Corfu

[KT32]

Corfu is beautiful and I'd definitely advise getting off the boat.

 

The old town itself is lovely and a mixture of Venetian, French, English and Greek influences. Many of the streets are pedestrian which makes for a nice tour. We went to the archaeological museum in town which made for a nice break from the sun.

 

I'd also recommend the Achilleon, a palace built for Elizabeth of Austria in the 1800s, lovely gardens too.

 

For a beach, I wasn't crazy about Glyfada - a little too touristy, but Paleokastritsa was amazing. Couldn't beat the scenery.

 

There are several car rental places just outside the port, including Budget if I remember correctly. The little cafe in the ferry terminal also makes great cappucinos and freshly squeezed OJ.

[mountainhouse]

There are several car rental places just outside the port, including Budget if I remember correctly.

 

Thanks for the tip! I used code U030174 for my online reservation at Budget car rental, and got a Renault Clio for €47.50 (which includes collision and theft).

[mountainhouse]

Sorry my error on that rate. The web form reset to the wrong times.

[KathiB]

Hi All,

 

We have booked the 4X4 tour of the island of Corfu on our Brilliance cruise this June since I thought it would be a fun way for us (two adults and two teenage girls) to see the island but after reading this thread I am thinking of renting a car. We want to see some of the island, explore a few villages and have time for relaxing and lunch at a beach. We are in port from 7:00am -7:00pm. Renting a car would be cheaper for sure..any thoughts or advise?

 

KathiB

[Nikki_DC]

Did anyone try to go on any of the grotto tours?

 

Also, did the buses to Paleocastritsa run fairly regularly? My mom and I have from 9-6 and our plan was to head to the monestary and beach and maybe find a quick boat ride.

 

Thanks! Nicole

[andydee]

From memory, the buses ran every hour.We had time to go there, explore the monastery at leisure and explore Corfu Town.All were well worth it.

Cheers,

Andy

[Nikki_DC]

Thanks for the response! Do you recall any boat trips to grottos leavings from there? I've heard that there are supposed to be?

 

Thanks, Nicole

[andydee]

Nicole,

We didn't see any but weren't looking for them so it is quite possible tours to the grottos were available.

Cheers,

Andy

[shejp]

Can anyone tell me the location you enter when renting a vehicle from either a budget or avis location at the port in Corfu?

 

Thanks, Sherri

[OBX Cruisers]

What are the roads like in Corfu? Lots of traffic? Is driving on the right side of the road? Are the steering wheels on the left of the car like in the U.S.? (We're still remembering an experience in England - we tried driving a Range Rover - steering wheel on the right, stick shift in the floor to the driver's left, and the turn signals who knows where:) . We were very happy to leave the driving to our British friends for the rest of the trip!)

[e-cruiser]

How were the mountain roads going to Paleokastista? Were they difficult to navigate? We are planning on renting a car for the day. I would also like to see Lakones and Bella Vista.

[Summertimescallingme]

DH not the best driver, should we rent or pay for the taxi?

[LILynn]

Hi all...

 

We rented a car in Corfu - it could not have been easier driving from the port to Paleokastritsa. It took about 25-30 minutes and the roads were fine and there were lots of signs. We parked the car in a parking lot across from the beach - we had to pay a couple of euros for the day. We rented chairs and unbrellas on the beach - again just a couple of euros per person. There were lots of places to get food and drinks. We also spent 15 euros per person to take a boat tour of the grottos and see the area from the water. The boat tour was great - the grottoes beautiful. The tour lasted about 45 minutes. Their was a pier right on the beach that you could do this from - we just walked over and gave them our money and got on the next boat.

 

Hope this helps

 

Lynn

[Gabgab]

Here is just another thought u can do here, u can go scuab diving. There is tons of cave , open water, and ship wreck dives for all levels. me and my mom are doing one and they as part of the price they pick u up and drop u off from the sip. We are useing Seven Island Center they ahve been really nice to us. Anyways hopefully they give u some other ideas to do.

[Love Cruis'n]

Until I found this thread, I know nothing about Corfu. Can anyone recommend any books or other sources of information? It sounds beautiful, but it’s totally strange to me.

