A Corfu shore excursion takes cruise passengers from the port to the west-coast bay of Paleokastritsa and the old streets of Corfu Town in one planned half day, with the return to the ship built into the plan. For the next port on your route, look through the tours in Greece on our homepage.
This page covers what the Corfu shore excursion includes, the order of the stops, the island and its history, the cruise port and the meeting point, Paleokastritsa with its caves and monastery, the Old Town, both fortresses, the Liston and Saint Spyridon, free time and food, the way back to the ship, clothing and weather, other tours and private tours.
What does the Corfu shore excursion for first-time visitors include?
The Corfu shore excursion for first-time visitors includes cruise port pickup and drop-off and a professional English-speaking driver. You ride in an air-conditioned vehicle. A boat trip to the caves in Paleokastritsa is optional and paid apart from the tour.
Blue Tours is the activity provider behind this Corfu shore excursion. Its listing is titled as a Corfu tour for first-time visitors. It calls the tour ideal for shore excursion passengers. The listing opens by telling you to meet your driver in port and hop on your air-conditioned vehicle.
The highlights box names two places: Paleokastritsa Beach and Corfu Town. The itinerary lists no third sightseeing stop. So the Corfu shore excursion is built around one beach stop and one town stop. The itinerary adds nothing in between.
The Includes box names three items. The first is Corfu cruise port pickup and drop-off. That means the driver meets you at the port and returns you to it. The second is a professional English-speaking driver. The third is the boat trip to the caves in Paleokastritsa. Those three are the only items the box names.
The cave boat ride is a choice, not a fixed part of the day. The listing marks it as optional and paid apart from the tour. It places the ride at the beach in Paleokastritsa, the first stop. So the Corfu shore excursion works with or without the ride.
The listing also offers free cancellation. A cancellation made 24 hours or more before the start brings a full refund. The listing shows starting times when you check availability for a date.
How long is the Corfu shore excursion, and in what order are the stops?
The Corfu shore excursion lasts 4.5 hours. It starts at the Corfu Cruise Port Terminal. It gives 1 hour to Paleokastritsa Beach and 2 hours to Corfu Town, then ends back at the same terminal.
The itinerary in the listing has four lines, and they run in this order:
- Starting location: Corfu Cruise Port Terminal.
- Paleokastritsa Beach sightseeing, 1 hour.
- Corfu Town sightseeing, 2 hours.
- Arrive back at: Corfu Cruise Port Terminal.
The two sightseeing stops add up to 3 hours, and the listing gives 4.5 hours for the whole tour. It does not say how the other 1.5 hours is split. It does say you board the vehicle and drive to Corfu Town after the beach. The ride between the two stops is therefore part of the day.
Paleokastritsa comes first. The listing calls its coastline your first stop in this Corfu shore excursion. Corfu Town is the second stop, and the drive takes you there from the beach. The tour then returns to the cruise port, where it began. The itinerary lists nothing after Corfu Town except that return.
The town stop is one block of 2 hours. The description names landmarks such as the Old Fortress, the Liston Promenade, the Palace of St. Michael and St. George and the St. Spyridon Church. It gives no time for each landmark, only the 2 hours for the whole town.
The itinerary carries a note: for reference only, and itineraries are subject to change. Read the 1-hour and 2-hour blocks as the plan on paper. When you book a Corfu shore excursion, keep that note in mind and check the starting time for your date.
What is Corfu, the island where your cruise ship docks?
Corfu, called Kerkyra in Greek, is an Ionian island in the northwest corner of Greece. Any Corfu shore excursion explores this island, which runs about 64 km long and 32 km at its widest.
Corfu is the northernmost island on Greece’s west coast, apart from its small satellite islands. Those Diapontian Islands, Othonoi, Ereikoussa and Mathraki, lie about 6 km to the northwest. They stand about 40 km from the Italian coast and are the westernmost point of Greece. Together, Corfu and these small islands sit where the Ionian Sea meets the Adriatic Sea.
The ancient Greeks compared the island’s shape to a sickle. Its northeastern edge lies off the coast of Albania, across straits 3 to 23 km wide. Two mountain ranges split the land into three districts, so a Corfu shore excursion sees only a slice of it. The north is mountainous, the centre rolling and the south low.
Corfu Town, the capital, is the largest town on the island and a stop on this Corfu shore excursion. A recent count gives the whole island 99,134 residents. The coastline measures 217 km, and the highest peak, Mount Pantokrator, rises 906 m. In the fifth century BCE, ancient Korkyra was a great naval power of Greece, like Athens and Corinth.
The name Kerkyra comes from a Greek myth. Poseidon, god of the sea, loved Korkyra, a nymph and daughter of the river Asopos. He brought her to the island and gave it her name. Over time, Korkyra became Kerkyra. The Venetian and Italian name, Corfù, comes from the Byzantine Greek word Koryphō, which means “city of the peaks”.
