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Where to visit for 3 nights in Corfu

After visiting Naxos for our first 4 nights in Greece, we'll be driving (via a stop in Corinth) to Igoumenitsa from the Athens Airport on May 14th to catch a late night ferry to Corfu with our rental car (10:30 PM (22:30)) and will have two full days on the island before leaving mid morning of the 17th to head to Meteora. I understand that perhaps not too many people on this particular forum tend to visit Corfu, but I figured it doesn't hurt to ask what anyone familiar with the island might recommend we visit.

We will certainly build in plenty of time to wander around the Old Town (where our lodging is embedded), but will probably spend 1 -
1 1/2 days driving to other areas. There seem to be many recommendations on YouTube videos I've watched - too many options for us to know how to choose given how brief our stay will be. We like to move relatively slowly and "drink in" the places we visit, so less will be more for us, most likely.

We love nature and hiking (although not too strenuously, given we're both in our 60's!); is the Corfu Trail worth at least partially hiking? And in terms of beaches, what about Kavos? Does Sidari tend to be touristy? Would Paleo Kastriska Beach be a better choice? (We won't be swimming at that time of year, just strolling.) And then there's the Palace, Vlachera Monastery, and/or driving up to Mt. Pantokrator and Old Perithia. And don't forget about eating! (Although my guess is we're never going to suffer for great food anywhere we go in Greece!) Like I said, how do we decide and narrow things down? And are there better options we're missing?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Posted by
5143 posts

There IS a lot to see in the old town (where I didn’t spend time). I was also there in May (2 years ago) about the same time as you and stayed 5 nights at Paleokastika beach. It is amazingly gorgeous - but tour busses roll in and it gets crowded during the day, as well as being quite a driving distance from Corfu Town. If you wind up there as you drive, there’s a little boat ride you can take (about an hour) but you might want to time for later afternoon to let crowds dissipate (unless you check cruise schedules and see no cruises in Corfu that day).

Otherwise I am no help as I spent much of my time just relaxing in this area, with a day trip I wouldn’t suggest with your time frame.

Posted by
2595 posts

Aside from Corfu’s Old Town and its Venetian fortress, the other top attraction on the island is Paleokastritsa Beach and monastery.
They’re only 15 miles away and a half-hour drive from Corfu Town.

Posted by
1619 posts

Kavos is a young person’s party resort so probably not what you’re looking for.

Sidari is a big tourist resort as well.

Posted by
2728 posts

For what it's worth:

I don't know Corfu, but here's what a trusted french friend who has lived in Greece for a long time and knows Corfu told me:

"Avoid Kavos in the very south of the island; it's a hotspot for young people who come to drink... this village is nothing but a string of bars..."

Posted by
300 posts

Corfu is a beautiful place to visit. It's not mentioned much here, but it and the other Ionian islands are very popular with British tourists- in fact, if you look at the departures board at Corfu airport most of the flights are to somewhere in the UK. In addition to the old town, I enjoyed the nice, quiet northern end of the island. Outside Sidari, which has been mentioned here, is the Canal d'Amour, which is a little quieter. I also liked Roda and Kassiopi. One of my favourite things to do on holidays in Greece is a boat ride- we did one from the north that had some stops for snorkelling, stopped on a quiet beach, and included lunch (boat rides like that are very common in Greece generally). There are some beaches you can only get to by boat.

Something else you can do is a day trip across to Sarande in Albania (ferry is less than an hour) and from there you can visit the Roman ruins of Butrint, which I really recommend.

Posted by
29 posts

Thank you, everyone! This helps give us some ideas on what to avoid and what to aim for. Now I'll study the map of the island to see what makes (relaxing) sense in the short time we'll be there.