Day trips from Parga: a boat, and a river

We name the trips and say what each is. We print no boat times, drive times or prices, because those change every season. Confirm the day’s sailings before you plan around a boat, and check the last one back.

Paxos and Antipaxos

The classic excursion and the reason many people come. Paxos sits opposite, the smallest of the main Ionian islands: about six miles of olive groves end to end, with three small harbour villages, Gaios, Lakka and Loggos, and no airport.

Day boats run in season. Most stop at Gaios, the main harbour, and some take in the west-coast sea caves and cliffs on the way, which are the most dramatic thing on the island.

Antipaxos, the near-empty islet off the south coast, has the clearest water in this part of the Ionian and two small beaches. Most day trips include it, and it is the part people remember.

One honest note: Paxos is built for a slow stay rather than a checklist, and a day boat gives you the busiest hours of it. If it appeals, consider nights instead.

The Acheron springs

Inland, and the best non-boat day. The Acheron river rises in springs a short drive from Parga, in a gorge that stays genuinely cool even in August.

The water is very cold and very clear, and the thing to do is walk up the riverbed rather than look at it from the bank. Bring shoes you can get wet, because that is the whole activity.

The river carries a heavy mythological reputation as the route to the underworld, which the setting supports rather better than most such claims.

Sivota and the islets

North along the coast, Sivota is a small harbour town with a scatter of green islets just offshore, and the water between them is the clearest on this stretch of mainland coast.

Small boats run out among them for the day. It is a lower-key version of the Paxos trip, closer, cheaper and less organised, and on a calm day it is arguably better.

Ioannina, over the mountains

East, and a longer day. Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, sitting on a lake surrounded by high country, and its walled citadel is the best-preserved Ottoman old town in Greece, still lived in, with two inner strongholds, mosques, a Byzantine museum and a boat out to the island in the lake.

It is a mountain drive each way and a full day. It also connects to the second fort above Parga, which was built by Ali Pasha, the ruler whose tomb is in the Ioannina citadel.

Igoumenitsa, and onward

Not a day trip so much as the practical note. Igoumenitsa north of Parga is the ferry port for Corfu and for Italy, which makes Corfu reachable from here if you would rather have a big island for the day than a small one.

The order for Parga itself is in the Parga itinerary.

Where this leaves you

From Parga: Paxos and Antipaxos by boat for the classic day and the clearest water, the Acheron springs inland for the coolest one, Sivota and its islets for a quieter version of the same idea, and Ioannina over the mountains if you want a city and a citadel. Boats west, roads east, and you did not need a ferry to get here.

Quick answers

Can you visit Paxos from Parga?

Yes, day boats run across in season. Most call at Gaios and many include Antipaxos, the small islet off the south coast with the clearest water in the area. Paxos rewards a longer stay, so a day gives you its busiest hours.

What are the Acheron springs?

Cold, clear springs where the Acheron river rises, a short drive inland from Parga, in a gorge that stays cool in August. The thing to do is walk up the riverbed rather than look at it from the bank, so bring shoes you can get wet.

Is Ioannina worth a day trip from Parga?

Yes if you can give it a full day and a mountain drive each way. It sits on a lake, and its walled citadel is the best-preserved Ottoman old town in Greece, still lived in, with mosques, a Byzantine museum and a boat out to the lake island.

What is the best day trip from Parga?

Paxos and Antipaxos by boat, for most visitors. If you would rather stay on land, the Acheron springs are the better and cooler day, and Sivota’s offshore islets are the quieter alternative to the Paxos crossing.