Part of the Ionian islands of Greece, Paxos is mostly off the radar in terms of extreme tourism, especially compared to Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete.
What’s advantageous about Paxos is its close proximity to Corfu, which is a major airport and boat hub. It can still take a full day of travel by boat to get to many other Greek islands after an already-long flight, but Paxos is only a one-hour hydrofoil or 90-minute ferry ride from Corfu.
Paxos is too small to receive large cruise ships filled with day-trippers but big enough to offer everything one would expect for an idyllic Greek island: a wide selection of hotels and villas for any budget, charming villages, quiet beaches, shops and boutiques, and restaurants and cafes.
Measuring a mere three miles wide by seven miles long, Paxos has three main port villages: Gaios, Lakka, and Longos. Gaios is the main port, where most of the larger commercial boats are moored and where the hydrofoil and ferry from Corfu dock. The bulk of restaurants, cafes, and shops are in Gaios.
A 15-minute boat ride from the pier in Gaios will transport you to an idyllic, tiny island, Antipaxos, with a sandy white beach and turquoise water so clear you can spot toes.
You can spend just a few hours and just take a swim or make it a day trip, rent a chaise lounge, and enjoy a lunch of just-caught lobster or local fish, prepared on a grill on a thatched roof terrace.
