CorfuTravel Guide
The greenest of the Greek islands wears its Venetian, French and British past in a UNESCO-listed Old Town, backed by cypress hills, olive groves and the clear coves of the Ionian Sea.
Is Corfu right for you?
May–June & September
Around 32°C by day in August, 14°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.
Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.
No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.
May–June & September
Average daily highs, recorded at Corfu HNMS station, 1 m asl (1955-2010).
Where this comes from
Hellenic National Meteorological Service; NOAA (via Wikipedia 'Corfu') — Weather box uses 'rain mm' rows (monthly rainfall).
Mid-range
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Thessaloniki280 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September
- Matera, Italy310 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September
- Kotor, Montenegro330 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September
- Dubrovnik, Croatia370 km
half a day's travel · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mixed)
Finding Corfu
Reading Corfu
Corfu's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked
Venetians, French and British all left their architecture here, and nature supplied cypress hills falling into jade water: the corners where Corfu shows off hardest, ranked, with the hours and routes that make them work.
A Rainy Day in Corfu Town: The All-Indoor Route
Corfu Town was built by Venetians, the French and the British to be walked under cover — here is a full wet day indoors, in the order that works, with the two days of the week that would ruin it.
Corfu for First-Timers: The Complete Guide
Venetian fortresses, a UNESCO Old Town, an empress's palace and the greenest landscapes in Greece — everything you need to plan a first trip to Corfu.
Where to Base Yourself on Corfu: A First-Timer's Guide
Corfu is bigger than first-timers expect, and where you sleep decides which half of the island you actually see — a base-by-base guide with costs, seasons, transport and the order to do it all in.
Corfu Changes Its Recipe Every Twenty Kilometres
A quarter-by-quarter map of where Corfu feeds you, from Venetian braises in the lanes behind the Liston to chilli-red fish stew on the northeast jetties, with the dish to order in each.
Corfu, framed
What we'd do in Corfu
See and do
- Corfu Old Town from above
The Old Town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2007, and from height the reason is obvious: a dense wash of terracotta roofs, Venetian campaniles and canyon-narrow lanes, with two fortresses bracketing it and water on three sides.
Read: Corfu's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked - Paleokastritsa and the west coast
The west coast is Corfu at its most dramatic: Paleokastritsa's string of turquoise coves beneath a centuries-old clifftop monastery, boat trips to sea caves, and, further north, the hairpin viewpoints around Lakones.
Read: Corfu for First-Timers: The Complete Guide - Vlacherna Monastery and Mouse Island
The tiny white monastery of Vlacherna, tethered to the Kanoni peninsula by a narrow stone causeway with the wooded islet of Pontikonisi floating behind it, is the Corfu image you have already seen whether or not you knew it was Corfu.
Read: Corfu's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked - Don't skip
one long evening doing nothing on the Liston
Read: Corfu for First-Timers: The Complete Guide - Paleokastritsa
Six coves, a headland monastery, and water clear enough that moored boats appear to hang in mid-air above their own shadows.
Read: Corfu's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked
Eat and drink
- The six words that decide your week
Learn these before you open a menu anywhere on the island.
Read: Corfu Changes Its Recipe Every Twenty Kilometres - Building a week out of it
A workable order, assuming five or six nights: two in Corfu Town at the start, while you are still orienting and want to walk home; then the northeast for two, using Agni or Kalami for lunches and keeping evenings local; a day trip west combining Lakones for the view and Doukades for the food; and the south at the end, when you have stopped taking photographs of harbours and started noticing fish.
Read: Corfu Changes Its Recipe Every Twenty Kilometres
Where to stay
- Car or not
only Corfu Town genuinely works car-free
Read: Where to Base Yourself on Corfu: A First-Timer's GuideCheck ratesad · Booking.com - Sweet-spot months
May, June, mid-September and early October
Read: Where to Base Yourself on Corfu: A First-Timer's GuideCheck ratesad · Booking.com
Practical essentials for Greece
Euro (EUR)
Greek; English is widely spoken in Athens, Thessaloniki and across the islands
Type C/F, 230V 50Hz
Blue Star, SeaJets and the other ferry lines connect the islands, and city transport is local: in Athens it is the rechargeable Ath.ena ticket or card bought at machines and kiosks, not a contactless bank card.
Rounding up or 5–10% in a restaurant is normal; card terminals now prompt for a tip, but there is no obligation to add one.
Safe on the mainland including Athens and Thessaloniki, but on Santorini, Mykonos and many islands the supply is desalinated and locals drink bottled.
Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is accepted, though hire companies often insist on an International Driving Permit.
112 (general); 100 police, 166 ambulance, 199 fire
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.