Corfu, Greece: things to do, old town and best resorts

Things to do in Corfu, Greece: the short list

Ten things, roughly in order. The first five fit into three days and are what most people remember of the island.

1. Walk Corfu Town early, from the Liston to the lanes behind the church of Agios Spyridon.
2. Climb the Old Fortress for the view over the town and the channel.
3. Spend a day at Paleokastritsa, with the monastery and a boat into the coves.
4. Take a boat to Paxos and Antipaxos, the best day trip on the island.
5. Eat by the harbour in Kassiopi or at Agni, on the north-east coast.
6. See the Achilleion, the palace of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, if it is open.
7. Look down on Mouse Island and the Vlacherna monastery from Kanoni.
8. Walk up to Angelokastro, the Byzantine castle above the west coast.
9. Drive to the top of Mount Pantokrator, 906 m, on a clear day.
10. Watch the sunset from the cliffs at Loggas beach, near Peroulades.

Corfu Town: the UNESCO old town and what to see

Corfu Town, also called Kerkyra, is the reason the island feels different from the rest of Greece. Venice held it for four centuries and the Ottomans never took it, then the French and the British left their own buildings on top. The old town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 for its fortifications and its tall, shuttered houses. It is compact: you can cross it on foot in about 20 minutes, but it takes a full morning to walk properly. Our map of Corfu has a plan of the old town with the main sights on it.

The Liston, the Spianada and Agios Spyridon

Start on the Spianada, the largest square in Greece, where the British laid out a cricket ground that is still used. Along its west side runs the Liston, an arcaded terrace the French built on the model of the rue de Rivoli in Paris. The cafés under the arches are expensive for what they serve, and you are paying for the view.

Behind the Liston, the lanes narrow into the old Venetian quarter. Look for the red-domed bell tower of Agios Spyridon, the tallest in the town, which holds the relics of the island's patron saint. Entry is free. Cover your shoulders and knees, as in any working church in Greece. Keep going west and you reach the Campiello, the oldest part of town, where washing hangs between houses five and six storeys high.

Old Fortress of Corfu: tickets and hours 2026

The Old Fortress sits on a rocky headland cut off from the town by a moat, the Contrafossa, that boats still use. Climb to the lighthouse at the top for the best view of Corfu Town, the New Fortress and the coast of the mainland. The official ticket shown in November 2026 is €10, or €5 reduced. Guides that still quote €6 are out of date.

Last entry is 20 minutes before closing. Entry is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, 28 October, the last weekend of September and the first and third Sunday of each month from November to March. The fortress is closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December. In summer, go at opening time: there is little shade at the top.

Kanoni, Mouse Island and Mon Repos

South of the old town, the Kanoni peninsula ends at a viewpoint over the Vlacherna monastery, a white chapel on an islet reached by a causeway, with Pontikonisi, Mouse Island, just behind it. Planes land on the runway right beside it, which is part of the show. On the way, the park of Mon Repos holds the villa where Prince Philip was born in 1921 and the remains of the ancient city of Corcyra. The blue town bus runs to Kanoni, so you do not need a car for this half day.

Paleokastritsa, Corfu: coves, monastery and Angelokastro

Paleokastritsa is the best-known stretch of the west coast: six small coves under wooded cliffs, with water clear enough to see the bottom from the boats. It is only 25 km from Corfu Town, but the road climbs over the middle of the island, so allow about 35 minutes by car. The beaches are small and fill quickly in August. Arrive before 10am or take one of the small boats from the harbour to the coves you cannot reach by road.

On the headland above the bay, the Paleokastritsa monastery is free to visit, with a small museum. Shawls are lent at the entrance. It usually closes for a few hours in the early afternoon, so go in the morning. Then drive or walk up to Angelokastro, a Byzantine castle on a crag north of the bay, which looks down on the whole coast.

Kassiopi and the north-east coast of Corfu

The north-east is the green, steep side of Corfu, between Mount Pantokrator and the strait with Albania. It has no long sandy beaches, just pebble coves, small harbours and villas in the olive groves. It is the most expensive part of the island to stay in and the quietest. The coast road is narrow and winding, so allow about an hour from Corfu Town to Kassiopi by car.

Kassiopi, a harbour village under a castle

Kassiopi is the largest village on this coast and the easiest base without a car, as the green A4 bus runs here from Corfu Town. Tavernas line a small fishing harbour, and a path loops around the headland past coves where you can swim off the rocks. The ruined castle above the village is Byzantine and was rebuilt by the Angevins and the Venetians. The Albanian coast is so close that you can make out the houses on the far shore.

Kalami, Agni and Nissaki: the Durrell coast

South of Kassiopi, the bays get smaller and quieter. At Kalami, the White House where Lawrence Durrell lived in the 1930s is now a taverna and holiday rental on the water. Next door, Agni has three tavernas and not much else, and people arrive by boat for lunch. Nissaki and Kaminaki have pebble beaches with small boats for hire, a good way to explore the coves along this shore. This is couples' territory, and in August the narrow road gets busy with villa traffic.

