A Week in Corfu: Sun, Olive Trees, and the Beach Nobody Told Me About
Corfu wasn't on my original list. I was planning Santorini — the caldera views, the white churches, the Instagram of it all. Then a friend who'd been to both said: "Santorini is for photos. Corfu is for living."
She was right.
Day 1: Arrival and the Venetian Surprise
Flew into Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport (CFU) — 3 km from Corfu Town, 10 minutes by bus #15 (€1.50). The airport is small enough that you walk from the plane across tarmac to the terminal. Already different from Athens.
Corfu Town hit me sideways. I was expecting Greek islands — white cubes, blue domes. Instead: Venetian architecture. The Liston — a colonnaded arcade modeled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Spianada, the largest square in Greece. Narrow alleys called kantounia with laundry strung between shuttered windows in ochre and terracotta. This isn't the Cyclades. This is an Ionian island that spent 400 years under Venice, then passed through French and British hands. The architecture tells the whole story.
The Old Fortress (€6) juts into the sea on a promontory. The views from the top — Corfu Town below, the Albanian coast across the strait, the Greek mainland to the east — are worth the climb. The New Fortress (€4) is less dramatic but less crowded.
Dinner at a taverna in the old town. I ordered sofrito — Corfu's signature dish, thin veal slices in a garlic-wine-vinegar sauce. €11. With a half-liter of house wine (€4) and a salad (€5), total dinner cost €20. I checked my phone to make sure I'd read the bill correctly.
Day 2: Paleokastritsa and the Monastery
Paleokastritsa is on the northwest coast — 25 km from Corfu Town, 40 minutes by bus (€3) or 30 minutes by rental car. Six turquoise bays arranged around a headland. The water is the color of mouthwash. I don't mean that as an insult.
The monastery at the top of the headland dates to the 13th century. Small, whitewashed, with a courtyard garden and an icon collection. Free entry (dress modestly — they provide wraps at the door). The view from the monastery terrace down to the bays is the kind of thing that makes you understand why people build monasteries on clifftops.
Rented a sunbed at the main beach (€8/day) and swam until my fingers pruned. The water was 24°C in early June. Took a boat trip to the hidden grottoes along the coast (€12, 30 minutes) — the guide steered the small boat into caves where the light turned the water from blue to electric turquoise.
Lunch at a taverna above the beach. Greek salad (€6) and grilled octopus (€10). The octopus was tender, charred, dressed with olive oil and lemon. Total lunch with beer: €19.
Day 3: The Beach Nobody Told Me About
Porto Timoni. A double beach — two bays on either side of a narrow peninsula, accessible only by hiking 20 minutes downhill from Afionas village. I'd found it on a hiking blog. No mention in any guidebook I'd read.
The hike down is steep, rocky, and has no shade. Bring water, sunscreen, and proper shoes (not flip-flops). At the bottom: crystal-clear water on both sides of a narrow strip of land. The north-facing beach was empty — five people total. The south-facing beach had eight.
No facilities. No vendors. No beach bars. Just water, rocks, and the sound of cicadas from the hillside above.
The hike back up took 30 minutes and nearly killed me. Worth every gasping step.
Dinner in Afionas village at a taverna that overlooked both bays from above. Pastitsada — beef in tomato sauce with pasta, Corfu's other signature dish. €10. With the sunset turning the water from blue to gold to pink while I ate, this was the best €10 I've spent on any trip.
Day 4: The Interior (Where Tourists Don't Go)
Rented a car (€30/day, booked through a local agency in Corfu Town). Drove into the interior — the part of Corfu that nobody photographs.
Corfu has 4 million olive trees. Four million. The island is carpeted in ancient, gnarled olive groves. Driving through them on narrow roads — barely one car wide, with stone walls and wildflowers — felt like driving through a Cézanne painting.
Stopped at a village called Lakones, above Paleokastritsa. Population maybe 100. One taverna, one kafenio (café), one cat. The old man at the kafenio served me a Greek coffee (€1.50) and pointed at the view without saying a word. He was right — words weren't necessary.
Visited the Olive Museum in Corfu Town later (€4). Small, well-curated, explains why Corfu's olive oil is different (the Lianolia variety, pressed late, more intense). Then to the Mavromatis distillery for kumquat tasting — free. Kumquat is Corfu's unique thing. They make liqueur, marmalade, preserves, and candy from it. A bottle of kumquat liqueur costs €8-12. I bought three.
Day 5: Canal d'Amour and the North
Canal d'Amour in Sidari — sandstone rock formations creating narrow channels and small coves on the north coast. Legend: couples who swim through the canal stay together forever. I was traveling solo, so I swam through it for good luck instead.
The formations are unusual — smooth, sculpted rock in yellow and orange, like a miniature Utah canyon flooded with Aegean water. Free to visit. Can be crowded in summer — I arrived at 8:30AM and had it mostly to myself.
Drove to Kassiopi on the northeast coast — a fishing village with a small harbor, a ruined Byzantine fortress, and excellent swimming at Bataria Beach (small, pebbly, emerald water). Lunch at a harbor taverna: grilled swordfish (€12), Greek salad (€6), bread and olive oil (free). Total: €18 plus €4 for a beer.
Day 6: Mouse Island and Relaxation
Pontikonisi (Mouse Island) — a tiny islet near the Kanoni peninsula, 5 km south of Corfu Town. The view from the Kanoni lookout above is one of Corfu's most photographed: the whitewashed Vlacherna Monastery on a causeway, Mouse Island's cypress tree behind it, and planes from the nearby airport passing overhead at landing altitude.
Boat shuttle to the island: €3 round trip. The Byzantine chapel is small and simple. The whole visit takes 30 minutes. The view from above is better than the visit itself, honestly, but both are worth doing.
Spent the afternoon at an organized beach south of Corfu Town. Lounger and umbrella: €10. Read a book. Swam. Drank a Mythos beer from the beach bar (€4). Did nothing. Did it well.
Day 7: Departure and the Things I'll Miss
Final morning walk through Corfu Town's old town. The kantounia at 7AM were empty — just cats and sunlight on stone. Found a bakery selling tsitsibira, a local ginger beer (non-alcoholic, €2) that's unique to Corfu. Had it with a tiropita (cheese pie, €2.50) on a bench in Spianada square.
The airport is 10 minutes from town. No drama, no long transfers.
Would I Go Back?
I'm already looking at flights for September. Here's what I'd do differently:
Rent a car from day one. The buses exist but they're infrequent outside Corfu Town. A car opens up the whole island — the hidden beaches, the interior villages, the north coast
Stay in a village, not Corfu Town. The town is great for one day. After that, a village on the west coast (Paleokastritsa area) or northeast (Kassiopi) puts you closer to the best swimming
Bring water shoes. Most beaches are pebbly or rocky. Sea urchins are real. I stepped on one on Day 3 and spent 20 minutes with tweezers
Pack a light rain jacket. Corfu is the greenest Greek island because it rains — even in shoulder months, brief showers happen
Corfu isn't Santorini. It doesn't photograph as dramatically. But it eats better (€12 for a taverna dinner that would cost €30 on Santorini), swims better (more beaches, cleaner water, fewer crowds), and feels more like an actual place where people live rather than a backdrop for vacation photos.
Four million olive trees. Venetian architecture. Kumquat everything. And Porto Timoni — the double beach nobody told me about that I'll tell everyone about.
That's Corfu.
For practical Q&A, our Corfu FAQ covers car rental, beaches, and budgeting. Our Corfu food guide dives deep into the Venetian-influenced cuisine. If you're island-hopping, Santorini offers iconic caldera views, while Athens makes a natural mainland base.
