LINKS

Here are some useful links and tips if planning a visit to Paxos.

I have already listed suppliers of the Map Booklet  on the WHERE TO BUY page, and these firms (apart from FOI) are the best sources of villas and apartments to rent. These same agencies will also arrange flights and ferries.

Over recent years a number of other Agencies have entered the Paxos market. So far we have only had contact with two of these firms, so I cannot comment on the others.

The one new one which we have had the most to do with is Agni Travel.
Based in Corfu but with an office on the Quay in Gaios. Phone 0030 26630 91705
Web: www.agni-travel.com      email: <sales@agni.gr>
They have some very pleasant villas and we stayed very comfortably in one for part of our 2009 visit and have a booking for 1 week out of our 2010 stay. They seem very helpful people and their website is most interesting.

With another one, Olympic Travel, we have a booking for 2010 for our Daughter and family. Only afterwards will I be able to say more! Their phone no. is 0800 093 3322
Web www.olympicholidays.com   (I am not sure whether they are anything to do with Olympic Airways?)

If you want to travel independently, you can, of course, book flights on the Web.

ExcelAir used to be the best to Corfu from Gatwick and Manchester but are no more, alas. BA took over their services for a while but now EasyJet seem to run them. (Beware; they often take-off before the scheduled flight-time!)
Monarch Airlines and ThomasCook also offer flights.
There are other, sometimes cheaper, flights and from other UK airports (we find cheaper Charter Flights tend to be more subject to delays). All operate only between May and early October.

For some reason which I don’t understand, nearly all flights to and from Corfu/UK seems to be concentrated on Mondays. There are, I believe, a few on Fridays but the rest of the week seems to be largely blank. As it happens, ‘change-over-day’ for nearly all Paxos accommodation, is Monday.

Allow at least an hour to collect your luggage at Corfu Airport. At busy times it can be chaotic!

BAdirect starting operating flights on Fridays and Saturdays which were very good but they have now sold out to EasyJet.

It is worth noting that not all airlines list CORFU as such. Some refer to it a Kerkira and some, BA included, as Kapodistria. It all makes life more complicated!

All the above are basically ‘Charter Flights’ as Corfu is not apparently recognised as an International airport. If you want a ‘Scheduled Flight’, you will have to use Athens which means another ‘hop’ by Greek Airlines or Olympic Airways, Athens/Corfu or and we’ve never done this, (though have met others who have) you can get a ‘bus to Paxos! This will take you to the Greek port of Patras and from there a scheduled ferry connects to the Ionian Islands. I suspect it will take you an extra day each way.

If at all possible, an early morning flight is best, arriving Corfu about lunch-time and leaving options for ferries to Paxos.

In the past, flight/ferry conflicts have often meant spending a night in Corfu.
Currently the Atlantis Hotel, immediately opposite the pedestrian gate to the New Port, seems to be the most convenient place to stay overnight, should it become necessary.

Ferries from Corfu can usually be booked down at the New Port (get a taxi from the Airport and ask for the Paxi ferry.) and only the high-speed hydrofoils are usually full. (Book them through the Agencies
above or phone [Corfu] 26610/38690).

The first ferry usually leaves quite early in the morning (which is fine if you have come in on an overnight flight). There is usually another about 14.00hrs. but if you miss that you might have to wait until about 19.00. There are also SEA-TAXIS, high speed speedboats carrying about 10 passengers and luggage. VERY expensive but useful if all else fails. Telephone 6932/232072 or 6977/623033.

Note that all ferry sailings can be affected by the weather. In rough conditions you may have to wait for the big, vehicle, ferries which go via Igoumenitsa and take up to 3 hours. It is a pleasant sail though.

Continental visitors tend to drive down to Venice or other Adriatic Ports from where they can get a ferry to Corfu or even one actually calling at Paxos en-route to Patras.