Achilleion Palace, Corfu: tickets and the 2026 restoration

The Achilleion stands in the hills above Gastouri, about 10 km south of Corfu Town. Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Sisi, had it built in the early 1890s as a retreat dedicated to Achilles. Kaiser Wilhelm II bought it after her death. The gardens are the main draw, with the statues of the dying Achilles and of the huge Achilles Triumphant, and a view over the east coast.

Check before you go. The palace is in the middle of a long restoration. The 2020 works contract was cancelled, and a new tender worth €14.2 million was launched in 2026. Access to the inside has varied, while the gardens are usually open. Local sources give a ticket of about €7, or €5 reduced, free under 6, but no fixed opening hours are published. Call the site manager, ETAD, on +30 26610 56210 the day before, or book a guided tour that includes it.

Paxos and Antipaxos: a day trip from Corfu

Paxos is the small, wooded island south of Corfu, and Antipaxos is the even smaller one below it, known for beaches like Voutoumi with water that turns pale blue over white sand. The best way to see both in a day is a cruise from Corfu Town, Benitses or Lefkimmi. These boats stop at the sea caves on the west coast of Paxos, then at Gaios, the main harbour, and swim off Antipaxos before heading back.

There is also a public ferry from the new port of Corfu to Paxos. Crossings take roughly 1 hour to 1¾ hours depending on the boat and start from about €15 one way in 2026, but the ferry does not reach Antipaxos or the caves. It makes sense if you want to stay a night or two on Paxos. Strong wind cancels sailings, more often on the open sea south of Corfu than on the north-east coast, so do not plan Paxos for your last day before a flight.

Best beaches in Corfu, coast by coast

The coast you pick decides the beach you get. The north has long, shallow sand, the west has coves and cliffs with the sunsets, and the north-east has calm pebble bays. The sea on the west coast is colder and rougher on a windy afternoon, so swim there in the morning.

Above Glyfada, the hill village of Pelekas has a viewpoint called the Kaiser's Throne, where Wilhelm II came to watch the sun go down over the west coast. It is a short drive up from the beach and free.

Best resorts in Corfu by type of trip, and which to avoid

No resort in Corfu is bad. Several are wrong for the people who book them. The island sorts by coast: the north has long shallow sand, the west has cliffs and coves, the north-east is quiet and upmarket, the coast road just north of town is the package belt, and the south ends at Kavos. Here is where to go, and where not to, for each kind of trip.

The resort most people should avoid is Kavos, unless you are going for the clubs. It sits at the southern tip, an hour from the airport, and has been the island's party resort for decades. Sidari is the other one to think twice about: the Canal d'Amour rock formations are worth a visit, but the main street is loud in high season. Benitses and Ipsos, once known for nightlife, are calmer today, though both are squeezed between the road and the sea. For the hotels in each area, see our guide to where to stay in Corfu.

How many days in Corfu, and the best time to visit

Five days is the right length for a first trip, a week if you want beach days as well. Corfu is 64 km long and the drive end to end takes about an hour and a quarter, but the roads over the middle are slow, so most people use two bases rather than one.

The best time to visit Corfu is mid-June or the first half of September, when the sea is warm and the days sit around 25 to 30 °C. July and August are crowded and hot, in the mid-30s. May and October are cheaper and greener, with a chance of rain, because Corfu is one of the wettest Greek islands. Many tavernas and hotels on the coast close around mid-October, while Corfu Town stays open all year.

Getting around Corfu: green buses, blue buses and car hire

Corfu has two bus networks, and confusing them is the usual mistake. The blue buses cover Corfu Town and the near suburbs, out to Kanoni, Dassia, Benitses and the Achilleion. A ticket costs €1.30 in zone A, €1.80 in zone B, and a day ticket €5. The blue buses do not go to Paleokastritsa, Kassiopi, Sidari or Kavos.

For those you need the green KTEL buses: line A9 for Paleokastritsa, A4 for Kassiopi, A2 for Sidari and B1 for Kavos. They leave from a separate terminal about 15 minutes' walk from the old town, and fares are a few euros, roughly €2.50 to Paleokastritsa. Timetables change during the season, so check the current one on the KTEL Kerkyra website before you plan a day around it.

A car is the simple answer if you are staying outside town or want several coves in a day. Pick a small one: the village roads on the west and north-east coasts are narrow, and parking at Paleokastritsa and Kassiopi is tight in summer.

Where to stay in Corfu: the old town, the west or the north-east

For a first visit, spend at least two or three nights in Corfu Town. It has the evenings, the buses and most of the boat trips. Then add a beach base: Paleokastritsa for the coves, the north-east for quiet, or the north coast for families. Our guide to hotels in Corfu by coast compares every area in detail.

Getting to Corfu by plane and ferry

Most visitors fly. Corfu airport (CFU) is about 3 km from the old town, with flights from Athens in about 1 hour 15 minutes and direct charters from much of Europe in summer. By sea, ferries cross from Igoumenitsa on the mainland in about an hour and a half, and long-distance ships come from Bari and Ancona in Italy. There is no ferry from Piraeus. Corfu is the northern end of the Ionian Islands, and there is no direct boat down the chain to Kefalonia or Zakynthos, so plan Corfu as one island plus Paxos rather than the start of an island hop.