Paxos (Paxi) is one of the smallest of the Ionian Islands, a few miles south of Corfu. There is no airport — you arrive by ferry from Corfu or Igoumenitsa, and the crossing itself sets the pace. The island is about 10 kilometres long, covered in olive groves, and fringed by small pebble coves on the east coast and dramatic white cliffs on the west. It is quiet in a way that most Greek islands stopped being decades ago.
Three villages make up the island. Gaios is the main port and the liveliest, with a handsome harbour lined with restaurants and a pair of small islands guarding the entrance. Day trippers from Corfu and Parga crowd the waterfront during the day, but by evening the town settles into something more local.
Loggos is the smallest of the three — a handful of tavernas, a few bars, a bakery, and a tiny harbour. It has the most intimate feel and the least commercial pressure.
Lakka sits in a sheltered bay at the northern tip. It is popular with sailing yachts and has a slightly wider selection of restaurants and shops than Loggos, while staying considerably quieter than Gaios.
The west coast cliffs are best seen by boat — small trips run from all three villages. The swimming is better on the east coast, where a series of small coves are reachable by foot or dinghy. Antipaxos, the even smaller island to the south, has two beaches with water of an almost absurd turquoise.