On the mainland opposite Corfu and Paxos, the village of Parga is set against a backdrop of towering mountains overlooking a beautiful bay, where tiny whitewashed churches nestle on rocky wooded islets in the clear blue waters. High on a hill overlooking the harbour's waterfront tavernas stand the ruins of a Venetian castle, which like the island churches is floodlit after dark. Day or night, Parga is quite simply a visual treat!
From the castle, a track runs down to a glorious swathe of coarse golden sand at Valtos Beach, about twenty minutes walk up and over through the village (or if you're feeling lazy, five minutes by boat)! If you get on the wrong boat by mistake, don't worry - it's probably heading south around the headland to yet another fantastic huge fine shingle beach at Lichnos. There are two small town beaches - one coarse sand and one pebble - where you can hire a pedalo to explore the islands in the bay. The narrow village streets have plenty of good local tavernas, shops, lively little bars and a couple of discos, and you can take boat trips across to Paxos, or a day trip to the legendary 'mouth of the Underworld' on the mainland nearby. With all it has to offer, perhaps it's just as well Parga isn't on an island, and remains a great little Greek getaway for those in the know!
