Paxos is the Greek island where time has forgotten.

You don’t arrive in boxes accidentally. There’s no speedy airport, cruise port or anything else. You arrive slowly. The boat drifts, the sea stays quiet, and everything else —traffic, screens, schedules — just slips away without a word. Paxos does not try to sell themselves. You leave and remember things you never expected to notice.

Paxos is a place that has been unknown for decades. The villages slowed down to their own pace. Olive groves numbered more than the tourists. And beauty was there, but not curated.  Overnight, Netflix’s Maestro In Blue was a global hit. A love story wrapped in music and sea breeze — and suddenly, the island had a global audience.

Paxos no rush, no roar

There are no airports, or dual carriageways. The island is not lit up by night, nor does it have a huge hotel chain. It glows like a soft breath. People gather in Gaios’ main port without any plan.

The rhythm is set in motion as the locals sit under their fig trees and tourists stop checking the clock.

Over in Lakka You can also find out more about the following: Loggos, You will see fishing boats, taverns tables and children riding bicycles between pastel-colored homes. Paxos lives escape. Other islands offer it, but Paxos actually does.

When beauty fails to perform

Paxos is soft and doesn’t photograph very well. Not because it isn’t beautiful, but simply because it does not lend itself to posing. The colours don’t pop; they fade into a warm stone-like green and the light comes from the branches rather than ring lights. Even the sea is quiet.

Beauty is not competing here; it simply exists. It’s the space in between waves and footsteps. Perhaps that’s the reason why no one talked about this for so many years. It was not trying to be located. It still doesn’t care who is looking.

Netflix shows the island.

In 2023 Maestro in Blue Netflix has released the first Greek language series. The first Greek language series picked up by the platform. It was a story of music, longing and complicated love. The island was almost immediately cast as a member of the show.

 Watchers from around the world fell in love with the location when they watched the show. Paxos, with its narrow cobbled streets of GaiosThe quietness of LakkaThe turquoise curves and Antipaxos. They were in a mood of melancholy and atmosphere. Each frame was drenched in silence and salt. 

The island was finally seen and boats continued to slowly arrive, while the locals and taverna remained the same. Paxos, however, was a very different place. It is not an island which attracts attention. Instead it absorbs the attention slowly and on its terms.

In places like these, a trust is built. This is not an experience to be recorded, but one to be felt. Not to check in, rather, it’s to slow down and listen to thoughts that are different.

For those landing on Paxos nothing has really changed.

Find Tailor Made Travel

Simply Holiday Bookings offers a wide range of personalized vacation experiences.

Book Now