The Corfu hop on hop off bus is a red open-top sightseeing bus that links the New Port with Kanoni, Corfu Town and the Achilleion Palace on a one-day ticket. See more tours in Greece for other island days out.
This page covers the ticket, the two routes, the start at the New Port, the bus times, the Kanoni and Achilleion lines, the stops you can walk from, the Paleokastritsa extra, who can ride and the other bus companies in Corfu.
What does the Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket include?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket includes a 24-hour bus pass and headphones with multilingual commentary. Two ticket types also include a visit to the outdoor spaces of the Achilleion Palace.
City Sightseeing Europe is the activity provider behind this listing. The pass is valid for one day, and the listing says to check availability to see the starting times. You ride the bus, step off at a sight and step on again later.
The headphones play commentary in eight languages: Spanish, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Arabic and Russian. The listing says the commentary tells you about the history of Corfu and its top attractions.
The Achilleion visit is the extra item in the Corfu hop on hop off bus package. It covers the palace’s outdoor open spaces and the Imperial Gardens. The listing gives it to the Achilleion Line ticket and the All Lines ticket only. A Kanoni Line ticket does not carry it.
Entrance tickets to attractions are not part of the pass. A ticket site confirms that entrances are excluded unless a ticket says otherwise. The Achilleion outdoor visit is the one entry the listing names.
The voucher has a long life. The listing says you can use it on any day within 12 months of the travel date you select. If plans change, a booking cancelled at least 24 hours before the start is refunded in full.
Which routes does the Corfu hop on hop off bus run?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus runs two routes. The Kanoni Line has seven stops and the Achilleion Line has eight. Both lines start at Corfu New Port and end at the Old Port.
Your ticket decides which line you ride. The operator sells a Kanoni Line ticket, an Achilleion Line ticket and one ticket for both. A ticket site agrees: you get one line or both, based on the option you select.
The Kanoni Line stops, in order:
- Corfu New Port
- Kanoni
- Mon Repo Palace
- Anemomylos
- Spianada Square
- Spilia Square
- Old Port
The Achilleion Line stops, in order:
- Corfu New Port
- Spilia Square
- Gastouri Square
- Achilleion Palace
- Perama
- Spianada Square
- Spilia Square
- Old Port
Spilia Square appears twice on the Achilleion Line, as stop 2 and again as stop 7. The Corfu hop on hop off bus also stops at Spianada Square on both lines. It is stop 5 on the Kanoni Line and stop 6 on the Achilleion Line.
Where does the Corfu hop on hop off bus start, and how does it suit cruise passengers?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus starts at Corfu New Port, by the Main Gate. This is stop 1 on both routes. The departure point is only 100 metres from the Cruise Terminal building exit.
City Sightseeing runs the buses. It says the red open-top buses are easy to spot at the port. Staff wait at the departure point. The company also keeps an office inside the Cruise Terminal Building, Office 5.
The operator’s listing names two routes, the Kanoni Route and the Achilleion Route. Both begin at Corfu New Port. That makes the Corfu hop on hop off bus an easy match for a port day. You board at stop 1, then ride on or hop off wherever you like. A ticket site adds that you can join at any stop.
Ship times matter on a cruise day, and the operator has a rule for them. A ticket site says that when a ship leaves after the last tour, running is extended. The extra time lasts up to 30 minutes before the ship departs. The rule is for cruise passengers only.
Check your own sailing time first. The Corfu hop on hop off bus can then fit the hours you have in port.
How frequent is the Corfu hop on hop off bus, and what are its running hours?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus Kanoni Route starts at 9am. Buses run every 20 minutes in April and late spring. From June to October, they run every 15 minutes.
Closing time changes with the month. The Kanoni Route runs until 5pm in April, late spring and October. It runs until 6pm from June to September. One loop takes 50 to 60 minutes. A ticket site warns that frequency and duration are estimates. Traffic, weather and other conditions outside the operator’s control change them.
The Achilleion Route has no fixed gap between buses. Departures are at 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am and 12:30pm, and the ride lasts 1.5 hours. The visit to the Achilleion Palace site takes about 30 minutes. As the last bus leaves at 12:30pm, this is a morning trip on the Corfu hop on hop off bus.
The season has limits too. A ticket site says the buses run daily from April to October. In November and December they run only on days when cruise ships are in port. Then only the Kanoni Route runs.
