Our DIY Corfu Report

This is the latest in a series of DIY reports from my recent cruise through Greece on Princess. You’ve probably already seen my Athens, Santorini, and Katakolon/Olympia posts.

Our sight-seeing priorities

Since we were in Corfu for a relatively short day (8AM to 4PM) we decided to focus on two of the Islands main attractions, the area of Palaiokastritsa (I don’t even try to pronounce that) and the main town on Corfu (Kerkira). We figured it would be best to rent a car to see Palaiokastritsa in the morning and then spend the rest of our time in the old town until we had to be back on board.

Rental Car in Corfu

Based on a few recommendations on this forum, I checked out Corfu Sunrise Rent-a-car by requesting a booking on their website. They promptly replied by email. They are literally across the street from the cruise terminal and their rates are probably hard to beat (20-Euro for a small car). They were painless to deal with, although the car was a bit old and beat-up but still reliable. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting much for 20-Euro.

http://www.corfusunrise.com

Another option, that I hadn’t seen discussed here, but noticed when I was there, is Royal Corfu Car Rental, which is even more convenient since they have a desk inside the cruise terminal. Next time, I would consider these guys if the rates weren’t too bad.

http://www.royalcarsrental.gr/pages/en/home.php

In general, renting a vehicle in Greece doesn’t require an international driver’s permit but I have one anyway. As with most countries, all they seem to require is a state/province drivers license.

It’s easy to get around Corfu in a rental car… road signs are plentiful and in English. Parking was easy to find and either free or a few Euro at Kerkira.

Map

As I’ve done with my other DIY reports, I’ve got a Google Map of Corfu to share with everyone that has points of interest marked on it.

You will see that the points of interest are clustered around Palaiokastritsa and Kerkira.

Palaiokastritsa

It’s a pleasant 30-minute drive from the terminal to reach this area which is one of natural beauty and great photographic opportunities. There’s also a couple of nice beaches, some boat tours you can take to see some sea caves, an ancient monastery, a few restaurants with breathtaking views, a castle, and even some good bargain shops.

The monastery is a major tour stop so if you visit that, as we did, you may want to do it early. However, I’m not sure that will help all that much. We were probably there by 9AM and it was already full of tour buses. There’s really not much to see there but there is at least one nice photo opportunity…

At the base of the hill on either side of the road, are a couple of nice beaches…

The real great views are taking a side trip up the hill to the village of Lakones which offers a stunning view over the whole area… (the hill on the peninsula in the center/right is the home of the monastery and the beaches pictured above are on either side of the thin strip of land that connect it with the mainland)

Beyond Lakones

It’s worth driving a bit beyond Lakones to see a couple of other sights… At the farthest point shown on the map is a great view over this bay…

From there we headed back stopping near the small village of Makrades to do some shopping. I also drove out towards the castle to take this photo…

We then made our way back to Old Corfu Town (Kerkira).

Kerkira (Old Town)

We retuned the same way we had gone, passing the cruise terminal on our way into Old Town. We parked on the out-skirts where I’ve indicated on the map for 3-Euro. I believe we got to town a bit after noon.

We then explored the town, shopping, and having some lunch at one of the many side-walk restaurants.

Here are a couple of photos…

Then, like many folks strolling through town, we got caught in an afternoon thunderstorm that was rather exciting. The streets temporarily turned into streams and everyone ducked for cover. We ducked into a coffee shop for a cappuccino and then started working our way back to the car as the rain started to let up. Here’s a photo of one of the streets during the middle of the storm.

Wonderful information and AMAZING photos.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Great info, we are doing the exact same thing next summer so this was very helpful, thanks!

Thanks for the kind words... Of course, most of the information here is just a collection of helpful bits I've collected that have been posted by other's elsewhere in this forum. It made my trip easier, so hopefully it can do the same for others. :)

For your car hire did you have to fill the tank with fuel or take it back empty or as near as empty as you could get it?

For your car hire did you have to fill the tank with fuel or take it back empty or as near as empty as you could get it?

When we picked it up, it was about half full... So we were asked to return it with a similar amount. The Hyundai we had only consumed about 10-Euro in fuel for the short drive to the other side of the island and back.

I've bookmarked the car rental sites and am pleased to see both companies offer vehicles with automatic transmission!

Was parking difficult to find in old town Kerkira?

I've bookmarked the car rental sites and am pleased to see both companies offer vehicles with automatic transmission!

 

Was parking difficult to find in old town Kerkira?

There are really only two lots for parking on the edge of old town. Vehicles aren't allowed in the core. Both lots are marked on the map I linked to in the original post and the best one really depends on what route you enter town on. We didn't have any trouble finding parking and there were 3 or 4 ships in port at the time.

