Ferry tickets to PaxoiPaxoi, "the lacy island", with the innumerable pebbled, small beaches and the deep turquoise-blue waters, may be bereaved the fame the rest of the Ionian Islands have, but surely possess the title of "a fabulous place", where time seems to be stopped along ago and natural beauty, boundless and glamorous, manages to oversubscribe the lack of luxurious accommodation, cosmopolitan life and excessive luxury. Measuring only a few square kilometers' area, Paxoi Island, a capacious olive grove mostly, contains plenty of natural monuments, all and every single one of them unique, agreeably surprising every visitor, some of them because of their grace, and others because of their outstanding beauty. To be more specific, Paxoi's western coast, most of it craggy and almost inaccessible, with innumerable caves, cliffs, natural arches, apses and many other rocky formations, confirm this place's grace. On the other hand, when we move to eastern coast, we can see the mild seascape, consist of many natural bays and coves. Paxoi's birth is related to the Greek Mythology. As the myth says, god Poseidon, cut a piece of land from Kerkyra's southern part with his trident and moved it, to create a new island, to house his love for Amfitriti. He lost his trident and from that point trident became Paxoi's emblem. Paxoi has very few villages, surrounding Gaios, the capital, which is also the island's tourist and economical center. Book now your ferry tickets and prepare yourself for a journey, that will leave indelible pictures and memories inside you.
Port of Paxoi
Gaios is also Paxoi's main port. The view, a visitor will have, as his ferry approaches the port, is unique, as he's welcomed by two small islands, the port's "guards", Ai Nikolas and Panagia, located at the entrance of the bay, forming a natural fiord. You can get to Paxoi from Igoumenitsa, as well as from other ports nearby, during summer mostly. You can also book your ferry tickets online via Aktoploika.gr for a journey more comfortable and carefree.
Connection With Other Ports
During summer Paxoi is coastal connected to Corfu too, while there are daily schedules from Parga City and Sivota Town, accomplishing small cruises to all over the island.
Ferry Tickets
You can now book ferry tickets online for Paxoi via Aktoploika.gr. If you plan to travel during July and August, it's best if you have booked several days or weeks earlier to avoid hitches. You should also know that round-trip/return ferry tickets come with a considerable discount.
Transportation
In a such a small island, with a limited tourist action and very few needs, transportation couldn't be more comfortable and easy, than it is. Beside local buses, with their daily schedules between villages, there also many small boats, ready to take you to inaccessible coasts and the small islands around Paxoi. If you want an easier transportation, you can also rent a car or a scooter, or even a bicycle if you prefer a more romantic vehicle for your transportation.
Paxoi Island's main transportation way are the local buses, that connect the island's few settlements each other. The main bus station is located to Gaios Village and the tickets cost no more than 2 euros. To visit some of Paxoi's isolated beaches, you'll have to use one of the sea-taxis, as most of the island's hidden beauties aren't accessible from the land. Sea-taxis also connect the island with popular adjacent destinations, such as Corfu City, Cavos, Igoumenitsa and Parga. The ticket's price range varies from 5 to 10 euros.
Paxoi: A lace among endless blue!
Paxoi's name, according to Strabo, the Ancient Greek Geographer, comes from the Phoenician word "pax", which means "trapezium", due to the shape the island has, if you look at it from above.
Paxoi Island can be named as "unique Ionian sight" itself, with its lacy coasts and the magnificent geological formation on its west side mostly. Most of the beaches have pebbles and rocks and are spread across the island's coastline, without any facilities, so be sure you'll get everything you need with you, when you visit them. The most known are Gianna, Monodendri, Levrehio, Soulanena, Mpalos, Marmaria, Kipiadi, Agia Marina, the magnificent Moggonisi, Alati, Kamini, Kaki Lagkada, the fabulous Clouni Gouli, Glyfada, Galazio, Avlaki, Harami, Kanoni and Arkoudaki. Most of them have access by the sea, so you have to rent a boat to get there, or by narrow paths, that cross the craggy coasts.
Two sights worth visit them, is Ai Nikolas Castle and Panagia Monastery, each one located at the homonym island at Port of Gaios. You can get there by small boats. You can also visit Paxoi Museum, with many local folklore exhibits at Gaios Village, the Old-Christian Church of Agia Marina at Ozias Port, and the Agioi Apostoloi Church at Magazia Village. If you decide to explore the island through its small paths, don't forget the "Manesatika – Ypapanti" course on the north, as well as the "Mousmouli – Porto Ozia" course, two magnificent and easy to walk courses. The thrilling "graves" on the west coast, over forty coastal caves, forming natural arches, apses, and underground labyrinths, will leave you speechless by their grace and their eerie beauty.
Finishing, it would be a great default, if we didn't mention Antipaxoi, a small island, a few minutes away from Paxoi, where two of the most beautiful beaches of Ionian Islands are, Vrika and Voutoumi. The colorful turquoise waters, objected to the white sand and all these surrounded by a dark-green virgin landscape, create an outstanding scenic for even the most demanding and rigorous visitor. Antipaxoi has only two taverns, one by the beach and the other one located on the top of the hill, offering a panoramic view. You can get to Antipaxoi Island by renting a boat at Gaios Port.
2004 was a historical year, which made Paxoi famous worldwide, as the island was named "2004 Europe's Cultural Village", a title that was framed by several cultural events and World conventions.
Even this isn't your main destination for vacation in Greece, if you happen to be nearby, have no hesitation, that this Ionian "pearl" worth a 1-2 days' visit, just to offer you indelible memories, like a scenery, that jumped-out from a fairy tale.
Paxoi's "musts"
- Definitely sail all around the island, as there are many hidden beauties, that can't be reached from the land.
- Spend the August 15th evening in Panagia Island, across the port and enjoy celebrations with a portion of veal soup cooked in "kantarelia" (local cooking vessels).
- Visit the traditional olive groves in Platanos and in Fontana and discover how locals cultivate and take care of these 400 years old trees.
- Try fresh sea-food in "Mediteraaneo", on the port's edge, or in "Apagkio Tavern" on the port's other side, just beside Anemogiannis Statue.
- Enjoy waffles and crepes filled with unique tastes in "Capriccio", in Gaios' Village seaside road. They produce the ice-cream they serve, so feel safe to eat as much as you can.
- In "Vassilis Tavern", located at Loggos Village, you can taste all the Ionian specialties (bianco, bourdeto, sofrito) cooked brilliantly. This tavern is over 60 years old and has its own fans! Better days to find a table are Monday and Tuesday, but if you fail to, choose another restaurant or tavern in Loggos. Food and service level are above "excellent" here and are surely the main reasons for the place's high footfall.
- Loggos Village has a unique place called "Taxidi cafe-bar", where you can learn the olive-oil's history and then participate in this unique seminar by cooking authentic Greek recipes based on olive oil.
Don't forget
Access in some beaches by land can be proved a tiring, even dangerous, experience. Be extremely cautious in the island's west coasts.
This happens all over Greece during summer, but in Paxoi a little bit more: there are many mosquitoes all around the place, so make sure you have all the necessary stuff to keep them away.
Be careful with sea-streams, especially in the island's west and north side. Most of them move under the sea and you may find yourself far away from the coast without realizing it.
Happy Holidays in the fabulous Paxoi!!!
