Getting around Paxos is easy on such a small island, with a choice of the local bus, hire cars. Scooters and bikes, a handful of taxis, water taxis and boats, or simply your own feet. The little bus links the three main villages of Gaios, Loggos and Lakka times a day, while hiring a car or scooter gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace, bearing in mind that certain rough tracks are off-limits to rental cars. With only around five taxis on the whole island, booking ahead is wise, and much of the beautiful coast is best reached by boat.
This guide explains every way of getting around Paxos, from the bus and car hire to boats and walking, and helps you decide whether you need a car at all.
Here you will find everything about getting around Paxos: the local bus between the villages, hiring a car, scooter or bicycle, the island’s taxis. Travelling by water taxi and boat, walking, whether you need a car at all. The best way to get around depending on where you stay.
How do you get around Paxos?
You get around Paxos by local bus, hire car, scooter or bicycle, taxi, water taxi or boat, or on foot.
Getting around Paxos and Antipaxos is straightforward, as the island is small, only around ten kilometres long, so nowhere is very far away. There is a choice of transport to suit different travellers, from the local bus and hired vehicles to taxis. Boats and walking. The three main villages are all connected by road.
The village of Gaios, the capital, along with Loggos and Lakka to the north. Are linked by the coastal road and a local bus. Moving between them is easy whether or not you have your own transport. For the beaches and coves, and especially the coast that no road reaches, boats and water taxis come into their own.
The right way to get around depends on where you stay and what you want to do. Many visitors based in a village manage very happily on foot and by bus, hiring a boat for the coast, while those wanting to explore the whole island at will often hire a car, scooter or bike, as the sections below explain.
Is there a bus on Paxos?
Yes, Paxos has a local bus that links the three main villages of Gaios, Loggos and Lakka.
Paxos has a small local bus service that provides a reliable and inexpensive way to travel between the island’s three main villages of Gaios, Loggos and Lakka. It runs up and down the coastal road. Connecting the capital in the south with the villages to the north. Is a genuinely useful option for those without their own transport.
In the summer season the bus typically runs around four times a day, operating Monday to Saturday, though it is always wise to check the current timetable locally, as services are reduced outside the peak months and do not run on Sundays. Fares are low, at roughly four to five euros per person between Gaios and Lakka or Loggos, and less for the short hop between Loggos and Lakka.
The bus is ideal for combining visits to the different villages, or for reaching a taverna or beach in another part of the island without a car. Its main limitation is the relatively infrequent timetable. It pays to plan around the departure times. But for a cheap and simple way to get about, the Paxos bus is hard to beat.
Can you hire a car on Paxos?
Yes, you can hire a car on Paxos from several local rental companies, which gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace.
Hiring a car is a popular way to get around Paxos, giving you the independence to explore the villages. Inland countryside and beaches at your own pace. To reach spots not served by the bus. A number of car rental companies operate on the island, mainly based in and around Gaios, and booking ahead is wise in the busy summer months.
There is one important restriction to be aware of: rental agencies generally do not allow their cars to be driven on the island’s many unpaved and rough tracks. Which lead to the more remote beaches and coves. Because a large part of Paxos away from the main roads is unsurfaced, this means a hire car cannot reach every corner of the island.
For this reason, a car is best thought of as a way to travel comfortably between the villages and the more accessible beaches, rather than to reach every hidden cove. Those spots are better reached on foot, by scooter or, most enjoyably, by boat, so visitors combine a car with a boat trip to see the whole island.
Can you hire a scooter or bike on Paxos?
Yes, scooters and bicycles, including electric bikes, can be hired on Paxos.
Scooters and motorbikes are a popular and economical way to get around Paxos, especially for one or two people. They are cheaper than a car, easy to park anywhere. Can squeeze through the narrow lanes and tracks where cars cannot fit. Giving access to more of the island, and they are ideal for nipping between villages and beaches.
Bicycles are also available to hire, including electric bikes, which are offered by companies on the island. E-bikes are particularly useful for tackling the hilly terrain of Paxos with ease. Letting you enjoy the countryside and coast without the effort of the climbs. No licence is required to ride them.
Both scooters and bikes suit those who want an active, flexible and inexpensive way to explore, and who are comfortable on two wheels. They give a real sense of freedom on the quiet roads of the island, though as with cars. Care is needed on the rougher tracks. A helmet and sensible caution are essential.
Are there taxis on Paxos?
Yes, but there are only around five taxis on the whole of Paxos, so they can be hard to get, especially in high season, and are relatively expensive.
Taxis do operate on Paxos, but visitors be aware that there are only around five of them on the entire island, so depending on a taxi for your transport. Particularly in the busy high season, can require a good deal of patience, as they are often occupied and cannot always be found when needed.
Taxis on Paxos can also be relatively expensive. It is very much advisable to book one in advance rather than hoping to hail one on the street, especially for a specific journey such as reaching the ferry, or for an evening trip between villages to a restaurant.
For occasional journeys, a pre-booked taxi is a convenient option, but taxis are not really practical as a main means of getting around the island given how few there are. Most visitors therefore rely on the bus, a hired vehicle or boats for their day-to-day travel, keeping taxis for the odd specific trip.
Do you need a car on Paxos?
You do not necessarily need a car on Paxos.
Whether you need a car on Paxos depends largely on where you stay. If you are based in or near one of the three villages, you can get by very comfortably without one, walking to the local tavernas, shops and harbour, using the bus to reach the other villages. Taking boats or water taxis to the beaches and coves.
