Corfu Sailing Guide

Corfu is one of the greenest islands in Greece, full of abundant, verdant vegetation and wild plants thanks to its mild Mediterranean climate. Despite being one of the most popular destinations in Greece, you can still find unspoiled beauty, picturesque small villages full of authenticity and lovely colour.

Built between two fortresses, with an abundance of amazing Italian and French buildings, Byzantine churches and squares full of flowers, Corfu Town is a real jewel waiting to be explored.

Getting there is easy. You can fly directly to Corfu Airport, which has very good connections from most big European airports, or reach the island by ferry from Igoumenitsa on the mainland.

True to Mediterranean standards, the weather in Corfu and the northern Ionian islands is usually warm and sunny, even during spring and autumn, with winds gusting up to 20 to 30 knots, giving excellent opportunities for a good day's sail.

• 1. Explore the Old City of Corfu. A city packed tight between two fortresses, Corfu's Old Town is a knot of walkable streets and alleys between Venetian and Neoclassical houses painted pale yellow and orange. Allow plenty of time to see every corner, and do not miss the Archaeological Museum and Casa Parlante, a quirky 19th-century mansion with period interiors and animatronic figures.
• 2. Visit the Esplanade and Liston. Between the Old Town and the old fortress is the Esplanade, a long green square that is a remnant of the Venetian fortifications of the 17th century. During the French occupation it was planted with trees, while the cricket pitch is a holdover from the British period that followed. The Liston, on its western edge, is an elegant arcade from the French period, designed in the style of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.
• 3. Achilleion Palace. This Neoclassical palace was designed by the Italian architect Raffaele Caritto with the hero Achilles as its central theme. The German sculptor Ernst Herter produced statues inspired by Greek mythology for the grounds, the most famous showing Achilles in his death throes. You can tour the gardens, rich with balustrades, a colonnade, fountains and Herter's statues among palms and trimmed cypress trees.
• 4. Paleokastritsa beach and monastery. Just east of the monastery is the exquisite Paleokastritsa beach, at the end of a long inlet with high walls of rock on both sides. The water could hardly be calmer or clearer, a snorkeller's dream and just right for families with small children. The monastery has a small brotherhood of eight monks who give masses and offer tours of the buildings and lush gardens, almost every surface cloaked in bougainvillaea and geraniums. There is a dress code for the chapel, and a small museum with vestments, icons and, strangely, the skeleton of a whale.
• 5. Pontikonisi, Mouse Island. For €2.50 you can catch a boat to this small island, where a 12th-century Byzantine monastery is crowded by pine and cypress trees. Legend says Pontikonisi is Ulysses' ship, turned to stone by Poseidon. The island is protected, but you can land, climb the stairway to the bite-sized monastery, and find a cafe and a souvenir shop.

Toulas, Agni Bay. Despite its reputation as a place for the rich and famous, this seafood restaurant on the northeast coast is relatively understated and affordable, even though the likes of Kate Moss and British royalty have been known to anchor their yachts just to eat here. Owner Toula gets first pick of the fisherman's daily catch, and the focus is on excellent produce and attentive service, with a prawn linguine served properly al dente and a fine view over the turquoise, tree-lined bay, with Albania in the distance.

Sirens Beach Bar, Marathias Beach. Renovated in 2019, this haven on a cliff-backed beach towards the south of the island feels like a beach bar from a remote southeast-Asian island, but for the olive wood among the bamboo and banana trees. Walk down through the tropical flora to a cacti-lined bar with views over the bright blue Ionian, with morning yoga and perhaps the best brunch on the island.

Klimataria (Bellos), Benitses. Owned by Mr Bellos, always on hand to recommend the dish of the day, Klimataria is a Corfiot institution. Unassuming and camouflaged among the tavernas of the former fishing village of Benitses, it serves the kind of dishes you might expect if you were welcomed into a Corfiot grandmother's home for lunch.

The Venetian Well, Corfu Town. Chef and owner Yannis Vlachos had his eye on this spot in a quiet piazza long before its brief spell as a bar. If you were not looking for it you might miss it, but the Venetian Well has become one of the island's most high-end dining spots. Hiding in the shadow of a 16th-century church, shrouded in wall-climbing plants, it spills out onto a pretty pink square around a well the Venetians built six centuries ago. Its impossibly romantic setting, framed by the terracotta, yellow and pink of the Old Town, is draw enough, and the food matches it: Greek flavours distilled into elegant dishes from simple, locally sourced ingredients.