We love thinking back to our short vacation on Corfu. The Greek island enchanted us from the very beginning. Our original destination was actually Albania, but before that, we definitely wanted to take the opportunity to visit Corfu. Because you should know that you can take a wonderful ferry* from Corfu over to Albania. Today, we’ll share our best Corfu tips and highlights with you. Enjoy browsing!

• Getting to Corfu
• Booking a rental car
• Our accommodations
• Highlights and sights
  • Corfu Town
  • Paleokastritsa
  • Timoni Bay
  • Cape Drastis
• Tours & Excursions to Corfu
• Conclusion for a Short Break on Corfu

Arrival in Corfu

You can easily reach Corfu by plane from many German airports. We flew from Düsseldorf, as we were at a concert the day before. Alternatively, you can also fly from Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, Hanover, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Munich, and Hamburg. Our flight only took around 2.5 hours. Prices vary, of course, depending on the airline and time of travel. We definitely recommend the off-season (April). The weather on Corfu was fantastic.

You can also arrive by ferry from Italy, for example. Ferries depart from Venice, Ancona, Bari, or Brindisi. Depending on the connection, they sail to the port of Igoumenitsa or Corfu. From Venice, it’s almost a 24-hour boat ride. It’s certainly an experience nonetheless. Camping in a caravan is even permitted on board, or you can rent a cabin. Book ferry tickets here.

Book a rental car

We rented a car so we could explore part of the island on our own. As always, we used our favorite platform, billiger-mietwagen.de. We paid just under €50 for 3 days, including all essential services and insurance. “Fully comprehensive insurance with no deductible” and the “full/full” fuel policy are always important to us. Marco also always takes videos and photos after picking up the car. Better safe than sorry!

Our Accommodations

At the beginning of our trip, we rented a small, central apartment on Airbnb. It wasn’t quite as cheap (€45 per night), but comfort and a good location were extremely important to us. We were happy to pay a little more. The one-bedroom apartment has a comfortable bed, TV, a small terrace, a dining table with two chairs, a kitchenette for self-catering, and a bathroom with a washing machine and shower. The key handover went smoothly at the front door, where we received a very warm welcome.

We spent our last night at the beautiful Mayor Mon Repos Palace. This 4-star hotel is located at the tip of Garitsa Bay. It’s about a 20-minute walk to the old town—a lovely stroll along the water. Not only does it have a lovely terrace, but it also has a small pool, a lounge with a snack bar, and comfortable rooms with a TV, bathroom with shower, balcony, and seating area.

There was even a breakfast buffet in the morning. We paid only €30 including breakfast for that night. During high season, however, a room can easily cost over €100 per night. We were lucky and found an absolute last-minute bargain during the off-season.

In Corfu Town and the surrounding area, you’ll find many small, cozy apartments and studios, as well as hotels. You’ll find a huge selection at Booking.com. We’ve also picked out these beautiful hotels:

• Moraitis Mansion
• Villa Kefalomandouko
• Minimalist apartment in Corfu Town
• Fay’s Vintage Boutique House
• Mon Repos Liston Suites
• Siora Vittoria Boutique Hotel

Highlights and Sights

Corfu has countless highlights and sights to offer. Since we only spent three days on the island, we were unfortunately only able to explore part of it. Besides Corfu Town, we also discovered some beautiful beaches, viewpoints, and rocky coastlines. Have fun browsing and copying!

Corfu Town

What a beautiful, charming city. We immediately felt at home in Corfu Town (Kerkyra). We simply love strolling through the small alleys and streets and just letting ourselves go. The best thing was that there were hardly any tourists around in April; at times, the city seemed deserted. Many restaurants and bars were also still closed. The island’s capital is located in the middle of the east coast and is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Greece.

The Old Town stretches between the Old and New Fortresses. It’s cozy, walkable, and offers a variety of sights and attractions. It’s best to leave your car at your hotel or in a parking lot outside the Old Town (e.g., here or here). Just let yourself go and discover cozy cafés, small shops, cute cats, and pretty churches and monuments. The Mediterranean plants in the alleys, the colorful facades of the houses, and the unique atmosphere are particularly beautiful.

