Paros Antiparos: Full-Day Boat Tour with Lunch & Drinks

Included in the fare

The boat trip itself on the 66ft traditional wooden sailing boat with sunbeds and deck space for a maximum of 25 guests. Food runs through the whole day: a light breakfast with coffee, tea and juice on the morning crossing, marinated fresh fish with garden tomatoes and ouzo or wine mid-morning after the Blue Lagoon swim, then a grilled lunch at Despotiko where you choose between fresh grilled fish or chicken souvlaki, served with Greek salad, potato salad and cold beer. Fresh fruit is handed out after the final swim.

Drinks include unlimited water plus three complimentary drinks of your choice from soft drinks, juice, wine, ouzo, beer or cocktails. The cocktail list covers Aperol Spritz, Mojito, Mojito Mastiha, virgin Mojito, Margarita, Pina Colada and strawberry daiquiri. The English-speaking crew is included, and so is free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, with a reserve-now-pay-later option at checkout.

• Boat trip on the 66ft wooden boat
• Light breakfast with coffee, tea and juice
• Marinated fish and ouzo mid-morning
• Grilled fish or chicken souvlaki lunch with Greek salad, potato salad and beer
• Three complimentary drinks including cocktails
• Unlimited water and fruit after the last swim
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure

Not included

No hotel pickup or drop-off is part of this fare. You board at Antiparos port or at Pounda port on Paros, and you tell the operator which port you will use when you book. Towels are not mentioned on the listing, so bring your own.

Gratuities for the crew are not covered. Entry tickets are included in the trip price but there is no separate park entry charge on this route anyway, since the stops are beaches, caves and bays rather than a ticketed site.

• Hotel transfers
• Towels
• Gratuities
• Extra drinks beyond the three complimentary ones

Four full days side by side

All four are full-day or near-full-day trips from the Pounda and Antiparos side. The difference is the boat, the food and the ceiling on guest numbers.

How to read the price gap

This trip costs roughly four times the cheapest full day in the comparison, and what you buy for that is deck comfort and service. A 66ft boat carrying 25 people means a sunbed for everyone, room to walk around and a crew cooking and serving rather than a self-serve lunch. The Antiparos + Despotiko Swim Cruise shares much of the same water, including the Blue Lagoon, at a fraction of the price but on a larger day boat.

The Kaiki Cruise + Seafood Lunch lands in the middle with a traditional wooden kaiki and a seafood menu. If you want the same route as this trip with hotel transfers and a lunch cooked on board under sail, the catamaran cruise is the step up, at a higher price again.

Stop by stop

The crossing starts with coffee or juice as the boat makes for Panteronissia, the Blue Lagoon between the islets, a set of crystal-clear shallow waters that cannot be reached by land. This is the first swim stop and the longest, and mid-morning the crew serves marinated fish, fresh garden tomatoes and ouzo or wine on deck. From there the boat turns along the rocky southern coast of Antiparos to Mastichari Cave, where you explore sea caves under white cliffs and can try cliff diving for those who want it.

The route then passes the Epitaphios cave, which you see from the water, before arriving at Despotiko for the grilled lunch. After lunch a final pause at the tranquil Faneromeni Bay for a last swim, finished with fresh fruit, before the run home. The whole loop is weather-permitted, and the captain can change the order or swap stops for safety.

If you want to see how this route sits against the other eight days on the island, browse the full tour catalog.

• Panteronissia Blue Lagoon: swim stop, marinated fish and ouzo served
• Mastichari Cave: sea caves under white cliffs, optional cliff jumping
• Epitaphios cave: seen from the water on the way to lunch
• Despotiko: grilled fish or chicken souvlaki lunch at anchor
• Faneromeni Bay: final swim and fresh fruit

The limits worth knowing

There is no minimum age stated on the listing, and the trip is graded easy since it is swimming stops only, but everyone should be comfortable getting in and out of the water from the boat. Food allergies and dietary preferences must be flagged in advance so the kitchen can adjust the menu. The itinerary is weather-permitted and the captain can reroute.

Group size is capped at 25, though in very early or late season, or when the 25-guest boat is fully booked, the operator may use its private 10-guest boat instead and informs guests ahead of time. Finally, boarding is a choice of two ports, so you must tell the operator at booking whether boarding happens at Pounda port in Paros or at Antiparos port.

• No minimum age stated, graded easy, swimming stops only
• Tell the operator about food allergies or dietary needs before the trip
• The itinerary is weather-permitted and the captain can change the route for safety
• Maximum 25 guests, with a private 10-guest boat possible in very early or late season, guests notified in advance
• You must state your boarding port: Pounda on Paros or Antiparos port

Cancellation and payment

Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Reserve now and pay later is available, so you can hold a place on the boat before settling the bill. Both are standard on the listing and apply to every departure.

A good match if you are

Couples and small groups who want a premium day without going as far as a private charter. Food-focused travellers, since the day runs from a light breakfast through marinated fish and ouzo to a grilled lunch with three drinks on top. Anyone who values deck space and a guaranteed place to lie down between swims.

Swimmers who want variety, with a shallow lagoon, sea caves and a calm bay in one loop. It also works for mixed groups where some people would rather stay on a sunbed with a Mojito than jump off a cliff.

• Couples and small groups wanting a premium small-boat day
• Food and drink travellers who want a full service day
• Guests who value sunbeds and deck space over the lowest price
• Swimmers who want three different kinds of stop
• Mixed groups with both adventurers and loungers

Look elsewhere if you are

Budget travellers should start with the swim cruise at $57. Anyone needing hotel pickup should compare the catamaran cruise, which includes transfers, or the kaiki cruise with BBQ lunch, which picks up from your hotel or nearest stop. If seven hours is too long, the half-day Blue Lagoon trip covers the headline stop in 3.5 hours.

The pattern in the ratings

Nearly all reviews sit at five stars, with the rest clustered at four, which is the profile of a trip that consistently delivers what the listing promises. The praise concentrates on three things: the crew's food service through the day, the clarity of the water at the Blue Lagoon and the sense of space on a boat that never feels full at 25 guests. Reviewers repeatedly mention the marinated fish with ouzo as the moment that set the trip apart from other boat days they have taken.

• Ratings cluster at 5 stars with a small number of 4s
• Food and drink service is the most praised element
• Guests highlight the room on board and the sunbeds
• The Blue Lagoon shallows are the recurring photo moment

The one recurring gripe

The criticism that appears more than once is wind on the exposed southern leg, which can make the crossing choppier than expected and occasionally forces the captain to adjust the route. That is the trade for a route with caves and cliffs. The practical advice from guests who rated the trip highly anyway is to take a morning departure exactly as scheduled, since the water is calmest before midday, and to treat any route change as the crew making the right call rather than a letdown.

A minority of reviews also note that towels are not provided, so bring one.