The Durrells in Corfu tells the story of the real Durrell family, who lived on the island from to, inspiration for Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals and the hit ITV series. This guide covers the family’s story, the TV filming locations such as Kalami, Danilia and Corfu Town, and how to visit them.
Following the Durrells is a charming way to explore the island, a literary thread in the wider Corfu tours and travel guide. The family settled on the green east coast. The sections below cover the trail.
Who were the Durrells?
The Durrells were a British family, the widowed Louisa Durrell and her four children Larry, Leslie, Margo and Gerald, who moved from England to Corfu and stayed until. Their years on the island inspired Gerald Durrell’s much-loved memoir My Family and Other Animals.
The Durrells’ Corfu years became a literary legend. Seeking a cheaper, sunnier life, Mrs Louisa Durrell brought her children to the island, where the eldest, Lawrence (Larry), pursued writing, and the youngest, Gerald, fell in love with the island’s wildlife, a passion that shaped his life as a naturalist. Gerald later turned those carefree, sun-drenched years into his autobiographical trilogy, above all My Family and Other Animals, while Lawrence wrote his own Corfu book, Prospero’s Cell, at Kalami. Their affectionate, comic portrait of island life made Corfu famous to generations of readers, set within the wider things to do in Corfu. The ITV series brought it to a new audience.
What is the ITV series?
The Durrells is a popular ITV television series, broadcast from to over four seasons, based on Gerald Durrell’s Corfu trilogy. Filmed on the island using real locations for its exterior scenes, it follows the family’s warm, comic adventures and renewed interest in the Durrells’ Corfu.
The television series carried the Durrells’ story to millions. Running for four seasons between and, the ITV drama dramatised the family’s life on Corfu with warmth and humour, and its sun-soaked scenery sparked a wave of visitors keen to walk in the family’s footsteps. While the interior scenes were recreated in UK studios, the exteriors were shot at genuine Corfu locations, from the Old Town to the green east coast, so much of what viewers see can be found on the island. The blend of real history and screen romance makes the Durrells a rewarding theme for a trip, set out alongside the guide to Corfu Town. The filming locations are scattered across the island.
What are the main filming locations?
The main filming locations are Danilia Village, used as the show’s recreated 1930s town, the villa in the Kontokali and Gouvia area that served as the family home, Corfu Town, Kontokali Bay and Agni Bay. Kalami Bay is the real-life home of the Durrells.
The series turned several corners of Corfu into its world. Danilia Village, a private recreation of a 1930s Corfiot village near Gouvia, stood in for the town in much of the show, while the family’s rustic villa with blue shutters, in the Kontokali and Gouvia area, became their beloved home, though it is a private residence and not open to the public. Corfu Town features throughout, its Venetian streets and the Palace of St Michael and St George, today the Museum of Asian Art, doubling as the bank. Kontokali Bay and the idyllic Agni Bay provided coastal scenes, set out alongside the guides to Kontokali and Agni Bay. Kalami holds the real story.
What is Kalami and the White House?
Kalami Bay, on the north-east coast, is where Lawrence Durrell lived with his wife in the 1930s, in the house known as the White House, which still stands above the bay. Now a taverna with rooms, it lets visitors eat where Durrell wrote, a genuine piece of the family’s history.
Kalami is the heart of the real Durrell story. On the beautiful north-east coast, the picturesque pebble bay was home to Lawrence Durrell and his wife Nancy, who lived in the White House overlooking the water, where Lawrence wrote Prospero’s Cell and Gerald spent time among the family. The White House still stands at the end of the bay and is now a charming taverna with rooms, so visitors can dine or stay where the famous family lived. A scenic coastal walk links Kalami with the coves of Kerasia and Agni, following in the Durrells’ footsteps, set out alongside the guide to Kalami. Touring the locations is easy to arrange.
How do you visit the Durrells’ Corfu?
You visit the Durrells’ Corfu by exploring Corfu Town’s streets and the Museum of Asian Art, dining at the White House in Kalami, and walking the north-east coast to Agni and Kerasia. Guided Durrells-themed tours run in Corfu Town, and a hire car reaches the coastal locations.
Following the Durrells makes a lovely itinerary. In the capital, a guided Durrells-themed walking tour brings the show’s town locations to life, taking in the Venetian lanes, the Liston and the palace that played the bank. On the north-east coast, lunch or a stay at the White House in Kalami offers a tangible link to the family, with the scenic walk to Agni and Kerasia retracing their footsteps. Danilia is a private film set, and the TV villa a private home, so these are admired from a distance rather than visited. A hire car or a private tour makes linking the coastal sites easy, set out alongside the guides to Corfu car rental and a Corfu itinerary. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was The Durrells filmed in Corfu?
The Durrells was filmed at real Corfu locations including Danilia Village, the family villa in the Kontokali and Gouvia area, Corfu Town and its Museum of Asian Art, Kontokali Bay and Agni Bay. Interior scenes were recreated in UK studios.
Can you visit the White House in Kalami?
You can visit the White House in Kalami, where Lawrence Durrell lived in the 1930s. It still stands above the bay and is now a taverna with rooms, so you can eat or stay where the famous family lived, a genuine piece of Durrell history on the north-east coast.
Is the Durrells’ TV villa open to visitors?
The villa used as the family home in the ITV series, in the Kontokali and Gouvia area, is a private residence and not open to visitors. Danilia Village, used as the show’s town, is also private, so both are admired from outside rather than toured.