You can get incredibly delicious Greek food at “Pane e Souvlaki.” This small shop is located right in the old town with outdoor seating in a beautiful small square, right next to the Catholic Church of San Giacomo. If you like burgers, you should definitely try “Red Hot Chili Burger.” They not only have incredibly good burgers, but also the best onion rings.

Other sights in Corfu Town

• Old Fortress at sunset
• New Fortress
• Palace of St. Michael and St. George
• Ionian Parliament
• Church of St. Spyridon
• Maitland’s Rotonda
• The Esplanade
• The British Cemetery
• Visit to the Sissi Villa
• Kanoni Peninsula and the Temple of Artemis
• Pondikonisi, the Mouse Island

Paleokastritsa

And then we started our short vacation on Corfu with a short road trip through the north and northeast of the island. First, we drove to Paleokastritsa (40 minutes from Kerkyra), a popular holiday resort on Corfu. Not only the water is beautiful here, but also the rocky coastline and the bays. Paleokastritsa has six small bays and beaches. The main beach is located below the monastery, another next to the harbor, where the yachts are moored in the summer.

We were almost the only visitors; only a few tourists were on the way to the monastery. You should definitely climb the hill on foot or by car. At the very top is a small monastery with breathtaking viewpoints. There are also several caves in the area, which you can reach by boat. The crystal-clear water is also ideal for snorkeling and Dive in.

The monastery was founded in 1228 and has a beautiful garden, a small museum, and flower-covered arcades. A few cats also roam between the walls. In front of the entrance, you’ll see the first viewpoint near the cannon. If you walk along the path along the side, you’ll come to other great viewpoints. From there, you can see the other bays and beaches—simply indescribable.

Timoni Bay

We continued north along the coast by car. Our readers recommended the so-called Butterfly Bay. This bay is located on the north side of the west coast, near the mountain and artist village of Afionas (45 minutes from Paleokastritsa). Here, you park your car and walk the last 20 minutes to the beach. The shape of the beach is reminiscent of a butterfly.

A path leads past the beach to other small bays. The water is crystal clear and invites you to swim and sunbathe. Unfortunately, we didn’t have towels or swimwear with us again. We would certainly have jumped in despite the cold temperatures.

Cape Drastis

Back in the car, we drove through the beautiful Corfu countryside toward Corfu (30 minutes from Afionas). We didn’t have a precise plan, just following Google Maps. We spotted the so-called “Cape Drastis” on the map, which sounded somewhat interesting. Only later did we learn that this place is a popular tourist attraction on Corfu. It is the northwesternmost point of the island and a beautiful postcard motif.

The limestone rock formations, the cliffs, and the rocky peak jutting into the sea are particularly beautiful. A path leads from the small town of Peroulades to the cape. Unfortunately, the viewpoint is on private property, so you can’t get there. If you follow the sandy path to the right, you’ll reach a small cove. The location is marked “Viewpoint & boat rental” on Google Maps. This place is unique and truly stunningly beautiful!

You can also enjoy various hikes in this area. Boat tours to Cape Drastis are also offered. Incidentally, just before the cape is Loggas Beach, with the 7th Heaven Café and stunning views of the sea. The cliffs at Peroulades and the traditional houses in the village are also well worth seeing. If you’d like to learn more about the beaches on the island, we recommend the Phototravellers article: The 17 Most Beautiful Beaches on Corfu.

Tours & Excursions Corfu

You can book a variety of tours and excursions on the island. How about a snorkeling tour or a boat trip to other islands (Paxi Islands) in the area? A tour of Corfu Town is also worthwhile. You’ll find numerous great offers on GetYourGuide.

Conclusion of the short vacation on Corfu

We would have liked to have spent more time on Corfu. The days were wonderful; we absolutely loved Corfu. The beaches are stunningly beautiful, as are the bays, viewpoints, and landscapes. The delicious Greek food, the cozy atmosphere, the friendliness of the people, and the many highlights were also a plus. Our short vacation on Corfu was more than worth it. On our next trip, however, we will take a week or two. After our Corfu trip, we headed over to Albania, where our real trip awaited us.