Walled Path through olive trees on Paxos Greece

Paxos Island Walks and Photos.

Paxos Walking Guides describe several circular and one way walks to enjoy in and around Logos, Lakka, Kaki and Magazia.

The Island of Paxos may not be so very big as Greek Islands go but there are loads of tracks, walled paths and trails available for holiday walking/hiking (and plenty to photograph), certainly enough to ensure you do not run out of something new over a couple of weeks. On top of that the countryside is excellent with the bonus of loads of old sterna's, olive presses and ruined and semi-ruined churches to explore and photo whilst out sightseeing or walking. The week before we arrived for our holiday on Paxos the island had received a good heavy rain-storm and this had kicked much of the fauna back into life so that there were many shrubs and flowers showing everywhere up in the hills - all truly beautiful.

The Paxos walks described here cover hiking on tracks, walled paths and trails going to coves, beaches and coves plus a lighthouse visit. Our walks listed below are for guidance rather than guaranteed to be correct route instructions because as anyone who walks on Greek Islands will know things can change - "things" being an appearance of a bulldozer and a new track etc. however where any "funny bits" have occurred there is reasonable detail. There is an excellent map available for the island showing most of the paths and tracks. We have included quite a few pictures with the walk details but please also check out our Paxos Holidays topic where there are a few more pictures of the Island. There are also other walks for Paxos on our site which are centred more around Gaios and also include a walk to Trypitos Arch which is a quite unusual sight on the Paxos coastline and well worth visiting.

Loggos to Lakka. This walk will get your legs going a bit since it involves a lot of ups and downs - the walk includes a really lovely path which takes you down to Orkos beach. Leave Loggos on the broad path behind the old soap factory and after a few yards take the flight of steps on the left, then almost immediately turn left on a path which will lead you up to a derelict windmill. Continue on circling the garden wall on your left (with a view of Phykia beach on your right) and soon see the remains of a second windmill - keep going until you reach a lane on the outskirts of Dendiatika. Opposite the junctions are the Antigone apartments, go down the alley to the left of them and continue on the alley at it twists right and left until after a short uphill section you turn down hill at a fork and follow this path as it winds down to the beach at Glyfada Bay.

Go the far end of the beach and find a path leading back inland (a few yards uphill there should be a path on the right leading to Monodentra beach but we could not access this beach since it was fenced off). Therefore follow the path steeply uphill (being careful since we found it very slippery), until it joins a main wide track which you follow further inland back to the road. Turn right and continue past Ag. Dimitrios until you pick up the main road on a bend.
Turn right and follow the main road until you arrive at a road junction where you keep right - continue on this road until you see a wide track signposted Monodentra beach - simply follow this down eventually to the beach. This beach is quite large and has a Taverna and sun beds etc.

Leave the beach at a watercourse at the far end of the beach and a few yards up look out for a small path on your right which takes you up and out of the gully. After climbing steeply for about 15 minutes you come to some olive trees - continue on upwards and eventually you will see a house on your left and also a red junked car in front of you. You are now on a broad track, turn left by this car and after around 400 yards reach a junction with a sign on the right indicating Lakkos beach - continue down to the beach. Note this is a very very steep concrete track and ultimately steps down to the beach - you have to come back this way and its knee breaking UP on the concrete. Return the same way and at the junction now turn right and follow this wide track - keeping straight on at the crossroads - until you reach a T-junction where you turn right and after a few yards turn right again on a path taking you down through beautiful scenery to Orkos beach. Turn left along the beach and take the path at the side of the Juventus Kraal, following it up and out of the beach. After going along - eventually with a wall on your right - be certain to turn sharp right when the wall does, do not continue straight on. Eventually come out onto a track turn right and after a few yards see a track on the left which winds down to Arkoudaki beach - this was also a very pleasant track to walk on. From the beach you can either go to the rocks and take a headland path round and into Lakka or you can return the way you came in by going back to the track and turn right - then at a T-junction turn right and then left at the next junction - this will take you back down into Lakka.

Lakka to Lakka. Head towards the western end of Lakka port and go up the steps between the two tavernas, continue along the coast passing two beaches - then head straight up on a goat's path to the top of the hill to join a broad track. Turn left and follow this track to a T-junction and then turn right to go towards the lighthouse which should be in view.
Now return back to the T-junction but keep straight on and after a few yards take the broad track on your right which leads to Plani beach - very worth visiting - usually deserted and ideal for a nude sunbathe and swim if you wish.

