Corfu "must sees"?

[beachfollower]

What are the "must not miss" sights/beaches on Corfu? thanks

[Hlitner]

Am waiting, with baited breath, to see somebody post an answer. We have been to Corfu 3 times and cannot think of anything!

 

Hank

[SmokinActuary]

I am going to Corfu for the first time and I am planning a boat trip to Paxos and Anti-Paxos.

 

After a whirlwind tour of a bunch of the Med's major cities, I want to swim in the blue waters of the Adriatic.

[crusingmickey]

I am going to Corfu for the first time and I am planning a boat trip to Paxos and Anti-Paxos.

 

After a whirlwind tour of a bunch of the Med's major cities, I want to swim in the blue waters of the Adriatic.

 

 

This looks like a lot of fun...Are you taking a ferry over, then a boat trip?

Lisa

[SmokinActuary]

No. There is a company that does trips from Corfu proper.

 

If the Paxos trip is not feasible I will be on a boat trip one way or another.

 

The way I figure it, as nice as Corfu town is, I think I will be suffering from tourism fatigue at that point and I will want to do something more or less relaxing.

 

Are you planning on visiting Corfu, Lisa?

[Grannycb]

What are the "must not miss" sights/beaches on Corfu? thanks

 

We didn't realize how much we would enjoy Corfu. Achillion Palace is very lovely with beautiful views. There were gardens and statues that we wanted to sit and enjoy. Corfu Town has lovely shops filled with all kinds of goods. We especially like the shops with icons. There were large pots of flowers blooming along the street near the park when we were there. The Old Fortress is well worth exploring too. Try to see some locals dancing and playing music. We saw selections from Zorba the Greek. We took a taxi into town and a bus back back to the ship.

[crusingmickey]

No. There is a company that does trips from Corfu proper.

 

If the Paxos trip is not feasible I will be on a boat trip one way or another.

 

The way I figure it, as nice as Corfu town is, I think I will be suffering from tourism fatigue at that point and I will want to do something more or less relaxing.

 

Are you planning on visiting Corfu, Lisa?

 

Yes, we are visiting in August (on the Nieuw Amsterdam). We booked a rental car for the day and planned to head to the beach (paleokastritsa) for the same reasons...

[SmokinActuary]

I was tempted to book the Nieuw Amsterdam but chose Royal Caribbean instead because RC has a 12-14 year old kids group and I thought it would better for my 12 year old daughter.

 

Her first cruise was on the Zuiderdam and she loved it but that was during spring break and there were quite a few kids.

[Hlitner]

I am going to Corfu for the first time and I am planning a boat trip to Paxos and Anti-Paxos.

 

After a whirlwind tour of a bunch of the Med's major cities, I want to swim in the blue waters of the Adriatic.

 

You have jogged our memory of one of our best trips in more then forty years of extensive travel. A few years ago we booked a 7 day Yacht cruise out of Corfu that explored the Ionian Islands. Our boat had 20 passengers and a crew of 7 and cost about the same as a regular 7 day cruise. We did go to Paxos and Antipaxos as well as other places such as Lefkas, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, etc. We also cruised around Skorpios (Jackie Kennedy's home) and it was a fantastic week. This was done with a company called Zeus Cruises who still exists, but now has different owners. With the exception of Corfu, the islands in the Ionian chain are not visited by cruise ships. We were on some islands that had fewer then 200 residents and also got to swim into the famous "Shipwreak Beach" which is on the coast of Zakynthos. However, we do not think going to these islands during a port day makes a lot of sense and is somewhat risky. You are talking quite a distance by regular boat (nearly 3 hours to get to Paxos on a normal boat) and the few hydrofoil boats run a very irregular schedule. There was also one place where you had to wait for a floating bridge to be opened, and they only opened the thing on a rigid schedule. If your boat wasn't at the bridge at the required time you might be forced to wait for several hours until the next scheduled opening time. We strongly recommend spending a week exploring these islands,,,,but not a day.

 

Hank

[Eileen G]

We really love Corfu. We have been there in May the last three years on a cruise ship. We always rent a car and explore. We have driven to the west coast and headed north, the east coast and headed north and the west coast and headed south. It is very easy to rent a car and in May there is not a lot of traffic in the more popular places. It is a beautiful island. If you want to see where we went you can read the trip reports listed in my signiture. It would be the Emerald, Grand and Oosterdam.

[beachfollower]

We really love Corfu. We have been there in May the last three years on a cruise ship. We always rent a car and explore. We have driven to the west coast and headed north, the east coast and headed north and the west coast and headed south. It is very easy to rent a car and in May there is not a lot of traffic in the more popular places. It is a beautiful island. If you want to see where we went you can read the trip reports listed in my signiture. It would be the Emerald, Grand and Oosterdam.

 

Thanks for everyones comments. Right now we have a taxi shared with another couple and we we trying to narrow down where to go. Thank you and happy easter.

[SmokinActuary]

. However, we do not think going to these islands during a port day makes a lot of sense and is somewhat risky. You are talking quite a distance by regular boat (nearly 3 hours to get to Paxos on a normal boat) and the few hydrofoil boats run a very irregular schedule. There was also one place where you had to wait for a floating bridge to be opened, and they only opened the thing on a rigid schedule. If your boat wasn't at the bridge at the required time you might be forced to wait for several hours until the next scheduled opening time. We strongly recommend spending a week exploring these islands,,,,but not a day.

 

Hank

 

Well Paxos and such may be out of the question but I still want to have a water based excursion off of Corfu. It could be the coast, it could also be a small island nearby.

 

Can you recommend anything?

[Hlitner]

Well Paxos and such may be out of the question but I still want to have a water based excursion off of Corfu. It could be the coast, it could also be a small island nearby.

 

Can you recommend anything?

 

We cannot recommend anything for a day sail, but these waters are a great place to be on a boat. In fact, Corfu's claim to fame may be that it is a very popular yachting destination and many European boats call this island their summer home. Our only regret about the yacht cruise we took is that we have not yet returned to do it again! The atmosphere in the Ionians is totally different then the more popular Cylcades and we loved the genuine relaxed atmosphere of the region.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Thanks for everyones comments. Right now we have a taxi shared with another couple and we we trying to narrow down where to go. Thank you and happy easter.

 

You can certainly hire a taxi, but not sure why. This is the perfect island for simply renting a car and there are some rental car companies that have cars right at the main port terminal building (you are taken here by shuttle from your ship before you leave the port). A one day car rental cost us about $50 (it might be a little higher in the main season) and we loved driving around this island. Traffic is relatively light once you leave Corfu Town and its fun to just go where you want, when you want just like at home. Most tourists stick to the coastal roads and its hard to get lost. The only problem for some Americans is that the rental cars are generally manual shift (we love to drive a stick).

 

Hank

[shemp2000]

We had a map and rented a small car for the day.

 

Had a lunch overlooking the water, stopped in a small village and bought some wine and snacks, drove along the coast stopping to take pictures.

 

Total cost of the day was < $70

[cruiser620]

You can certainly hire a taxi, but not sure why. This is the perfect island for simply renting a car and there are some rental car companies that have cars right at the main port terminal building (you are taken here by shuttle from your ship before you leave the port). A one day car rental cost us about $50 (it might be a little higher in the main season) and we loved driving around this island. Traffic is relatively light once you leave Corfu Town and its fun to just go where you want, when you want just like at home. Most tourists stick to the coastal roads and its hard to get lost. The only problem for some Americans is that the rental cars are generally manual shift (we love to drive a stick).

 

Hank

I agree -- just rent a car and explore. See my post #2 under Corfu grotto tour guides.....Need help.