The best things to do in Corfu mix the UNESCO-listed Venetian Old Town, the opulent Achilleion Palace, the cliffs and coves of Paleokastritsa, and boat trips to Paxos and Antipaxos. Greener and more cosmopolitan than the Cyclades, the Ionian island blends history, beaches and lush hills. This guide ranks the island’s top attractions, activities and experiences and how to book them.
Corfu offers far more than a beach holiday, the highlights of which feed into the wider Corfu tours and travel guide. The island rewards culture, nature and the sea alike. The sections below cover what to see and do.
What are the top attractions?
The top attractions are the Venetian Old Town of Corfu with its two fortresses, the neoclassical Achilleion Palace, and the cliff-backed resort of Paleokastritsa. Together they cover the island’s Venetian heritage, its imperial history and its dramatic coast.
The island’s headline sights span history and scenery. The UNESCO-listed Old Town of Corfu is a maze of pastel Venetian houses, arcaded streets and two great fortresses, the elegant heart of the island. South of the capital, the Achilleion Palace, built for the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, dazzles with marble statues, frescoes and gardens. On the west coast, Paleokastritsa wraps turquoise coves around a clifftop monastery. These three anchor any visit, set out in the guides to Corfu Town and Achilleion Palace. The capital deserves a full day.
What can you do in Corfu Town?
In Corfu Town you can wander the Venetian Old Town’s cobbled lanes, climb the Old and New Fortresses, stroll the arcaded Liston and the Esplanade, and visit the church of Agios Spyridon. The UNESCO old town is one of the loveliest in Greece.
The capital is a joy to explore on foot. Its Old Town, dreamed up by the Venetians, is a warren of narrow lanes lined with tall, shuttered houses in chalk-box pastels, opening onto squares and churches. The 14th-century Old Fortress and the later New Fortress guard the town, the arcaded Liston, modelled on Paris, fronts the green Esplanade, and the fresco-filled church of Agios Spyridon holds the island’s patron saint. Wandering these streets is one of the island’s great pleasures, set out in the guide to Corfu Town, and a guided walking tour brings the history alive. The beaches draw visitors out of town.
What are the best beaches?
The best beaches include the turquoise coves of Paleokastritsa, the golden sands of Glyfada and Agios Gordios on the west coast, and Sidari with its Canal d’Amour rock formations to the north. The island has both sandy bays and pebble coves.
The island’s coast offers remarkable variety. The west coast holds the dramatic cliffs and clear coves of Paleokastritsa, the wide golden sands of Glyfada and Agios Gordios, and the cliff-lined Canal d’Amour at Sidari to the north. The north-east coast adds pebbly, sheltered bays such as Barbati and Kassiopi with views to Albania, while the south has long sandy stretches like Issos. From organised resorts to quiet coves, there is a beach for every mood, set out in the guide to Corfu beaches and the resort of Paleokastritsa. Each stretch suits a different traveller.
Beach character shifts sharply around the coast. Sidari and Roda in the north hold shallow, warm water and family resorts, while Myrtiotissa, a steep west-coast cove backed by cliffs, keeps a wilder, quieter feel. Agios Georgios Pagon spreads a broad arc of sand below green hills, and Porto Timoni forms twin bays reached only on foot from Afionas. Windswept Logas beach at Peroulades sits beneath red-earth cliffs famous for their sunset. Two guides map the choice, to Glyfada beach and Sidari. The sea offers more than swimming.
What boat trips can you take?
You can take boat trips to the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos with their blue caves and turquoise water, sunset cruises along the coast, and trips to the sea caves of Paleokastritsa. Day cruises also reach Albania and the mainland resort of Parga.
The sea is half the island’s appeal. The classic day trip sails south to Paxos and Antipaxos, with their sea caves, blue grottoes and crystal water, while shorter cruises explore the coves and caves around Paleokastritsa. Sunset cruises, glass-bottom boats and private charters add variety, and day trips cross to the Albanian Riviera at Saranda and Butrint, or to Parga on the mainland. These trips reach spots no road serves, set out in the guide to Corfu boat tours. Self-drive boats open the coast to independent explorers.
Renting a small boat widens the choice further. Licence-free motorboats hire by the day from Paleokastritsa, Kassiopi and Agios Stefanos, letting travellers reach coves such as Rovinia and Limni that fill by land in high season. Skippered charters run to the Diapontia Islands off the north-west tip, three small islands of clear water and empty beaches. Kayak and stand-up paddle tours trace the sea caves at close range, and glass-bottom boats reveal the seabed for younger travellers. Booking ahead secures a boat in July and August, as covered in the guide to Corfu diving. Active travellers find plenty on land and water.
What watersports and outdoor activities are there?
You can try paragliding over Kontogialos, parasailing at Dassia, stand-up paddleboarding and scuba diving, plus hiking the Corfu Trail, the coastal Erimitis route and the ascent of Mount Pantokrator. The green island is rich in outdoor adventure.
