Hotels near Frankish Castle in Parikia

Perched on the small hill above the Parikia waterfront, the Frankish Castle (Kastro) is one of the strangest and most photographable pieces of masonry in the Cyclades. When the Venetian Duke Marco Sanudo built it in 1260 CE, his masons stripped an existing 6th-century BCE temple of Athena for material - and instead of dressing the stones, they simply cemented the fluted marble columns and inscribed blocks straight into the fortress walls. The result is an outer curtain that looks half castle, half ancient ruin.

Entry is free and the site is unstaffed, open around the clock in 2026. Inside the walls sit the whitewashed 17th-century church of Agios Konstantinos and a small square with sweeping sunset views over the ferry port and out towards Antiparos. The best photos are taken from the northeast corner where the columns are visibly stacked horizontally into the wall.

Pro Tip: Come 30 minutes before sunset. The west-facing walls of the Kastro catch the last of the light beautifully, and the terrace of Agios Konstantinos is one of the very few free-and-quiet sunset spots left in central Parikia.