A Corfu bus tour comes in four shapes: the hop-on hop-off city loop in Corfu Town, the open-top circuit to Kanoni and the old town, the full-day island coach to Paleokastritsa and the Achilleion, and the half-day trips along the north-east and west coasts. Plan the rest of the island with Greece Tours.
This guide covers all four: how the city loop works and which stops earn the fare, what the guided island day includes, the two coast runs and what stands on them, the prices, the timings and the pickup order, what is paid on the day, how a coach compares with a hire car, the cruise-passenger version, and when to book.
What does a Corfu bus tour cover?
Four products share the name: the hop-on hop-off city loop in Corfu Town, the open-top run to Kanoni and the old town, the full-day island highlights coach, and the half-day north-east and west coast trips.
A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. The city buses are transport with commentary and work the 3 km between the port, the old town and Kanoni. The island coaches are guided days that cross to Paleokastritsa, climb to Lakones or run north to Kassiopi, covering ground a hire car needs two days and a lot of hairpins to reach. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town.
Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. All of them start in Corfu Town or pick up along the resort strip at Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos, Messonghi and Sidari. The island as a whole is covered at Corfu. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast.
How does the hop-on hop-off city bus work?
An open-top double-decker looping Corfu Town every thirty to forty-five minutes with recorded commentary, calling at the port, the old fortress, the Liston, the Achilleion road and Kanoni with its view of Mouse Island.
The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The ticket runs twenty-four or forty-eight hours and allows any number of stops. A full circuit without leaving the seat takes about ninety minutes, which makes it the orientation lap most cruise passengers take on a short call. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour.
A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. The stop that earns the fare is Kanoni. It sits 4 km south of the centre on a headland looking down at the monastery causeway and Mouse Island, and the walk there and back in August is an hour of heat the bus removes. The town itself sits at Corfu Town. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town.
What is the open-top Kanoni and old town tour?
A ninety-minute guided circuit rather than a hop-on ticket: the old and new fortresses, the Spianada, the Liston arcade, Mon Repos and Kanoni, with the bus stopping for photographs and returning to the same point.
Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. It suits a first afternoon and a cruise call. The commentary runs in eight languages and covers the Venetian, French and British periods that built the town, which is the context the buildings need to make sense. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October.
Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The tour does not enter the old town lanes because no vehicle does. It circles them, stops at the fortress and lets passengers walk in, which is the only way the Campiello quarter is seen. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon.
What does the island highlights coach include?
A guided full day covering Paleokastritsa on the west coast, the Achilleion palace south of town, a mountain village stop at Lakones or Makrades, and a swim or lunch break, running seven to eight hours.
The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. Paleokastritsa is the centrepiece: six coves under a headland with the monastery above them and water that goes green over the sand. The coach parks at the top and the walk down is ten minutes. The bay is covered at Paleokastritsa. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price.
Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The Achilleion is the other fixed stop, 8 km south of Corfu Town, built for the Empress Elisabeth of Austria and later owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The gardens and the terrace over the lagoon are the reason it is on the itinerary, and it sits at the Achilleion palace. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay.
What is on the north-east coast bus trip?
The coast road from Gouvia through Dassia, Ipsos and Barbati to Nissaki, Kalami and Kassiopi at 36 km, with the mountain wall of Pantokrator on one side and the Albanian shore two kilometres across the strait.
The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. This is the green half of the island. Cypress and olive run down to small pebble bays, the road twists above them, and the villages are fishing hamlets rather than resorts. Kalami holds the white house the Durrell family rented in the 1930s, now a taverna. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators.
The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Kassiopi at the northern end has a Byzantine castle above the harbour and a horseshoe of tavernas below it. The coach gives two hours there before turning back down the same road. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag.
What is on the west coast bus trip?
Paleokastritsa, the climb to Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace, the castle of Angelokastro on its crag, and the beaches at Glyfada and Pelekas with the Kaiser’s Throne viewpoint above them.
A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. The Lakones road is the one passengers remember: a shelf cut into the cliff with the whole bay of Paleokastritsa laid out below and a drop on the outside edge. Coaches take it slowly and the terrace at Bella Vista is the photograph stop. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip.
The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. Angelokastro stands at 300 metres on a rock with a view down both coasts, reached by a steep path from the road. Itineraries that climb it say so, and the rest stop at the viewpoint below. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road.
What does a Corfu bus tour cost?
From about 18 to 25 euros for a twenty-four-hour hop-on hop-off ticket, 15 to 25 euros for the ninety-minute open-top circuit, and 35 to 60 euros for the full-day island tours with a guide.
The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Site entry is separate on every programme. The Achilleion charges a few euros, Angelokastro the same, and the Paleokastritsa monastery is free with a donation box. Lunch is included on part of the full-day tours and named in the listing. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators.
Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Children pay roughly half on the coaches and travel free under six on the city buses. Hotel pickup is bundled into the island tours and excluded from the city loop, which starts at the port and the Spianada. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented.
How long does each tour take?
Ninety minutes for a full city circuit, three to four hours for the half-day coast trips, and seven to eight hours for the island highlights day with pickup between eight and half past nine.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. The pickup order adds up to forty-five minutes for the first passenger on the resort runs. A coach working Sidari and Acharavi before it turns south leaves earlier than the printed hour, and the confirmation states the real time the evening before. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip.
The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Returns run in reverse, so the first collected is the last dropped. That matters when a dinner booking or a ferry follows, and it is worth stating at pickup rather than discovering at six. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast.
What is included and what do you pay on the day?
Transport, the driver and the guide are included. Entry to the Achilleion and Angelokastro, lunch on the tours that exclude it, drinks at the stops and the boat at Paleokastritsa are paid separately.
Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Carry cash. The village kiosks at Lakones, the monastery donation box and the small tavernas take notes more readily than cards, and thirty to fifty euros per person covers the extras on a full day. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes.
Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. Air conditioning is standard on the guided coaches and absent on the open-top city bus by design, which matters at two in the afternoon in August rather than as a fault in the ticket. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day.
Is a bus tour better than a hire car?
For one guided day, yes. The Lakones cliff road, the Paleokastritsa car parks and the Achilleion coach queue are all easier from a seat than a driving position. For a week, a hire car wins on freedom.
Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. The west-coast road is the argument. It is narrow, exposed and busy with coaches in both directions, and driving it takes concentration that costs the view. A passenger sees the bay; a driver sees the next bend. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island.
Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. The counter-argument is the south and the beaches. No coach reaches Issos, Halikounas or the quiet coves, and the timetable ends in the early evening. The driving side is a separate calculation. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking.
What works for cruise passengers?
The port sits 1.5 km north of the old town and the hop-on hop-off bus meets the ships. On a six-hour call the city loop plus two hours walking the Campiello covers the town without a taxi.
Kassiopi lies thirty-six kilometres north on the coast road. Longer calls take the island coach as a shore excursion, reaching Paleokastritsa and the Achilleion and returning against the all-aboard time. Those are sold at the terminal and online, and the operators build in a ninety-minute buffer. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes. Children pay roughly half on a Corfu bus tour. Booking a Corfu bus tour ahead fixes the seat and the price. The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town.
A Corfu bus tour starts in Corfu Town or along the resort strip. The walk from the terminal to the old fortress takes twenty-five minutes along an unshaded road, which is why the bus exists. The port itself is covered at Corfu cruise port. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour. The Achilleion sits eight kilometres south of Corfu Town. Lakones and the Bella Vista terrace overlook the bay. Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari.
When does the season run and how far ahead do you book?
April to the end of October for the guided coaches, with the city loop running from May to October on a full timetable. Book two to three days ahead in July and August and on the day outside them.
Kalami holds the white house the Durrells rented. May, June, September and October are the months for a full island day: the west-coast road is quieter, the Achilleion gardens are comfortable at midday, and the coaches have space. August fills the Paleokastritsa car park by ten. A Corfu bus tour costs less than a hire car for one day. Hotel pickup covers Gouvia, Dassia, Ipsos and Sidari. The cruise terminal sits 1.5 km north of the old town. The guided coaches run from April to the end of October. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators. Kanoni looks down at the causeway and Mouse Island. The old fortress stands on its double peak above the harbour.
The hop-on hop-off loop runs every thirty to forty-five minutes. Booking online holds the seat and the pickup and fixes the price against the resort desk rate. Cancellation runs free to twenty-four hours with most operators here. The Liston arcade faces the Spianada in the old town. A Corfu bus tour reaches Paleokastritsa on the west coast. Empress Elisabeth of Austria built the palace above the lagoon. Angelokastro stands at three hundred metres on its crag. Mount Pantokrator rises behind the north-east coast. Site entry is paid on the day rather than at booking. The pickup order costs the first passenger forty-five minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Corfu bus tour cost?
From about 18 to 25 euros for a twenty-four-hour hop-on hop-off ticket, 15 to 25 euros for the ninety-minute open-top circuit, and 35 to 60 euros for a full-day island tour with a guide.
How long is the hop-on hop-off circuit in Corfu Town?
About ninety minutes for the full loop without leaving the seat, with buses every thirty to forty-five minutes. Tickets run twenty-four or forty-eight hours and allow any number of stops.
Where does the island bus tour go?
Paleokastritsa on the west coast, the Achilleion palace 8 km south of Corfu Town, and a mountain village stop at Lakones or Makrades, over seven to eight hours with hotel pickup.