Walking on Paxos

Walking on Paxos is the best way to discover this tiny island south of Corfu in the Ionian Islands, with its wooded hills and terraces of olive trees.

Walking on Paxos leads to quiet bays, like this one near GaiosWalking on Paxos leads to quiet bays, like this one near Gaios

Vasilis was in his boat on the edge of the harbour in Loggos, on Paxos, filleting a huge fish. It looked like a tuna, its body as big and as round as a dinner plate, and as we watched him slice it into juicy steaks we knew where we would be eating that night.

Blackboard menu at Vasilis Taverna in Loggos on Paxos in Greece
In the kitchen at Vasilis Taverna in Loggos on Paxos in Greece
Vasilis Taverna in Loggos on Paxos in Greece

Scenes at Vasilis in Loggos on Paxos

In any case, a travel writer friend of mine who goes to Paxos regularly had already told me that Vasilis serves the best food on Paxos. It’s been in business in the same family since 1957 so is clearly doing something right. Fresh fish in a waterfront taverna, after a good day’s walking, is one of the reasons we keep going back to the Greek islands year after year.

The coast of Paxos in the Ionian Islands of GreecePaxos

Walking on Paxos

Paxos is a tiny island, reached from Corfu, and it's so small that you could walk from one end to the other in a few hours, if you wanted to. Or you can do what sensible walkers do – spend a week or two meandering the many paths through its olive groves, even walking along its handful of quiet main roads, discovering new beaches, getting lost, but usually ending up somewhere beautiful to have a swim and a meal before meandering back again.

It's a tight squeeze for the local bus on Paxos!It's a tight squeeze for the local bus on Paxos!

Loggos

Loggos (also written as Longos in English) is one of the island’s three small main towns, all down the more sheltered east coast. It’s little more than a clutch of houses and shops, and villas to rent, around a harbour with a decent little beach about five minutes’ walk away.

Map for walking from Loggos to Dendiatika on PaxosMap (c) Google Maps

For our first short walk, to start to get our bearings around Loggos, we chose to go to the village of Dendiatika, which stands in the wooded hills above Loggos. A self-guided walk leaflet that we’d found guided us past an abandoned olive oil factory and up through the terraces of olive trees that are such an important part of the island’s economy.

Greek olive treeGreek olives

Paxos Olive Oil

Along with Corfu and Kalamata, Paxos is said to produce some of the best olive oil in Greece, and groves of trees cover the island. Terraces made from dry-stone walling are everywhere, and ancient tracks through the trees from village to village are a delightful way of getting about, frequently shaded from the fierce Greek sun.

Beneath the trees we see the black olive nets curled up like cats, while olive warblers and blackcaps flit from branch to branch. In winter, when the summer visitors have gone, the Paxiots will spread their nets on the ground to catch the olives. Unlike in the rest of Greece, where the branches will be hit with sticks when the olives are thought to be ready, here in the Ionian Islands they prefer to let nature take its course.

When we reach Dendiatika the few streets are quiet, the church is closed, and the white houses are mostly shut against the intense summer heat. Only Englishmen, but thankfully no mad dogs, seem to be out in the middle of the day in midsummer.

Walking on Paxos from Loggos to Lakka

Map for walking on Paxos from Loggos to LakkaMap (c) Google Maps

We switch from the self-guided map and for our next walk turn to the Sunflower Guide to Paxos and Antipaxos, which has several walks around the island and for its even smaller neighbour, Antipaxos. Regrettably, even its hot-off-the-press updated insert hasn’t kept pace with the ambitions of a Greek villa owner, who has fenced off his land, thwarting our attempts to follow the coastal route to the next town, Lakka.

Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides

Rough-Guide-Greek-Islands-2022.png

Turning instead to a delightful hand-drawn walking map of Paxos, we find it’s full of detailed landmarks like ‘villa with red/brown shutters’, which we hope hasn’t recently been repainted. The same goes for the ‘hut with blue door’ and ‘hut with green door’.

A bay on Paxos in the Ionian Islands of GreecePaxos

We get lost, as we often do, and scramble up along unmarked tracks through olive groves, thankful that the Greeks are very tolerant of walkers. According to the map, we should come out near the Villa Ina (‘they play classical music a lot’), but with no sounds or signs to guide us we improvise, which proves to be an important part of walking on Paxos.

Although there are a surprising number of guides and maps for such a small island, indicating its popularity, none of them seem to agree with each other. It’s the perfect way to approach walking in the Greek islands. You may set off with a particular destination in mind, but be prepared to change your plans and just enjoy whatever comes along.

Map for walking on Paxos from Loggos to Monodendri BeachMap (c) Google Maps

Deprived of the pleasure of a coastal walk, we did a big loop inland, walked along the quiet main road that runs north-south down the spine of Paxos, and veered off again down a new bulldozed track to Monodendri Beach. The reward was a terrific little tavern right on the sand, with a wood-fired oven making the tastiest pizzas and a charcoal grill for the tuna steaks.

Paxos Walking: Loggos to Magazia

Map for walking on Paxos from Loggos to MagaziaMap (c) Google Maps

We had no trouble filling a week with our wanderings, walking up to hill villages like Magazia, then on across to the rugged west coast with its high cliffs and squawking seabirds. We walked back in the late afternoon, as the sky grew dark and were reminded that there is a reason why the Ionian Islands are so green and fertile: it rains!

Yes, even in the first few days of September the rain came bucketing down, soaking our t-shirts and shorts. Who would think to take a waterproof jacket with them when setting off for a walk in the 26-degree heat (79F) of the morning?

Never mind. Greece teaches you to be philosophical. It is, after all, the land where the bus may or may not come, today or tomorrow, and the country whose slogan ought to be ‘No problem!’