The island rewards the active in every season. Watersports abound, from paragliding above Kontogialos beach and parasailing over Dassia to paddleboarding and scuba diving in sheltered bays such as Kontokali. Inland, an excellent network of trails includes the long-distance Corfu Trail, the seaside Erimitis walk and the path up Mount Pantokrator, the island’s highest peak, with sweeping views. Olive groves, cypress hills and the Durrell family’s old haunts add gentle walks. These outdoor options balance the culture and the beaches, set out alongside the guide to Corfu tours. Cyclists and riders share the same green interior.
The interior rewards slower travel too. Cycling routes thread the olive groves behind the coast, and mountain-bike trails climb toward Pantokrator for riders who want a challenge. Horse-riding stables near Ropa Valley cross the island’s only flat plain, once a lake bed, now a patchwork of vineyards and grazing land. The Erimitis peninsula on the north-east coast protects a rare stretch of undeveloped shore, with waymarked walks to hidden lakes and pebble bays. These gentler pursuits suit families and older travellers, alongside the guide to the Corfu Trail. History and palaces deepen a visit.
What cultural and historic sites should you see?
Beyond the Old Town, you should see the Achilleion Palace of Empress Sisi, the Mon Repos estate, the iconic Vlacherna Monastery and Mouse Island, and the island’s museums. They trace Corfu’s Venetian, imperial and mythological past.
The island is unusually rich in history. The Achilleion Palace, built in the 1890s for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, draws visitors for its statues, frescoes and gardens, while the Mon Repos estate near town holds a neoclassical villa and ancient ruins in wooded grounds. The much-photographed Vlacherna Monastery and the tiny Mouse Island at Kanoni capture the island’s romance, and museums of Asian art, archaeology and Byzantine icons fill rainy days. These sites give depth beyond the beaches, set out in the guide to Achilleion Palace. Museums fill the picture on any weather.
Which museums are worth your time?
The museums worth your time are the Museum of Asian Art in the old Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, the Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine Museum in the Antivouniotissa church, and the Banknote Museum. Together they trace the island’s art, antiquity and faith.
Corfu holds one of the most surprising museum collections in Greece. The Museum of Asian Art, set inside the neoclassical Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George on the Esplanade, gathers thousands of Chinese, Japanese and Indian works, the only museum of its kind in the country. The Archaeological Museum displays the Gorgon pediment from the temple of Artemis, one of the finest surviving pieces of Greek sculpture. The Byzantine Museum fills the Antivouniotissa church with gilded icons, and the Banknote Museum charts the island’s currency. These indoor sights suit a cloudy day, set out in the guide to the Museum of Asian Art. Food and villages round out the island.
What about food, wine and villages?
You can taste Corfu’s Venetian-influenced dishes such as sofrito, pastitsada and bourdeto, the local kumquat liqueur and fine olive oil, and explore hill villages like Pelekas, Lakones and the ghost village of Old Perithia. The island’s interior is green and traditional.
The island’s culture lives in its food and villages. Corfiot cooking, shaped by centuries of Venetian rule, offers distinctive dishes such as the slow-cooked sofrito, the rich pastitsada and the spicy fish bourdeto, alongside the island’s famous kumquat fruit and liqueur and some of Greece’s finest olive oil. Inland, hill villages such as Pelekas with its sunset rock, Lakones above Paleokastritsa and the restored ghost village of Old Perithia reward a drive, set out in the guides to Corfu food and wine and Corfu villages. Tastings turn the produce into an experience.
The island’s produce lends itself to hands-on visits. Olive estates such as Ambelonas and the family groves around Ano Korakiana open for tours that trace the oil from ancient tree to press, while cooking classes teach the Venetian dishes that define Corfiot tables. Kumquat, a small citrus brought from the Far East, becomes a bright liqueur, a spoon sweet and a soap at workshops near Corfu Town. The Theotoky and other estates pour Ionian wines from local grapes. These experiences deepen a food-led visit, set out in the guides to a Corfu cooking class and Corfu olive oil. Planning ties the highlights together.
How do you plan your time?
You plan your time by basing near Corfu Town or a west-coast resort, renting a car or joining tours to reach the scattered sights, and allowing five to seven days for the town, the palaces, the beaches and a boat trip.
A little planning makes the most of the large, varied island. Most visitors base in or near Corfu Town for culture and transport, or in a west-coast or north-east resort for the beaches, then explore by hire car, bus or guided tour. The island is big enough that distances matter, so grouping sights by area helps. Five to seven days allow the town, the Achilleion, Paleokastritsa and a Paxos boat trip without rushing, while three days cover the essentials, set out in the guides to a Corfu itinerary and where to stay in Corfu. The scenic corners below reward a day trip.
Which scenic corners are worth a day trip?
The scenic corners worth a day trip are the twin bays of Porto Timoni near Afionas, Cape Drastis above Peroulades, the Korission Lagoon on the south coast, and Mount Pantokrator, the island’s highest peak. Each rewards a short drive and a walk.
