Greece · Epirus
Yacht Charter Parga
An amphitheatre of colour under a Venetian castle, with the river of the underworld an hour inland.
Parga is on the Epirus mainland facing Paxos, and it is built as a bowl of ochre and rose houses climbing from a bay to a Venetian castle on the headland above. In front of the town beach, close enough to swim to, sits a rock islet with a white chapel on it. Behind, an hour inland, the Acheron comes out of the mountain at ten degrees — the river the ancients took for the boundary of the underworld.
The town and the castle
The castle was Venetian, then briefly French, then Ali Pasha's, who bought the town in 1819 and sent its people to Corfu — they left carrying their dead. It stands over the town with the Lion of St Mark still cut into the gate.
The lanes below are stepped and closed to cars, and the whole bowl faces west, which is why the light here at the end of the day is what people remember.
The coast and the Acheron
Valtos is round the headland one way and Lichnos the other, both long and both easier from the water than from the road. Paxos is forty minutes across, Corfu two hours north.
The Acheron springs are an hour inland: the water comes out of the rock cold enough to take your breath, and you can walk up the gorge in it. The Necromanteion of Ephyra, where the ancients came to consult the dead, sits at the river mouth.
Practical notes
- The islet with the chapel is close enough to the town beach to swim to
- The castle was Venetian, then Ali Pasha's, who bought the town in 1819
- Valtos and Lichnos are round either headland, both easier reached from the water
- Paxos is forty minutes across; Corfu two hours north
Reached from: Corfu, Paxos and the Ionian
Where to dine
A table by the water
Golfo di Parga
WaterfrontOn the quay under the castle, doing fish and the Epirot dishes the mainland does better than the islands.
Kastro
Old townUp the steps near the castle gate, with the whole bowl of the town below the terrace.
Villa Rossa
ValtosRound the headland on the long beach, and the sunset side of the bay.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Venetian castle
Above the town with the Lion of St Mark still cut into the gate, Venetian then Ali Pasha's.
The chapel islet
A rock with a white chapel in front of the town beach, close enough to swim to.
The Acheron springs
An hour inland, where the river of the underworld comes out of the rock at about ten degrees.
The Necromanteion of Ephyra
At the river mouth, where the ancients came to consult the dead.
The fleet
Yachts available for Parga
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Parga
- What is the Acheron?
- The river the ancients took for the boundary of the underworld. Its springs are an hour inland, coming out of the rock at about ten degrees, and you can walk up the gorge in the water.
- Why does Parga look Italian?
- It was Venetian for centuries, and the ochre and rose houses stacked round the bay are what the Venetians left. The Lion of St Mark is still cut into the castle gate.
- What does a yacht charter in Parga cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in Parga
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.