city: Corfu

A Day in Parga – Walking Tour with Free Time

When you picture Greece, it might look a lot like Parga. Bright buildings jostling for space around a harbour, a headland overlooking the town crowned by a castle, and an island with a gleaming white chapel out in the bay. This full day tour combines a guided tour of this scenic spot, including to the castle, and plenty of free time to find a taverna for lunch, shop, swim and relax. Dimitra, one of our expert local guides, says, ‘Panagia islet sits just across from Parga town – it's incredibly pretty, and close enough to swim to. On August 15th there's a special service to honour the Virgin Mary and hundreds of worshippers flock to the island in dozens of boats.'Start the day with a ferry ride from Corfu to Igoumenitsa on the mainland, and then transfer by road to Parga. Your guide will take you on a walking tour through the narrow, twisting streets, then uphill on a trail with old stone steps to visit the Venetian Castle. Dominating the city from its hilltop perch, you'll get fantastic views over the harbour, the bay and the terracotta rooftops of the town.Once you've had time to soak up that wonderful panorama, it's back down to the town for an afternoon of free time. You'll have plenty of time for a swim from one of Parga's lovely coves, or lunch and shopping among the colourful streets of the historic centre. There's a clutch of al fresco cafés and boutiques to look around – keep an eye out for the excellent local olive oil - before making your journey back to Corfu over land and sea.