There are really only two lots for parking on the edge of old town. Vehicles aren't allowed in the core. Both lots are marked on the map I linked to in the original post and the best one really depends on what route you enter town on. We didn't have any trouble finding parking and there were 3 or 4 ships in port at the time.

Thats good to hear.

Thanks so much for this report, esp. the google map, your photos are just beautiful!

Thanks so much for this report, esp. the google map, your photos are just beautiful!

Thanks! I know it's often challenging to find points of interest on Google Maps... Their mapping is good but sometimes lacking and I found this particularly true in Greece.

Did you get extra car insurance or buy something ahead of time to cover you?

Did you get extra car insurance or buy something ahead of time to cover you?

Usually, I pay with my Amex Gold card which includes CDW insurance on rental cars, but in this case, they only wanted 20-Euro, asked for cash, and that's how I paid. Now that I think back on it, I'm not sure if that included any kind of insurance or not. The car was older and there was no "walk around" done... it was more of a handshake kinda thing. Perhaps risky but at the time it seemed unnecessary to be stressed about it.

First off Virtual Rain I LOVE your posts. My husband and I are taking a June RC cruise to Venice, Dubrovnik, Katakalon, Santorini, Corfu and Athens. We have booked a cruise excursion for Athens and thinking of doing Santorini on ATV's like you did, Corfu and Katakalon on our own. Is this doable? I am hesitant as I am nervous about doing this on our own and getting lost or not making it back in time but the hubby wants to be adventurous :) Have you been to Dubrovnik? Can we DYI? Thanks!!! Love the pics!!! :)

First off Virtual Rain I LOVE your posts. My husband and I are taking a June RC cruise to Venice, Dubrovnik, Katakalon, Santorini, Corfu and Athens. We have booked a cruise excursion for Athens and thinking of doing Santorini on ATV's like you did, Corfu and Katakalon on our own. Is this doable? I am hesitant as I am nervous about doing this on our own and getting lost or not making it back in time but the hubby wants to be adventurous :) Have you been to Dubrovnik? Can we DYI? Thanks!!! Love the pics!!! :)

Thanks! Yes... All ports are doable on your own... Corfu and Katakolon are no exception. You should be able to dig up my DIY report on Katakolon with a search. Dubrovnik is super easy to do on your own as its a small medieval walled town... Just take the cruise line sponsored bus from port into town and walk the wall, explore the shops, cafes, and museums, and maybe even take the gondola ride up the mountain for a spectacular view. It was so easy to DIY in Dubrovnik, I had nothing to write about, so never posted a report of any kind.

Thanks :). So you think the cruises give you plenty of time to explore? Minimal risk of not making it back? We are on each island for 6-8 hrs.

Also, did you need an international license to drive the ATV and car?

sorry for all the questions but what about the place to rent a car in Corfu. Did you use Sunrise?

sorry for all the questions but what about the place to rent a car in Corfu. Did you use Sunrise?

Yes. We rented from Sunrise in Corfu. See the first post.

As for your other questions, no car rental agencies in Europe don't require a International drivers permit in my experience, but I would carry one... It can be helpful if you get stopped by the police.

As for DIY, the risk is all in your hands. Just plan an itinerary (by doing research) that has plenty of buffer (an hour?) at the day and do it sensibly like going furthest afield early in the day so you minimize any risk and stress at the end.

Thanks for all of your great posts! We don't usually do the do it yourself thing at ports but for the upcoming cruise we are going on it just seems that DIY is the best option. Your info has been a huge help and I saved a few of your maps. And of course, the pics you posted are so good :)

Thanks for all of your great posts! We don't usually do the do it yourself thing at ports but for the upcoming cruise we are going on it just seems that DIY is the best option. Your info has been a huge help and I saved a few of your maps. And of course, the pics you posted are so good :)

Great... and thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you found it helpful.

Wow!!! Thanks for the clear, concise information. We will be in Corfu in October on the Oceania Marina & information like yours (along with the fabulous pictures) make a DIY not quite so scary! Thanks!!!

Great... and thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you found it helpful.

Thank you for such beautiful pictures and great information. We will be in Corfu this July on a cruise from 8 am to 3:30 on a "Sunday". We will be traveling with our teenage daughter and college son. We have never been there and want to see as much as possible; including some sight-seeing, shopping, some food and wine and beaches to make everyone happy. First...Are the shops open on Sunday? Is this all possible to do in this amount of time? Do you think the rental car is still the best way to take it all in? Any recommendations you have will be appreciated! :) We know the time is now to start planning! Thanks! :)