Otto's.
The Chora is built round a kastro of 1440 in the Cycladic way — a single ring of houses whose outer walls were the wall, with one gate. The tower in the middle has gone but the ring is still legible from inside the courtyard.
Despotiko and the coast
Despotiko, uninhabited and a mile west, has been under excavation since 1997 and has turned out to hold one of the largest Archaic sanctuaries in the Cyclades. Columns have been re-erected and the site is open; the anchorage between the islands is sheltered and shallow.
Soros and Livadia are the sandy bays on the east side. The channel to Paros is narrow and shallow enough to matter, and Naxos is an hour and a half beyond.
Practical notes
- The cave descends about eighty-five metres and holds a stalagmite claimed as Europe's oldest
- Christmas Mass was celebrated inside it in 1673 with five hundred people present
- Despotiko, a mile west and uninhabited, holds a major Archaic sanctuary of Apollo under excavation
- The channel to Paros is narrow and shallow; Naxos is an hour and a half beyond
Reached from: Paros, Naxos and the Cyclades
Where to dine
A table by the water
Captain Pipinos
Agios GeorgiosOn the beach facing Despotiko, and the fish is off the family's own boat.
Livadia
LivadiaOn the sand east of the Chora, doing a short menu and nothing it cannot do properly.
Margarita
ChoraIn the lanes inside the kastro ring, open since long before the island had a season.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The cave
Eighty-five metres down, with a stalagmite claimed as Europe's oldest and four centuries of carved names.
Despotiko
One of the largest Archaic sanctuaries in the Cyclades, under excavation on an uninhabited island a mile west.
The kastro
A Venetian ring of houses from 1440 whose outer walls were the town wall, with one gate.
Soros
A sandy bay on the east side, sheltered and shallow.
The fleet
Yachts available for Antiparos
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Antiparos
- What is the cave of Antiparos?
- A cave about eighty-five metres deep in the hill above the south coast, holding a stalagmite claimed as the oldest in Europe, with four centuries of visitors' names cut into the walls — Byron's among them.
- What is on Despotiko?
- One of the largest Archaic sanctuaries in the Cyclades, dedicated to Apollo, under excavation since 1997 on an uninhabited island a mile west. Columns have been re-erected and the site is open.
- What does a yacht charter in Antiparos cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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