Please sign in to post.

Corfu & Paxos in Late August — Right choice if we love the Cyclades but want something different?

Posted by (Chicago IL) on

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping for some honest feedback because I’m starting to second-guess our upcoming Greece trip and would really appreciate perspectives from people who’ve actually been.

We usually travel to Greece about once a year and because of work we really only get one major vacation window annually so I want to make sure we’re choosing the right trip, not just a good trip. The main reason we’re looking at late August this time is that flights were dramatically cheaper (almost 50% less than June, July, or September for us), which pushed us to consider a different region than we normally would.

We’re planning a late August trip flying into Corfu (about two weeks total). The current plan is:

• Palaiokastritsa (Akrotiri area) – 5 nights
• Pelecas village – 3 nights
• Paxos (likely Lakka area) – 3 nights
• Kontokali/Gouvia area near the airport – 4 nights

We are not renting a car and will rely on taxis and walking.

For context, we’ve previously traveled several times in the Cyclades (Paros, Naxos, Koufonisia, Milos, Amorgos) and also northern Greece/Peloponnese, so that’s what I naturally keep comparing this to. I’m mostly worried about choosing the wrong style of trip rather than the wrong hotels.

Here are my main questions:
1. I either hear almost nothing about Corfu or very mixed reviews. For people who have been — what is the island actually like as a vacation experience?

2. How does late August weather actually feel?

3. Without a car, is this itinerary realistic? We purposely chose areas that seemed walkable, but I don’t want to end up stuck at the hotels or constantly arranging transportation.

4. Are Palaiokastritsa and Lakka places where you can genuinely walk to swims, meals, and boat rentals, or will we realistically need taxis most days?

5. For those who have been to Paxos — is it a highlight or does it risk feeling too quiet for a 3-night stay?

6. Crowds at this time? Have been to Naxos Milos Paros Athens all during this time frame and personally didn’t think to awful.

I’m not looking for nightlife or luxury — just a relaxing trip that feels worth the travel time from the U.S. I mainly want to be sure I’m planning the Ionian correctly rather than trying to force a Cyclades-style vacation onto a different place.

Any candid thoughts would really help me feel more confident about committing to this plan.

Thank you so much.

Posted by
1114 posts

To answer your questions-

  1. We've been twice, including in late August. It was lovely and we enjoyed it a lot. Not sure why someone would have a bad experience? It's a very popular holiday destination from the UK. Nice beaches and one of the best old towns in Greece.

  2. When we were there in late August the weather was great, sunny and perfect beach weather.

  3. We didn't have a car either and used the excellent bus system (KTEL). We were staying near Acharavi in the north. The only time we used a taxi was when we arrived at the airport.

4-5 We didn't go to the western side or Paxos so can't comment.

  1. This is prime travel time for people from the UK as it's right before children go back to school, but when we went it wasn't terribly crowded.

Additional thoughts- don't miss Corfu Town, it's beautiful. In general the south has a reputation for being more of a party destination and the north is quieter. If you have time you can even take a boat over to Albania and visit the ancient Roman ruins of Butrint.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.