Getting Around Corfu: Blue City Buses vs Green KTEL Buses and Car Rental Tips

Corfu makes public transport simple for visitors by painting its buses in two bright, unmistakable colours according to how far they travel from Corfu Town: BLUE Buses for the urban peninsula and nearby sights, and GREEN Coaches for beaches and villages across the rest of the island.

1. The BLUE City Buses (Departing San Rocco Square, Contactless Card Accepted)

Operated by Corfu City Bus, modern blue-and-white buses depart from the stops around San Rocco Square (Plateia Theotoki) and adjacent Methodiou Street (just a 5-minute walk west of the Old Town alleys). Always buy your slightly cheaper ticket from the automatic vending machine at the stop (or tap a contactless Visa/Mastercard) before boarding:

• Blue Bus #2a (Kanoni): runs every 20 minutes along Garitsa Bay past Mon Repos Palace directly to the turnaround above Vlacherna Monastery and Mouse Island (Pontikonisi).
• Blue Bus #10 (Achilleion): runs from Methodiou Street directly up to the gates of Empress Sisi's Achilleion Palace in Gastouri.
• Blue Bus #6 (Benitses), #7 (Dassia & Ipsos) & #15 (Airport & Ferry Port): cover the eastern resort strip north and south of town.

2. The GREEN Intercity KTEL Buses (For Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Kassiopi & Glyfada)

Located 1.2 kilometres south-west of San Rocco Square on I. Theotoki Street (near the Airport/Port junction, connected to San Rocco and the Port by Blue Bus #15) sits the Green Bus Terminal (KTEL Kerkyras). Green coaches serve the entire island:

• Route A9 → Paleokastritsa (35 to 40 mins, terminating right at the main Agios Spyridon beach),
• Route B8 → Glyfada Beach & Route B10 → Agios Gordios,
• Route A2 → Sidari (Canal d'Amour), Route A6/A7 → Afionas (Porto Timoni) / Arillas, and Route A4 → Kassiopi (via Barbati & Kalami).

3. Renting a Car in Corfu: Always Choose a Small Compact Car.

If you rent a car to link Paleokastritsa, Lakones, Afionas (Porto Timoni) and Old Perithia in a single day, rent the smallest, narrowest hatchback possible (such as a Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10 or Toyota Aygo): historic Corfiot mountain village roads (like the panoramic road through Lakones above Paleokastritsa, controlled by a single-lane traffic light) were built for Venetian carts and pinch tightly between stone house walls.