Timings and stops are subject to change, so check the schedule when you book. Planning around the Corfu hop on hop off bus times keeps the day simple.
What does the Kanoni Line show, from Spianada Square to Mon Repos?
The Kanoni Line of the Corfu hop on hop off bus follows the southern coast of Corfu. The listing names Kanoni, Mon Repo Palace and Anemomylos as stops 2 to 4. Spianada Square is stop 5.
A ticket site describes the Corfu hop on hop off bus on this coast as a red open-top bus. It winds along the southern shore with panoramic views of Mouse Island and its chapel. It passes fishing boats, waterfront promenades, leafy parks and sandy coves, then loops back through the city.
The listing’s highlights name Panagia Valcherna Monastery and Pondikonissi Island. Wikipedia calls Pontikonisi, the Mouse Island, an uninhabited islet of 1 hectare.
Stop 3 is named after the Mon Repos villa, in the Palaiopolis forest just south of Corfu city. Frederick Adam, who served as Lord High Commissioner for Britain, built it as a summer home. Colonel George Whitmore drew the neoclassical plans.
After the island joined Greece, King George I renamed the villa Mon Repos. The Greek royal family used it as a summer residence until nineteen sixty-seven. Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born there on 10 June.
Today the villa holds the Museum of Palaiopolis, with finds from the Archaic to the Roman period. Riders of the Corfu hop on hop off bus reach the villa at stop 3.
What is the Achilleion Palace, the end of the Achilleion Line?
The Achilleion Palace is stop 4 of the Achilleion Line, in the village of Gastouri. Wikipedia puts the village about ten kilometres south of Corfu city. Perama is stop 5, so the Corfu hop on hop off bus carries on.
On this line, Gastouri Square is stop 3. A ticket site says the route crosses olive-tree lined lanes on its way to Gastouri.
For the Corfu hop on hop off bus, the listing puts the palace visit at about 30 minutes. Only the outdoor spaces and the Imperial Gardens are open, not the museum. A ticket site says the museum stays closed for maintenance and restoration work.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria had the palace built as her summer palace. Wikipedia quotes her wish for pillared colonnades and hanging gardens, protected from prying glances. It calls the style Pompeian. Your Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket covers only the outdoor spaces. The fresco inside is The Triumph of Achilles by Franz von Matsch.
Wikipedia says the casino scene of the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only was filmed at the Achilleion. A private company ran a casino upstairs there from nineteen sixty-two.
What can you see on foot from the stops at Spianada, Spilia and the Old Port?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus stops at Spianada Square, Spilia Square and the Old Port. You step off in Corfu Town and walk. The listing promises cobbled streets in the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spianada Square is stop 5 of the Kanoni Route. Wikipedia calls it the largest square in Greece and the biggest in Europe. The name is Venetian and means an open, flat space. It took its present form while the French held the Ionian Islands.
The square has two parts. The Upper Square has flower beds, the round Maitland Rotunda and a bandstand for local philharmonic concerts. The Lower Square is flat and grassy and holds the cricket field. A fountain, the Vagianos well, was a gift from a physician, Georgios Vagianos.
Spilia Square is stop 6 on the Corfu hop on hop off bus. The operator calls it a pretty square and names the church of Tenedos and an old fortress nearby. The Old Port is stop 7, the last of the Kanoni Route. Wikipedia lists Spilia and the Old Port among the city’s quarters.
The listing for the Corfu hop on hop off bus says what to look for on foot. It names Venetian mansions, ochre-coloured buildings, alleyways, gardens and squares such as Bosketo and Spianada. It adds churches, theatres, museums, both fortresses and the Palace of St. Michael and St. George.
What is the optional Paleokastritsa day tour that upgrades the ticket?
The Paleokastritsa Day Tour is an upgrade for the Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket. It leaves at 10am and lasts 5 hours. You get 2 hours of free time at Paleokastritsa, a village on the west coast.
You choose the upgrade as an option on the Corfu hop on hop off bus listing. The listing tells you to check availability for starting times. A standard ticket does not include the day tour.
The excursion departs from Corfu New Port, at the Main Gate. The listing puts that gate 350 metres from the Cruise Terminal building. Cruise passengers can plan the walk from the ship before the 10am departure of this upgrade.
