7 days in Corfu: a beach itinerary

Corfu is bigger than it looks on a map, and that one fact decides the whole trip. The beaches you came for are scattered around the edges of a green, mountainous island, the cliffed coves of the northwest, the long golden sweeps of the west, the calm pebble bays of the northeast and the soft sands of the south, and none of them are close to each other or to Corfu Town. Plan it as a driving week with a fixed base and the island opens up easily. Treat it like a place you can do on foot and buses and you will spend the holiday waiting at the roadside.

So the first decision is the car. Pick up a small hire car or a scooter at the airport, which sits just south of Corfu Town, and drive straight to a base on the west coast or the centre, within easy reach of the marquee beaches and the sunsets. From there the week is a series of day trips out to one coast at a time, with the drives kept short and the swimming long. Reserve the car ahead in summer, when the airport desks run dry, and choose accommodation with its own parking, because the popular west coast beaches fill their small car parks early. Here is the week, day by day. If you would rather pin the dates first, our guide on when to go to Corfu has the month by month picture.

Day 1, arrival and Corfu Town

Land at Corfu airport, which sits a few minutes south of Corfu Town, and collect your hire car at the terminal rather than chasing a bus on day one. Drive to your base, drop the bags, and give the first evening to Corfu Town itself, a Venetian old quarter of arcaded lanes, two fortresses and a cricket pitch left over from British rule, made for a slow stroll and an early dinner. It is the one part of the trip that does not need a beach, so use the tired arrival day for it and save your energy for the coast.

Days 2 to 3, the west coast

This is the heart of the island and the reason most people come. Start at Paleokastritsa, a cluster of green cliffed coves with clear water and boat trips out to the sea caves, about 35 to 40 minutes from the airport. Drop south to Glyfada, a long golden sweep with organised sunbeds and a couple of beach bars, and to the wild, undeveloped sand of Myrtiotissa, reached down a steep track that keeps the crowds thin. Finish the second day above Pelekas at the famous sunset viewpoint, then eat in the hill village behind it. Two days lets you swim properly rather than dashing between car parks.

Day 4, the northwest

Head up to the island's northwest tip for its two showpieces. Park near Afionas and walk down to Porto Timoni, a double bay where two crescents of pebble and clear water meet on a narrow isthmus, one of the most photographed spots on Corfu and worth the descent. Then drive on to Sidari for Canal d'Amour, the soft sculpted sandstone channels and little coves that give the resort its name. The northwest is a longer drive, so make it a full day and bring water and shoes for the walks. For another quiet sand stop nearby, Agios Georgios Pagon is a long open bay on the same coast.

Day 5, the northeast

The mood changes on the northeast coast, where olive groves run down to calm, deep pebble coves with a view across to the mountains of mainland Greece and Albania. Barbati is the easy choice, a long pebble beach with sunbeds and watersports below the green hills, while Kassiopi further north is a pretty harbour village ringed by small swimming coves. This stretch, long favoured by visitors who return year after year, is gentler and more sheltered than the open west coast, which makes it the calm day of the week. The water here is clear and the swimming is easy.

Day 6, the south

Point the car south for the island's broadest sands. Agios Gordios is a long west facing beach backed by green cliffs and a rock pinnacle offshore, with room to spread out and a string of tavernas, while further down the coast Issos spreads into wild dunes beside a lagoon, a favourite for kitesurfers and anyone who likes their sand empty. The south is flatter and less dramatic than the west, but it has the space, and on a busy week that is its own reward.

Day 7, a last swim and home

Use the final morning for one more swim at whichever cove near your base won you over, then drop the car back at the airport in good time. Because everything ran from a single base, there is no packing and repacking, just a clean last dip and the drive out. If you want the full ranking before you go, our guide to the best beaches in Corfu covers every beach on the island.

What it costs, and where to save

The two levers on a Corfu beach week are the car and the sunbeds. A small hire car runs roughly 35 to 55 euros a day in season plus fuel, and booking it ahead beats the airport walk up rate, especially in July and August when the desks sell out. On the beaches, the organised sunbed pairs at the smarter west coast spots carry a daily charge, so if the budget matters, take a back row pair or simply swim on the free public sand alongside, which is the same sea. Fuel adds up on a driving week, but distances are short, so it stays modest.

Where to spend. Put the money into one good beach club day on the west coast and a boat trip out from Paleokastritsa to the sea caves, which is the kind of thing you cannot do from the sand. Travel in June or September rather than the August peak and the same week costs noticeably less, with cooler driving and emptier car parks. For the venues that take bookings, our guide to the best beach clubs in Corfu has the shortlist.