On the left end of the beach (facing the sea) you can climb onto the rocks and walk along to rock tables and various rock formations, also if the sea is rough get good a view of the waves as they crash into these rocks. Return up the track but turn right when you reach the top. The track then undulates on its way through Delietatika, Vasilatika and eventually arrives at the Venetian villa - the scenery through here - as in fact throughout this part of the walk is really good and it gets possibly better. Go under the Arch and turn right in front of the ruined villa and follow the track on to the cliff top. Return to the villa and turn right at the bottom of the steps and head along a beautiful walled path which meanders along the countryside.
Eventually you arrive at a wide newly bulldozed track where you turn right towards the cliff edge, follow this path as it goes round Ipapanti Cove often very very close to the cliff edge - the views from here are really good. Watch out for the derelict windmill on your left - walking to this is a bit prickly to say the least because of heavy thorn undergrowth but if its there then you need to see it of course..

Eventually emerge onto a broad track, turn left and walk down it for about five minutes then just before the track curves left there is a small path on your right - this path takes you past some ruins and a church (where we sat on a wall for a while watching wild bees in a tree hive). Go on past the church and continue to a junction with a small road - keep left and go round and through some houses and keep following the small road through Manesatika - keep going down and round to eventually arrive at the far side of Grammateika where you will see the Campanili Ipananti.
From here go past the church (perhaps take a look at the spring on the left but watch out because it's quite slippery here) and then turn right, follow the path for a few minutes and then take the steps down between a couple of houses which takes you to a lane where you head left and eventually arrive at the Lakka road.
Turn left and Lakka is around 15 minutes way assuming you don't decide to have a wander around the reservoir on the way back - which of course we did.

Magazia - Lakka This walk starts in Magazia at the bus stop by the road junction. Walk downhill past the church and almost opposite the petrol station take a concrete track on the right which is signposted to St Apostle Church and follow this down hill until you reach a track on your right heading between a garage and a house (signposted). This track leads to some steps up to the church. If you walk through the churchyard you will find great views of Erimitis cliffs, also there is a taverna here but it is not always open apparently. On your way back when you reach the turnoff (about 2 minutes) descend to the right and take the track following the coast, which eventually will give you good views of Achia Bay and it's caves. Return to the main road, turn left and follow the road through Magazia - lookout for the olive press ruins on your left. Continue along the main road passing a shop and fire station until you come to a lane on your left next to the school which goes to Manesatika. Go down this lane and ignore a left turn but just keep going - this is a really picturesque part of the walk. As you come into Manesatika the lane forks, stay left and pass the church and a very tiny shop.

Just after this see a sign on the left marked for Sunset Path, worth a detour. Continuing along the road, past Sunset cafe, the road bends slightly to the right (ignore the gravel track on the left unless you want to have a look at the cliffs), the roads ends by a wall. Go left by this wall passing a church and some ruins and a little later you will see a house on your right. A (hard to spot) path goes sharp right through a wall gap - if you reach a main grassy track a few yards further on you have gone too far. This path descends very steeply through woods and eventually you see the Campanile of Ipapanti church coming into view. On reaching the T-junction at the edge of the trees turn right - shortly arriving at a small bridge on your left which leads up to the Campanile (however do walk straight on to take a look at the spring first). The bell tower is usually open and well worth climbing for the views.

Continuing on, walk up the road through the houses and after a few minutes step down between a couple of houses to join a driveway just below - this then leads down to the Manesatika lane where you turn left and follow the lane down to the main road - turn left here and go back to Lakka.

Magazia to Lakka (2). This walk starts at the bus stop at Magazia and takes you on the west coast of Paxos to eventually arrive at Lakka.
From the bus stop go back to the junction (few yards) and turn right on the main road to go through Magazia. Take a left hand junction by the school and take this lane to Mitsialatika (ignoring paths etc to the left until you reach the houses). At the Mitsialatika junction turn left going past the church and a small shop and continue past the Sunset cafe. Take the next turn on the left and take this stony/rubbley road to until it starts to bend right in a quite open space, where you take a narrow path straight ahead.
This leads you along the cliffs around Yapapati cove - this is a lovely little track. You come to a wide bull-dozed track - go straight-ish along this track (do not turn right) and after a few minutes you come to a footpath on the left - take this path which goes between stone walls and at the end of it you will see the Venetian villa on your left. Option here is to walk up the steps and along the front of the villa and go to the cliffs).
Continue right going past some houses and you come to a junction - (option here take a left hand track to walk to Petratiaka and back (this diversion is certainly well worth the effort)).

Otherwise continue straight on and wind your way along this really attractive road as it undulates its way to Delietatika. From here you can extend the walk to Plani beach and the lighthouse or take the path through the houses and down the steps back into Lakka.

Visit our Paxos Holiday Guides for more about the island or our Paxos-Gaios walks topic for more holiday walks.