I felt that I didn’t really say enough about the Parga region in my previous article, because my experience is so much more, so I had to continue with an additional one. Here is the second part of my story – Paxos and Anti-Paxos experience. I initially planned to stay only one week in Parga, but after visiting Paxos and Anti-Paxos things changed, and I added one more week to my vacation. Well, what can I say only that I am a sucker for beautiful islands!
Paxos and Anti-Paxos
Near Parga, there are two beautiful islands, Paxos and Anti-Paxos. To experience the beauty of these islands, we highly recommend taking the local cruise tours. Renting a boat will not catch the real beauty along the way. The only way a real-world traveller to experience is to stay there at least 5 days. Trust me, it is all worth it!
One of my best experience was brought by the cruise crew. The crew were kind enough to let me jump overboard while we made a stop for site seeing and swim in the crystal clear water. The water was so clear that I saw all the fishes swimming around even on 10 meters depth. We got back to the ship and continued to the first island Paxos. Before we got docked on the shore, something amazing happened – dolphins. They were jumping around happily, and every tourist took their phone immediately and started taking pictures.
Another vital element from this cruise is swimming in the blue caves located in Paxos. They are breathe taking, and you must visit the caves – no excuses. I don’t care if you are scared, this is one of a lifetime experience, and you must not miss it. We continued to the Paxos dock.
Paxos’s major city is Gaios. There you can find restaurants and many villas to rent. It is a small island, but still, it offers something unique found on no other island in the Ionian sea.
We spent at least an hour there, swimming and enjoying the beautiful water and continued towards Anti-Paxos. Also, there are other small towns in Paxos like Loggos and Lakka. If you have the time from the cruise or you plan the vacation on Paxos, a visit is a must.
On the other hand, Anti-Paxos is a more beautiful island. Maybe the reason is that it is inhabited. No human hand wronged this island. It is all mountains, trees and wildlife. On Anti-Paxos, if you get on the highest point and try to take a picture of all the boats docked, it will look like they are swimming in the sand, not in water. That’s the real treasure of Anti-Paxos. There are three beaches on the island – one is made from sand while the others are made from rocks. The beach is called Vrika, and there, during the day you can notice many tourists experience the beautiful waters of the Anti-Paxos bay. Also, there are a couple of small cafes that work only during tourist season and offer umbrellas and refreshments to coming guests.
Paxos and Anti-Paxos have wild and small beaches. We explained Anti-Paxos before, but now is the time for Paxos. The majority of beaches on Paxos are made from rock, but there with sand as well. Sadly, there are generally not used, because getting there requires a lot of walking.
Even though they are kilometres apart from Parga, these two islands offer a unique experience that we think you must consider visiting it at least once in your lifetime. Getting arrangements to these islands it might be a hard task. Not because there is no room there, but because all villas do not advertise online. I got my arrangement speaking with local guides, and they found one of the best villas in Paxos.
Lastly, I can say that there are many olive trees and other types of trees on both islands. It makes the islands bloom with fresh air, green colours, and unique island view.
Nextravel Tips
Clothes: As we said before in the Parga article, bring light clothes in summer. Other times, people do visit, but you do not come to Paxos and Anti-Paxos for the beautiful view, you come for the excellent weather and warm water.
Food and Drink: All the Cafes and Tavernas are located on Paxos. There you can find good hosts with beautiful Greek food. This time around, I tried Musaka. It was out of this world. Now I know why the Greeks were so good at everything in ancient times – their food. Nextravel recommends visiting the Bela Vista bar.
Local Guides and Transport: The best way to get there is either by a taxi or a cruise. Cruise is cheaper, but it is always crowded. On the other hand, the taxi will get you to the island, but won’t give you the information like the cruising guide explained.
Nightlife: Compared to Parga, Paxos has a quieter nightlife. Even though the bars work till late, people are more silent and enjoying their dinner. If you decide to go only on Paxos and skip Parga, Nextravel advises you to visit the nightlife on Parga while staying in Paxos. You will have the best of both worlds.
Hotels: There are no hotels on Paxos. However, there are villas. I think it is more suited for the island, and for those who come to visit it. Villas are more expensive than some hotels in Parga, but offer something that they do not – private beaches and privacy from all.
