Paxos is so small—about twelve kilometres long and four kilometres wide—that a practised walker could explore virtually the whole island without the aid of bike, taxi, or bus. Its population—about 2,300 permanent residents living in Gaios, Longos, Lakka, and a scattering of tiny hamlets—is about that of a small village: you could get to know most of them personally. Still unspoilt and covered in olive and pine trees, it attracts people who come to unwind, to get away from it all. It is popular with itinerant yachting folk, a magnet for visitors from Corfu and from the mainland resort of Parga, who arrive by ferry or hydrofoil. Paxos holidays can occasionally can get busy, yet the island never seems to lose its laid-back cool.