Thanks,

[ja940]

Does anyone know of a nice hotel we can spend the day at in Paleokastritsa? We will be there in June on the Brilliance of the Sea and want a relaxing day at the beach/pool.

[franu]

Hank,

I will be on a B2B this fall and will be stopping at Corfu on both trips. One will be 8:00am - 4:00pm while the other will be an hour longer. I could surely use some of your interesting secrets about Corfu. The last time I was there it was 107 degrees and I was looking for some lighter clothing. I was taking a sick friend on our cruise and she wasn't able to do much. I still have my foldable straw hat from there.

Please and thank you,

Fran

[Hlitner]

I cannot claim to know "secrets" about Corfu. On our two visits the weather was gorgeous and thank goodness we never had 107 degrees (I could tell you about 124 degrees in Athens, but that is another story). Corfu is a relatively large island (it must be nearly 40 miles from the North to South) and Corfu Town is pretty central to the island. DW and I really like the town since it has plenty of nice cafes/restaurants and some interesting shopping. My best advice is what we would do, which is to rent a car on your initial visit and explore the island to your hearts content..or course making sure you get back to town in time for your cruise. If you really enjoy driving the island than you might want to again reserve a car for your 2nd visit. Our alterntaive is to simply go to a beach (we love beaches). When it comes to this island its really not about "secrets" but just exploring the nooks and crannies via car. By the way, if you do rent a car make sure you take swim suits and towels, because you will certainly find some inviting beaches and want to be prepared.

 

Hank

[kruzseeka]

Here is an extract from a review of our recent cruise in which I described what we did in Corfu on our middle day of a b-2-b trip. The Old Town is quite charming with a wide cliff top, interesting architecure, lots of nooks and crannies, an abundance of tourist shops selling local products and a real cafe culture. The fortress is worth a visit, the views lovely and it's a walkable distance from the port (just turn left and follow the waterfront - you'll know when you have arrived - it all opens up in front of you) or it shouldn't be too expensive to get a taxi from the port.

 

Corfu:

The coach transfer through Corfu town is a bit disappointing for those who haven’t been before – it’s not very inspiring. But don’t let this put you off – the Old Town is lovely with loads of tourist shops, narrow streets and cafes. The fort is quite an imposing sight and it’s only a few Euros to get inside. It’s certainly worth going into the Old Town to explore if you have a late departure or a middle day there on a b2b. As you leave the port, turn right and follow the road round along the waterfront – it will take you directly into the Old Town - it's about a half hour walk.

 

As we planned to walk into Old Corfu town on our last day we decided that on our middle day we would try to get to Kanoni by local bus. This is situated at the end of the airport runway and just at the end of the runway are two little islands – one with a small church and the other approached by a causeway with a monastery. It was a recommended place to visit in an AA guide and apparently a No. 2 blue bus was what we wanted from the town centre. (Given the late departure from Corfu we felt confident we would get back in time!!) As we were leaving the port we spotted a blue bus parked inside the port and noticed it had a number 2 ‘Kanoni’ destination!!!! What a piece of luck! :D I don’t know whether it starts in the port at other times of the day but we were able to jump on there!!! (This was around 10am but the bus did pick up again at the bus stop outside the port too.) It was only 1.10E each and took less than half an hour.

 

Kanoni has a number of cafes with terraces and super views over Mouse Island and the monastery – also as it's change-over day views of many aircraft coming in and out of Corfu Airport. We walked over to the monastery (not much to see but a lovely setting) and caught the ferry for 2.5.E return over to Mouse Island. There really isn’t much there either – a small church – the whole island has a rather neglected look but you can walk around the perimeter and look in the church and the ferry returns quite frequently. It’s an interesting spot though to have a coffee at one of the cafes overlooking the islands and do a bit of plane spotting or photography (if that’s not too nerdy!). :o

 

We caught the bus back at the same stop it dropped us off. It turns out that it’s a circular bus so didn’t go back the same way it came (around the back of Corfu town and via the airport). On the return it followed the bay around to Corfu Town centre then continued on stopping outside the port gates – so quite a useful service. At very little cost we went to Kanoni then came back and could have stopped off in the centre had we wished and from there walked into the Old Town quite easily. A lovely day out!