There comes a point when you know you can’t possibly get any wetter, so we splashed our way back to our cottage, showered, changed, and when the rain at last eased we made our way down to Loggos harbour for an early evening ouzo and a walk past Vasilis to try to see – or smell – what was cooking.

Typical dish at Vasilis in Loggos on Paxos in the Greek Ionian IslandsTypical dish at Vasilis in Loggos

Heaven on Earth

This story also appears in Heaven on Earth, a collection of travel writing about Greece by Mike Gerrard, co-publisher of Greece Travel Secrets. The book includes accounts published in newspapers and magazines of some of Mike's most memorable experiences of travelling in Greece. Click here or on the cover image to take a look.

Other Ionian Islands Pages

  • Greece Travel Secrets publishes a page of photos of Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands of Greece to perhaps inspire you to visit.

    Photos of Zakynthos

    Greece Travel Secrets publishes a page of photos of Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands of Greece to perhaps inspire you to visit.

  • The Greek Ionian Islands are Corfu, Paxos, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkas, Ithaca and Kythira, and some smaller islands too.

    The Ionian Islands of Greece

    The Greek Ionian Islands are Corfu, Paxos, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkas, Ithaca and Kythira, and some smaller islands too.

  • Travel advice and information on Paxos near Corfu in the Ionian islands, information on ferries and flights, what to do in Gaios, Lakka and Longos or Loggos.

    Paxos

    Travel advice and information on Paxos near Corfu in the Ionian islands, information on ferries and flights, what to do in Gaios, Lakka and Longos or Loggos.

  • Travel advice and information on Zakynthos (Zante) in the Greek Ionian islands, with information on ferries and flights and the best things to do..

    Zakynthos, Zante, in the Ionian Islands of Greece

    Travel advice and information on Zakynthos (Zante) in the Greek Ionian islands, with information on ferries and flights and the best things to do..

  • Travel advice on Ithaca (Ithaka or Ithaki) in the Greek Ionian islands, with information on ferries and flights and the best things to do.

    Ithaca, or Ithaki or Ithaka, in the Ionian Islands of Greece

    Travel advice on Ithaca (Ithaka or Ithaki) in the Greek Ionian islands, with information on ferries and flights and the best things to do.

  • Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Zakynthos, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.

    Best Time to Visit Zakynthos

    Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Zakynthos, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.

  • Travel information about Kythira in the Ionian Islands in Greece, including ferries and flights to Kythira and the best things to do

    Kythira, or Kithira or Kithera, in the Ionian islands of Greece

    Travel information about Kythira in the Ionian Islands in Greece, including ferries and flights to Kythira and the best things to do

  • Travel information about Lefkas in the Ionian Islands in Greece, including ferries and flights and the best things to do beaches, sailing, windsurfing.

    Lefkas

    Travel information about Lefkas in the Ionian Islands in Greece, including ferries and flights and the best things to do beaches, sailing, windsurfing.

  • Life as a waiter on Zakynthos tells what it was like for travel writer Mike Gerrard to work in a Greek restaurant, the Mantalena in Alykanas.

    Life as a Waiter on Zakynthos

    Life as a waiter on Zakynthos tells what it was like for travel writer Mike Gerrard to work in a Greek restaurant, the Mantalena in Alykanas.

  • Antonis Maroudas is a Zakynthos winemaker who lives on the 'wine road' and is one of the people who make Zakynthos.

    Zakynthos Winemaker

    Antonis Maroudas is a Zakynthos winemaker who lives on the 'wine road' and is one of the people who make Zakynthos.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Greece’s November 20 Strike to Disrupt Ferry Services and Public Transport

    A 24-hour nationwide strike is set to disrupt transportation in Athens and travel across Greece on Wednesday, November 20, as public transport and ferry employees join a general strike organized by Gr…

    Read More

  2. Museum of Modern Greek Culture

    A New Cultural Jewel in Plaka

    Read More

  3. Zakynthos: Greek Draft Law Plans Ticket Requirement for Navagio Beach

    Visitors to Navagio Beach (Shipwreck Beach) on the island of Zakynthos will be required to purchase tickets for entrance once it reopens to the public, according to a new draft law proposed by the Gre…

    Read More

  4. Musicians Ex Machina Breathe New Life into Greece’s Mountain Villages

    A band of motorcycle-riding musicians is sending a powerful, melodic message from Greece's remote mountain villages that are at risk of being left deserted.

    Read More

  5. Thessaloniki Bites: 6 Fresh Culinary Gems to Savor Around the Film Festival

    With the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in full swing, we take a look at the city’s newest cafes, bars, and restaurants, along with some exciting culinary developments in the city.

    Read More

  6. Athens Metro Lines 2 and 3 Extend Weekend Service Hours Until 2 AM

    Beginning November 1, Lines 2 and 3 of the Athens Metro will extend their Friday and Saturday night service until 2 o’clock in the morning.

    Read More

  7. History of Thessaloniki

    Alexander-the-Great-statue-Thessaloniki.jpg
    Greece Travel Secrets outlines the history of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, from its origins through Roman times and the Ottoman period through to today.

    Read More

  8. Autumn Escapes: Discover the Timeless Charm of Ioannina

    Spend two days in Ioannina, the historic capital of the Epirus region, which is more beautiful in the autumn than any other city in Greece

    Read More

  9. The Odysseas Elytis Museum Opens in Plaka

    A new cultural landmark in Athens celebrates the life, work, and legacy of Nobel laureate Odysseas Elytis.

    Read More

  10. Gastronomos Awards 2024: Celebrating the Best Artisans of Cycladic Gastronomy

    The highly anticipated list of award-winning producers was presented in the capital of the Cyclades, Syros, by Gastronomos, Greece’s top culinary magazine, published by the newspaper Kathimerini.

    Read More