Gaios
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gaios is the main port on Paxi and situated on the east coast of the island. It is named after the saint who brought Christianity to the island. Tiny, compact and very attractive the resort has a crescent quayside backed by a handsome Venetian square. Cafes and tavernas fringe the harbour and day trippers from Corfu and other islands provide plenty of business. The streets are too narrow for cars but human traffic is considerable in the high summer season. A couple of outlying islets Agios Nikalaos and Panagia provide natural protection from the sea and pleasant views for taverna customers, even if only glimpsed through the masts of the many yachts moored at the quayside. Whitewashed alleys lead off the main square full of souvenir shops. The resort is renowned for its pottery and jewellery. Worth seeing are the castle on Agios Nikolaos, though you need a permit first from the local council, and the monastery on Panagia islet. The Church of Agios Apostoli behind the bus stop has many fine icons and there is an ancient cistern to the right of the church.
The road south out of Gaios goes around the headland to a narrow strip of pebble at Plakes and, a little further, a longer stone strand at Defteri. There is another small pebble beach around the headland at Ballos, just before the tiny fishing port at Gia Marina, where there is an early Christian church at the end of the beach
There was a small pebble strand at nearby Mogonisi on the southern tip of the island until a new beach was dynamited out of the cliff and filled with sand to serve the clients of a nearby hotel. Mongonisi is actually an islet connected to Paxi by a short causeway of stepping stones. There are also many small coves along this part of the coast.
North of Gaios the road loops around the headland with fine views across the Panagia islet in the bay to the port at Geromonachus where ferries from Corfu, Parga and Igoumentisa pull in. There is an abandoned village here though many once deserted houses have been snapped up by developers. A sharp turn north takes the road along the coast past pebble strands at Kioni and Kamini before turning inland again. Here a track leads down to a sheltered beach at Kaki Langanda, set in a pretty bay. There are small beaches further north here at Tripitis and Pigmeni but they are accessible only on foot.
