4 Tips for a Relaxing Holiday in Corfu, Greece
This is a 2-part series on Corfu. Read also about 5 Places to Visit in Corfu!
A few weeks ago, we stepped on an airplane for the first time in almost two years and left the UK! Despite the extra paperwork and Covid tests that we had to do, our holiday to Corfu (or Kerkyra in Greek) in Greece went incredibly smoothly!
If you’ve never heard of Corfu before, it is part of Greece and is an island on Greece’s northwest coast, situated next to Albania. It is an incredibly green island (think olive trees and cypresses) with lots of mountains and beaches!
While we wanted to see a few things, we also wanted to have a relaxing time under the sun, which is what this blog post is about! We tried to stay away from crowded areas and be in spots where we could have some peace and quiet.
Note: Of course, getting some peace and quiet may largely depend on the time of year that you go. We can’t speak for the peak season in the summer so we are basing this on our experience of going in the latter part of September.
1. Consider staying in Paleokastritsa
After some research, we decided to stay in the village of Paleokastritsa (sometimes spelled Palaiokastritsa), which is in the northwestern part of Corfu. We chose it because it’s known to be quieter than other parts of the island, like Sidari in the north, which we can attest was much busier and louder! As well, Paleokastritsa is known to have some of the nicest beaches in Corfu!
Also consider choosing accommodation with a pool for those lazy days when you just don’t want to go anywhere.
Address: Paleokastritsa, Kerkyra 49083
2. Chill out at Agios Georgios Beach
Agios Georgios Beach is an expansive beach on a wide bay just a bit northwest of Paleokastritsa. While Paleokastritsa does have some of the best beaches in Corfu, they are very small when compared to Agios Georgios Beach.
While we were there, this beach was extremely quiet and we could tell that the people that were there were also looking for some peace and quiet.
Address: Agios Georgios, Kerkyra 49081
3. Hire a boat for a day on the water
Perhaps whether hiring a boat is considered relaxing for you or not depends on how you feel about the water! We personally found it incredibly relaxing to spend a day on the water, just cruising around. We chose to hire a 25 horsepower boat from Alipa Boats for Rent by Yiannis in Paleokastritsa. It cost €90 for 6.5 hours and after you return the boat, you pay additional for the petrol that you used (at €2 per litre).
There was a 4-mile limit in each direction that we could go, so we explored a few caves and a bunch of beaches that are only accessible by boat!
There are also a multitude of other boat hire companies to choose from, but we had a good experience with Alipa Boats, so we’ll list their details below.
Address: Alipa Beach, Paleokastritsa, Kerkyra 49083
Hours: Daily from 09.00 - 19.00
Price: Varies depending on hire duration and size and horsepower of boat
4. Catch the sunset at Agios Petros Beach and/or Monastery Paleokastritsa
We watched the sunset at both Agios Petros Beach and outside Monastery Paleokastritsa and while there can be lots of other tourists at those places, everyone was just sitting and standing there to admire the sunset. And what can be more peaceful than watching the sun turn down for the day?
Address: Paleokastrita, Kerkyra 49083
This list is of course only based on our experience in Corfu but we hope it gave you a few ideas for your own trip to this beautiful island! What was your favourite tip? Let us know in the comments!
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Read on as we tell you about some of the places that we visited on the island of Corfu, including Helidoni Viewpoint and Porto Timoni Beach, as well as a bonus at the end!