Agios Dimitrios, Fanariotatika
A white bell tower standing over the olives in one of the small family hamlets of the interior.
Paxos · The interior & the west cliffs · Μαγαζιά
Magazia, among the olives
The island's green heart: hamlets of stone houses, chapels and old olive presses under the trees
The interior & the west cliffs · Paxos
About Magazia & the inland villages
The middle of Paxos is one great olive grove, crossed by narrow lanes and dry-stone walls and dotted with small settlements named after the families that founded them: Magazia, Fontana, Bogdanatika, Fanariotatika and many more ending in -atika. Magazia is the closest thing to a centre, with a church, a few tavernas and shops on the island's main road. Around it, half hidden among the trees, stand old olive presses, stone cisterns and the bell towers of village churches. Few visitors stop here, which is exactly why it is worth it.
Where to stay
Where you'll wake up in Magazia & the inland villages
Apergatika
A pool under the olives and no sound but the cicadas
Mistral & Perla Houses · Private villas · €€€€
Within an easy drive
Around Magazia & the inland villages
An old olive press
The stone mills where the island's olives were crushed, some now restored, others slowly sinking into the undergrowth.
Erimitis
The high white cliffs of the west coast, a few minutes' drive from Magazia, at their best at sunset.
Good to know
Before you go to Magazia & the inland villages
Getting there
Magazia is on the main road between Gaios and Lakka, served by the island bus. The smaller hamlets lie on lanes off it, best explored on foot.
When to go
Spring and autumn for walking, when the grass is green under the olives; November and December for the olive harvest, when nets are spread under the trees.
More of Paxos
Villages you'll want to see next
Gaios & the south-east
Gaios
A pastel harbour town on a channel of green water, guarded by two wooded islets
Lakka & the north
Lakka
A horseshoe bay at the north end, where sailing boats swing at anchor over pale sand
Loggos & the east coast
Loggos
The smallest of the three harbour villages: a little cove of tavernas, an old factory chimney and pebble beaches either side
Fall for more of Paxos
Every stay we recommend across Paxos, from village guesthouses to rooms on the sea.
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