Two islets guard the entrance to the channel. On the first, Agios Nikolaos, the ruins of a Venetian fortress rise from the pines; on the second, a white chapel watches over the waves. The boat threads its way between them, the passage narrows, then Gaios suddenly appears: a waterfront of ochre and pink houses clustered around a stretch of water so calm you would think it had been painted. Welcome to Paxos, the most discreet of the Ionian Islands.

A capital the size of a village

Gaios, the island's main town, would fit entirely within a few streets. The central square opens directly onto the quay, shaded and lined with cafés where local life flows by unhurried: espresso in the morning, ouzo in the late afternoon, conversations carrying across the square from one terrace to another. The houses, inherited from four centuries of Venetian presence, feature shutters in faded greens and blues, wrought-iron balconies and carved lintels. A cat sleeps on almost every low wall. Take the time for an iced coffee on a terrace: the square serves as a permanent theatre, between the arrival of the tenders, delivery riders on mopeds and fishermen mending their nets.

The island of olive trees

As soon as you move away from the shore, the olive tree reigns. The Venetians encouraged their planting centuries ago, and the island remains covered with them: huge, gnarled trees, some several hundred years old, whose silvery foliage blankets the hills like a sea of greenery. Paxos olive oil enjoys an enviable reputation throughout Greece; the small shops of Gaios sell it, along with honey and handmade soaps, in packaging that makes excellent souvenirs to bring home.

Lakka, the round bay

At the northern tip, the hamlet of Lakka curls around an almost circular bay, enclosed by two capes covered in olive and cypress trees. Sailboats anchor in pale turquoise water, and the lanes line up a few tavernas and Italian-style façades. Some itineraries drop their passengers here by tender; others offer the trip by road, barely half an hour through the island's interior, its dry-stone walls and tiny chapels. Along the way, some stop in Loggos, the third village on the east coast, whose tiny waterfront lines up a few tavernas beneath the pines.

The cliffs of the west coast

The western side of Paxos tells a very different story. Facing the open sea, limestone cliffs plunge into deep blue water, pierced by sea caves where the light plays in aquarium-like reflections. When the weather allows, boat excursions skirt these rock faces and approach the natural arches. The contrast with the gentleness of the eastern bays gives this small island a variety of landscapes you would never have suspected on arrival. On very windy days, the spectacle is best admired from above, from the trails that follow the ridge between two hamlets.

Antipaxos, the neighbour with vineyards

One nautical mile to the south, Antipaxos lines up its vineyards above two beaches considered among the most beautiful in the Ionian Sea, Vrika and Voutoumi, where the pale sand makes the water look almost unreal. Shuttle boats link Gaios to this miniature neighbour in a few minutes. If your time in port allows, the round trip makes for a perfect afternoon: a swim, a glass of local wine and a return at sunset.

The luxury of slowness

Two or three hours are enough to tour the main town, and that is just fine. Paxos is not visited at a run; it reveals itself at the pace of an after-lunch stroll. When the tender heads back to the ship and the two islets close the channel behind you, you feel the rare sense of having been let in, for a few hours, on a secret the Mediterranean still keeps rather well.