The island’s landscape rewards travellers who leave the resorts. Porto Timoni, reached on a footpath below Afionas village, is a double beach where two bays meet on a narrow neck of land, one of the loveliest views on Corfu. Nearby Cape Drastis presents white rock fingers and sea stacks below Peroulades, best at sunset from the clifftop of Logas beach. The Korission Lagoon, a protected wetland behind the south-west dunes, draws flamingos and birdwatchers to its still water and cedar-backed sands.
Higher ground caps the day. Mount Pantokrator rises to nine hundred and six metres, and a drive or hike to its summit chapel opens views across the whole island and over the strait to the Albanian and Greek mainland. The village of Old Perithia sits on its slopes, a restored medieval settlement of stone houses and tavernas. These excursions pair naturally with the guides to Mount Pantokrator and Logas beach. Kanoni frames another classic view.
What is the Kanoni and Mouse Island view?
Kanoni is a headland just south of Corfu Town where a causeway leads to the white Vlacherna Monastery, and a small boat crosses to Mouse Island, or Pontikonisi, a cypress-covered islet with a Byzantine chapel. It is the island’s most photographed scene.
The Kanoni viewpoint distils Corfu’s romance into one frame. From the terrace, a slender causeway runs out to the white convent of Vlacherna, ringed by moored boats, while beyond it the green mound of Pontikonisi rises from the sea, crowned by an eleventh-century chapel and a stand of dark cypresses. Local legend ties the islet to the ship of Odysseus, turned to stone by Poseidon. Aircraft pass low overhead on approach to the airport, adding an unlikely spectacle. A short ferry links the causeway to the islet in summer, covered in the guide to Mouse Island. Coffee culture keeps the town lively after dark.
What is Corfu’s cafe and evening scene like?
Corfu’s evening scene centres on the arcaded Liston in Corfu Town, where cafes spill onto the Esplanade, alongside cricket matches on the green, tavernas in the Old Town lanes, and a livelier bar and club strip at the southern resort of Kavos.
The island keeps a distinctly Ionian rhythm after dark. The Liston, a colonnade built under French rule and modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, fills each evening with tables where residents take coffee, tsitsibira ginger beer and the local kumquat liqueur. The green Esplanade in front still hosts cricket, a legacy of the British era found nowhere else in Greece. Old Town tavernas serve Corfiot dishes late into the night, while the south of the island around Kavos offers a young, high-energy nightlife of bars and clubs. This mix suits every pace, set out in the guides to Corfu nightlife and Corfu cricket. Getting to the island shapes the trip.
How do you get to Corfu and around it?
You reach Corfu by direct flights to Corfu International Airport, by ferry from Igoumenitsa on the mainland, or by ferry from Italy and from Saranda in Albania. On the island, a hire car, scooter, local bus or guided tour reaches the scattered sights.
Corfu is one of the best-connected Ionian islands. Corfu International Airport, on the edge of the capital, takes seasonal direct flights from across Europe and domestic flights from Athens. Frequent ferries cross the narrow strait from Igoumenitsa in ninety minutes, long-haul ferries arrive from Italian ports such as Venice, Bari and Ancona, and a fast catamaran links Saranda in Albania. Once ashore, the island’s size makes a hire car or scooter the easiest way to reach beaches and villages, though buses connect the main resorts. Planning the arrival is set out in the guides to how to get to Corfu and Corfu car rental.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Corfu best known for?
Corfu is best known for its UNESCO-listed Venetian Old Town and fortresses, the Achilleion Palace of Empress Sisi, the cliffs and coves of Paleokastritsa, and its lush green landscape. It blends history, beaches and boat trips to Paxos and Antipaxos.
How many days do you need in Corfu?
You need about five to seven days to see Corfu Town, the Achilleion Palace, the best beaches and a boat trip to Paxos without rushing, given the island’s size. Three days cover the highlights, while a week allows a relaxed pace.
What are the best things to do in Corfu with families?
Families enjoy the beaches of Paleokastritsa and Glyfada, boat trips to Paxos and Antipaxos, the Corfu Aquarium, watersports at Dassia, and exploring the Old Town and the Achilleion gardens. The island offers a gentle mix of beach and culture, set out in the guide to Corfu with kids.
Is Corfu worth visiting?
Corfu is worth visiting for its UNESCO-listed Venetian Old Town, the Achilleion Palace, green hills and clear coves, and its easy boat trips to Paxos, Antipaxos and Albania. The island suits history lovers, beach seekers and families in equal measure, with an international airport for direct access.
What is the best time of year to visit Corfu?
The best time to visit Corfu runs from May to early October, when the sea is warm and the weather settles. June and September bring warm days and thinner crowds, July and August are hottest and busiest, and spring turns the island lush and green, as set out in the guide to the best time to visit Corfu.
What day trips can you take from Corfu?
From Corfu you can take boat day trips to Paxos and Antipaxos, cross to Saranda and the ruins of Butrint in Albania, or sail to Parga on the Greek mainland. Each runs as a full-day excursion by ferry or organised cruise from Corfu Town or the resorts.