Paxos Island – General Information
Paxos…the beautiful, shiny precious stone of the Ionian Archipelagos and of the Seven Islands. The picturesque ness and the magic landscapes of this island cannot be caged within the words of a paragraph. This island has nothing to be jealous of its bigger brothers. It is located 7 nautical miles from the northern point of Corfu and 8 nautical miles from the shores of the mainland. The small island of the Ionian Sea is extended along 25.322 square kilometers and it has a population of 2.500 people and can brag for its picturesque ness, its marine wealth and for the warmth of its inhabitants. Administratively it belongs to Corfu but nevertheless there are a few services that the inhabitants can turn to.
The main characteristics of the island are the dense vegetation, mainly by olive trees which are a few hundreds years of age, and the crystal blue waters of every little bay, beach or cave. Kaki Lagada, Kloni Gouli, Kamini, Giannas, Levrechio and Monodendri are some of the many beaches that you can swim.
The inhabitants of Paxos are mainly occupied with the tourism and the fishing as long as with the production of olive oil and wine since the island has also wonderful vineyards. The Capital of the island is Gaios, which is naturally protected forming a fiord with the little islands of Saint Nikolas and Panagia.
Every year thousands of known and unknown people visit this cosmopolitan paradise, either with private boats or with the boats that travel daily to Paxos from Corfu and Igoumenitsa. Also the island is connected with the mainland with Parga and Syvota with daily cruises with small boats.
Paxos has excellent infrastructures, which satisfy all the requirements. Even though there are no more than three fully equipped hotels, the available houses, rooms, studios and villas can satisfy even the more demanding ones. There are also villas to rent in Antipaxos, the little brother of Paxos, which is situated only three nautical miles southern of Gaios, and in which you will find three of the more beautiful and exotic beaches of the Seven Islands of the Ionian Archipelagos (Vrika, Voutoumi, Mesovrika) since their specific characteristic is the crystal clear light blue waters and the white sand. In the island the few inhabitants are mainly occupied with the vineyards and the production of wine. You can taste the famous wine of Antipaxos either on the taverns of the island or by buying it in the shops of Paxos.
The two islands are connected daily in summer with little speedboats, which have often departures from the port of Gaios. These boats also do the round trip of the island, making stops at the blue caves, in Ahai, Ortholithos, in Galazio beach reaching finally Antipaxos.
In Paxos except from the Capital Gaios, there are also other traditional villages, which retain the seven islands architecture. Also there are two other picturesque little ports Loggos in the middle of the island which is ideal for food and Lakka in the northern edge for coffee with a view of the bay which is full of yachts. Also you can watch the magnificent sunset on the Saint Apostoles, in Erimitis. The visitors of the island can also pay a visit on the museum, the old cisterns, the beautiful churches and if they are nature lovers they can walk the different footpaths of the island amongst the olive and pine trees.