Corfu: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: expect multi-storey Venetian ochre-and-terracotta townhouses rather than white Cycladic cubes, learn the difference between Corfu's Blue Buses (city/Kanoni/Achilleion) and Green Buses (island-wide beaches), and pack a snorkel mask and water shoes for the dramatic emerald rock coves of Paleokastritsa and the north-east coast.

How 64-Kilometre-Long Corfu is Divided Into 4 Zones

Shaped like a sickle curving alongside the Albanian and Greek mainland coast, Corfu divides naturally into four distinct coastal zones:

• 1. Central East (Corfu Town, Kanoni & Achilleion): the cultural heart of the island, holding UNESCO-listed Corfu Old Town, the Old & New Venetian Fortresses, the Airport, Mon Repos Palace, Vlacherna Monastery (Kanoni) and Achilleion Palace.
• 2. The North-West & West Coast (Paleokastritsa, Porto Timoni & Sunset Sands): dramatic sheer limestone cliffs, sea caves and cold, crystal-clear emerald water at Paleokastritsa and Porto Timoni, giving way further south to wide golden sand sunset beaches at Glyfada and Agios Gordios.
• 3. The North & North-East ('Kensington-on-Sea' & Mount Pantokrator): sculpted sandstone formations at Sidari and Cape Drastis in the north, and sheltered, pine-draped pebble coves facing Albania at Kassiopi, Kalami (the Durrells' White House) and Kerasia below 906-metre Mount Pantokrator.
• 4. The South (Issos Sand Dunes, Lake Korission & Boat to Paxos): Sahara-like cedar sand dunes at Issos Beach and excursion boats to Paxos and Antipaxos.

Why West Coast Water is 3°C Cooler Than East Coast Water

Notice a fascinating oceanographic quirk when swimming in Corfu: the eastern channel facing the Greek mainland is shallow and sheltered, so the water at Dassia, Barbati and Kalami warms up to 25°C early in summer; on the western coast at Paleokastritsa and Porto Timoni, deep underwater currents well up from the open Ionian trench, keeping the water a brisk, invigorating 20°C, 22°C with 30-metre underwater visibility. Before setting out, review our corfu things to do and corfiot food pastitsada sofrito and kumquat guide so you can coordinate local transport, walking distances and seasonal daylight hours across each neighbourhood.