Parga in Greece

The pleasant Parga is often said to be the jewel of the towns in the Greek mainland. And it is an incredibly beautiful town - the perfect spot by the sea, the picturesque and amphitheatrical houses, and the lovely surroundings are qualities that are hard to ignore.

Parga town with the castle Kastro to the left.

Parga lies in the most western province of Greece - Epirus, and the town has about 2,400 inhabitants. One should note that Epirus has a long and interesting story, which makes it fascinating to explore the entire area.

Numerous beaches, bays and little islands lie along the long and beautiful coast and Parga has received its' fair share of both good beaches and historical sights. To use Parga as a base and all of Epirus as place to discover is surely something to get one's teeth into. Few Greek destinations can compete with the diversity offered here.

TRAVEL TO PARGA

The simplest way is off course to buy a package tour directly to Parga, but it is almost as smooth to fly there by yourself and sfind a place to stay - on the spot or by booking in advance.

The plane lands at the airport called Aktion, located in Preveza 68 kilometres (42 miles) south of Parga. The transfer into town takes a little more than an hour.

GETTING AROUND IN PARGA

If you stay near Parga town a beach boat will get you pretty far, but if you wish to experience the beautiful surroundings of Parga, a rental is to prefer.

I can also recommend you to follow with at least one organized excursion, especially to Zagoria and Meteora. Other excursions that I would recommend are to the islands b and Paxi, River Styx, Ali Pasha Fortress and Necromanteion.

BEACHES IN PARGA

Almost everyone that travels to Parga prefer the close by beaches: Krioneri, Valtos and Lichnos, and quite understandably so since they all are good and within close reach.

Krioneri beach, or the town beach as we Swedes say, lie in the middle of the village, just as its name implies. Very practical, you hardly have to change clothes. The tavernas are all near by and if you grow tired of swimming and sunshine just pick up your wallet and go for a round of shopping.

To the right of the Venetian fortress, Valtos beach spreads out as a necklace made of white coral. Valtos is in the eyes of many the best beach of Parga - it has beautiful surroundings, it is very long, there is room for everyone and it is within a walking distance.

From its spot on the rock between Parga town and Valtos beach the old Venetian fortress keep watch over the sea and the land. Today most of the houses lie in ruins, there is not much to see of the actual Kastro, but a visit is necessary -the magnificent view over Parga and the Valtos bay is enchanting.

The beautiful sand beach of Lichnos, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) south of Parga, is my absolute favourite beach in the area. This long beach is mostly out of coarse-grained sand that shifts from shiny white to golden yellow. This perfect sand is soft, formable, and just coarse enough to lie still - it will not fly into your eyes.

You can walk to Lichnos beach from Parga.

What many fail to notice however is that there are beautiful beaches not far from Parga, I am thinking firstly of Amoudia (south of Parga) and Agia Paraskevi and Karavostasi (north of Parga), and the beaches Arilla, Piso Krioneri, Pogo, Agianakis, Sarakiniko and Sivota.

SIGHTS IN PARGA

In a verdant longish valley, about three kilometres (1.9 miles) north of Parga lie the little village Anthousa. To get to the fort you pass Anthousa and then turn left to the village Trikorfo. Forts like this are usually not much to see, the view is often more impressive than the building itself. The fort of Ali Pasha however, is an exception. Large parts of the interiors are in a surprisingly good shape, the solid walls are impressive and there are some remaining canons aiming for Parga town in the upper courtyard.

ACCOMOTATION IN PARGA

If you are on a package holiday, which most people are, you will usually stay somewhere in the upper parts of the village, by Valtos beach or south of Krioneri beach. What suites you the best is a matter of taste.

If you are travelling independently you will soon find out that there are fewer options than on the islands, the travel agencies have reserved a great deal of the rooms. Nevertheless, unless you come here in July or august it should not be a problem.

Book hotels in Parga here »

View of Parga town.

The picture is taken from the little church of Agia Eleni, which is located in the olive groves, where the path to Lichnos beach goes. Behind the cliff with the Kastro you see Valtos beach.

Photos from Parga »