At Paleokastritsa you spend the 2 hours your own way. The listing names four choices. They are the beach, a swim, the Monastery of Theotokos for coast views and shops for regional products. Wikipedia says the village lies just south of Angelokastro and the monastery houses a museum.
Buses on this excursion are not wheelchair accessible. The listing adds that the bus ticket works on the same day or the day after. So the Corfu hop on hop off bus can fill the day before or after the trip. Book the ticket and the upgrade together.
Who can ride the Corfu hop on hop off bus, and what do you bring?
The listing for the Corfu hop on hop off bus asks you to bring a passport or an ID card. Pets and smoking are not allowed on board. Wheelchair and stroller access depends on the line and the bus type.
The listing names one item to bring: a passport or an ID card. It names two things that are not allowed on the Corfu hop on hop off bus: pets and smoking.
The Kanoni Line runs single-decker and double-decker buses. The single-deckers take 34 and 47 passengers. The double-deckers take 70 and 82. A ticket site says wheelchairs and baby strollers are allowed only on the double-deckers, which also have storage space inside.
The Achilleion Line is different. It runs single-decker buses that take 34 passengers, and priority depends on when guests arrive at the departure point. The same ticket site says these buses have no wheelchair or stroller access. They only have room to store a stroller.
Another ticket site words it differently. It says the experience suits wheelchair users and prams, with room for one wheelchair on each bus. A wheelchair must be no wider than 70 cm, no longer than 120 cm and no higher than 135 cm. Riders with a larger chair are told to contact the operator in advance.
The two pages disagree on the Achilleion Line. Ask the operator before you book a wheelchair seat on the Corfu hop on hop off bus.
Which other companies run bus tours in Corfu?
Corfu City Tours is a separate company from the one behind the Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket. Its own page calls it the first local company in Corfu’s sightseeing business, with tours for the last decade.
Its page lists three tours. Palaiokastritsa and Corfu Center takes about 6 hours. It has audio commentary in 6 languages and free time for swimming, and it explores the UNESCO-listed Old Town.
The other two tours leave the island. Parga is a full-day trip with ferry tickets included. Meteora is a full-day trip with a ferry transfer and lunch included.
The site also lists open-top buses, shore and cruise excursions, and private tours. The open-top entry shows no route and no timetable, unlike the Corfu hop on hop off bus ticket.
The company also offers transfers. Its page names cruise passengers, yacht owners and airport arrivals. It adds rides between a hotel or villa and places across Corfu. It says its buses are modern and air conditioned.
These are Corfu City Tours’ own offers. Compare them with the Corfu hop on hop off bus from City Sightseeing tour by tour.
What else do travellers ask about the Corfu hop on hop off bus?
Can you show your voucher on a phone, or do you need a printed copy?
A ticket site says you can show the voucher for the Corfu hop on hop off bus on a smartphone. A printed copy is fine too, the site adds. The same site lists the ticket as an e-voucher with instant confirmation. So you need no paper unless you prefer to carry it, and either form is accepted at boarding.
Can you change from one line to the other on foot, without waiting for a bus?
Yes, in one place. The listing says a bridge links stop 5 of the Achilleion Line with stop 3 of the Kanoni Line. By the stop lists, those are Perama and Mon Repo Palace. Guests walk 15 to 20 minutes between the two stops. Allow that time on the Corfu hop on hop off bus.
What do the 14 sights on the ticket mean, and how do they match the stops?
A ticket site says the Kanoni and Achilleion routes together reach 14 sights across Corfu. That figure is the site’s own tally of the sights. The operator’s listing names no sight total. It gives numbered stop lists for each line instead. Count stops from those lists when you plan a day on the Corfu hop on hop off bus.
Who is the company behind the ticket, and does it run buses elsewhere?
A ticket site says City Sightseeing offers hop-on hop-off services in 100 locations worldwide. It says the company has provided them since nineteen ninety-eight. The brand’s own website has a Corfu page where it sells the Corfu hop on hop off bus. The same page lists a separate excursion to Paleokastritsa with a beach and village.
What kind of city is Corfu Town, where the buses run through the day?
The Corfu hop on hop off bus is a city sightseeing ticket, so the city matters. Wikipedia says Corfu Town is the capital of the Corfu regional unit and of the Ionian Islands region. It gives the city 23,541 residents in total. It calls Corfu Town a major tourist attraction with a role in Greek history since antiquity.