Indeed, the finest scenery, including the beaches of Antipaxos and the blue caves. Is best reached by boat rather than by road. A hired boat is often more valuable than a car. For a village-based holiday focused on swimming, dining and boat trips, visitors happily do without a car altogether.
A car or scooter becomes more useful if you are staying in a villa out in the countryside, away from the villages. Or if you want to explore the inland areas and more accessible beaches independently at your own pace. Even then, hiring locally on the island is generally easier and cheaper than bringing a vehicle over on the ferry.
How do you get around Paxos by boat?
You get around the coast of Paxos by water taxi or by hiring a small boat.
Given that Paxos is an island with so much beauty along a coast that no road reaches. Getting around by boat is not just practical but one of the great pleasures of a visit. Water taxis operate between the harbours and some of the beaches, giving a simple way to reach coves and to cross the short distance to Antipaxos.
Even better for exploring at will is hiring a small self-drive boat, for which no licence is needed on the smaller craft, from villages such as Gaios, Loggos and Lakka. This lets you travel around the coast at your own pace. Anchor in secluded bays that cannot be reached by land. Combine beaches, including those of Antipaxos, in a single day.
For the beaches of the sheltered east coast, the dramatic blue caves and cliffs of the west. The sandy shores of Antipaxos. A boat is by far the best way to get around. Many visitors regard a day on the water as the highlight of their holiday, and it opens up parts of the island no other transport can reach.
What is the best way of getting around Paxos?
The best way of getting around Paxos combines walking and the bus between the villages with a boat for the coast, adding a hired car or scooter if you are staying inland or want full independence.
For most visitors, the best approach to getting around Paxos is a combination rather than a single mode of transport. Staying in a village, you can walk to nearby tavernas and beaches. Use the local bus to visit the other villages. Hire a boat or take water taxis to reach the coves and Antipaxos, covering almost everything you want to do.
Adding a hired car, scooter or bike to this mix gives extra independence for exploring the inland countryside and the more accessible beaches at your own pace. Is especially worthwhile if you are staying in a villa away from the villages. A scooter or e-bike is a cheap, flexible option, while a car suits families and groups.
Ultimately, the best way of getting around depends on your base and your plans. The golden rule on Paxos is that the coast is for boats and the villages for feet, bus or wheels. For details of reaching the island in the first place, see our guide on how to get to Paxos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it easy to get around Paxos without a car?
Yes, it is quite easy to get around Paxos without a car. Many visitors choose to do exactly that. Particularly if they are staying in or near one of the three main villages of Gaios, Loggos and Lakka. The island is small, only around ten kilometres long. Distances are short, and the villages are linked by a local bus that runs along the coastal road times a day in summer. Monday to Saturday, for a low fare of roughly four to five euros between Gaios and the northern villages. Within a village, everything you need, from tavernas and shops to the harbour, is usually within easy walking distance, so no vehicle is required for day-to-day life.
Crucially, the finest scenery on Paxos, including the beaches of Antipaxos and the blue caves. Is best reached by boat rather than by road. Hiring a small boat or taking water taxis and organised cruises is often more useful than having a car, and is one of the great pleasures of a holiday here. There are also taxis on the island for occasional journeys, though only around five in total, so they are best booked in advance. The one situation in which a car or scooter becomes genuinely useful is if you are staying in a villa out in the countryside, away from the villages. Or if you want to explore the inland areas independently.
For a village-based holiday focused on swimming, dining and boat trips, getting around Paxos without a car is easy and popular.
How much is the bus on Paxos?
The bus on Paxos is inexpensive, with fares of roughly four to five euros per person for a journey between the capital Gaios and the northern villages of Loggos or Lakka. Less. Around a couple of euros, for the shorter hop between Loggos and Lakka. This makes the local bus one of the cheapest ways to get around the island. A genuinely useful option for visitors without their own transport who want to travel between the three main villages. The bus runs up and down the coastal road that connects Gaios in the south with Loggos and Lakka to the north.
Typically around four times a day during the summer season, operating Monday to Saturday but not on Sundays. With a reduced timetable outside the peak months. Because the service is relatively infrequent, it is well worth checking the current timetable locally and planning your journeys around the departure times, particularly if you want to combine a visit to another village with a meal or hours at the beach and catch a bus back. Despite its limited frequency, the low cost and the simple. Direct route between the villages make the Paxos bus an excellent and economical way to get about for those happy to work around its schedule.
It is a good alternative to hiring a vehicle for visitors staying in one of the villages who only occasionally travel further afield.
Can you walk around Paxos?
Yes, you can walk around Paxos. Walking is one of the loveliest ways to experience the island, thanks to its small size and its network of paths and quiet lanes. Because Paxos is only about ten kilometres long, distances are manageable on foot. There are well-loved walking routes through the olive groves, along the coast and between the villages, including scenic paths linking Lakka, Loggos and Gaios that allow you to walk from one village to another through beautiful countryside. These trails reward walkers with panoramic views over the bays and the sea. Glimpses of traditional rural life among the ancient olive groves. Access to the quieter coves that are hard to reach by car.
Spring and autumn, when the weather is warm but not too hot and the countryside is green and, in spring, full of wildflowers. Are especially good times for walking, though the cooler hours of the morning and late afternoon are best in high summer. Sensible footwear, water and sun protection are advisable, as is a map or a walking guide, since paths are rough underfoot or not clearly signposted. For getting around within a village, walking is of course the natural way to move between the tavernas, shops and harbour, all of which are usually close together.
Paxos is very much a place where exploring on foot is both practical and a genuine pleasure.