How did Venetian, French and British rule shape Corfu?
Venice ruled Corfu from the late 14th century to the late 18th century. France and Britain then took over in turn, and Greece gained the island in the 19th century. That mixed past is the story behind a Corfu shore excursion.
Venice made Corfu a strong fortress to stop the Ottoman Empire from entering the Adriatic. Its influence is clear in the old town on a Corfu shore excursion. Kerkyra was the “Door of Venice” while the whole Adriatic was the Gulf of Venice. The writer Will Durant said Corfu owed it to Venice that the Ottomans never conquered it.
Under the Treaty of Campo Formio, France took Corfu and held it for two years as the département of Corcyre. A Russian and Ottoman fleet under Admiral Ushakov then drove the French out. French rule returned later, and a British fleet besieged the island in vain. The French also founded the Ionian Academy, a school that kept Greek education alive.
After Napoleon lost at Waterloo, the Ionian Islands came under British protection. Corfu became the seat of the Lord High Commissioner. So the town you visit on a Corfu shore excursion was once the base of British rule on the islands. British rule brought new roads and a better water supply, and the Ionian Academy grew into a university.
In the 19th century, Britain, France, Russia and Greece signed the Treaty of London, and the islands joined Greece. Greece’s new king, Prince William of Denmark, took the name George I. He brought the islands as a coronation gift from Britain. A Corfu shore excursion visits the island where Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of independent Greece, was born.
Where is the Corfu cruise port, and where do you meet the driver?
Cruise ships dock at the Neo Limani, also called the New Port. For this Corfu shore excursion, the operator’s listing sets the meeting point at the Corfu Cruise Port Terminal. The address line reads International Terminal, Kerkira 491 00.
The listing for this Corfu shore excursion says you meet your driver in port. Its itinerary names the Corfu Cruise Port Terminal as the starting location. It also counts the cruise port pickup among the things included. A note under the map says the itinerary is for reference only and can change.
The listing page for the Corfu shore excursion shows no fixed start time. Start times appear once you pick a date on the listing. It also calls the tour ideal for shore excursion passengers.
A cruise review site describes the terminal where your Corfu shore excursion begins. It says the terminal has a duty-free shop, car rental outlets and a welcome desk. At the desk you can pick up a map and get local tips.
The same site calls the New Port a working dock area. It says the port also takes the ferries that run between Corfu and Italy, Greece and Albania.
How does a cruise day in Corfu port work for passengers?
Cruise ships arrive in Corfu throughout the summer season and dock at the New Port. From the terminal you join a Corfu shore excursion with a driver. Or you reach Corfu Town by shuttle, taxi or bus.
If you plan your own day instead of a Corfu shore excursion, start with the distance. The review site puts the Old Fortress area of Corfu Town about two miles from the port. It names ship shuttles to that area as one way to cover it. When in doubt, it says, take the shuttle or a cab.
A taxi stand sits outside the terminal building. Wikivoyage says Corfu Town has plenty of taxi lines, including stands at the Old Port and the New Port. The review site tells you to agree the rate before you ride. It also says to confirm that the fare is per cab, not per person.
The same site tells you to use only cabs with a meter and a rate card on display. It says to check that the meter is on before you start. On a Corfu shore excursion you need no cab for the tour itself, because the listing includes the port pickup.
For the bus, head left outside the terminal, where the blue bus will say port. Wikivoyage says blue buses serve Corfu Town and its surroundings. Green buses serve the rest of the island. The review site warns that bus timings are erratic and that service can stop early in the evening.
Siesta time runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., known locally as mikro ypno. The site lists one drawback of the port. Attractions and restaurants close for siesta if your ship is docked between those hours. Keep that window in mind when you plan a Corfu shore excursion.
The site gives one road warning. Do not expect crossings to be respected, and look out for cars that zoom out of side roads. It also mentions renting a car if your ship is in port for a long time. It lists desks at the airport and one company beside the New Port.
What is Paleokastritsa, the first stop of the Corfu shore excursion?
Paleokastritsa is the first stop of the Corfu shore excursion, a village on the north-west coast of Corfu. Blue Tours puts it about 25 kilometres from Corfu Town, among hills covered in cypress, olive and citrus trees.
On this Corfu shore excursion you reach a coast of great cliffs and nearby beaches. The village lies on the west coast, just south of the castle of Angelokastro. A good road crosses the island from Corfu Town to Paleokastritsa. Blue Tours says people call the village the Jewel of the Ionian Sea or the Capri of Greece.
The listing for the Corfu shore excursion points to the rocky bay and to its hillside and waterside views. Blue Tours counts over 15 bays along this coast. It says a number of them can only be reached by boat. A cruise line adds rocky promontories covered in pine and cypress, and sandy bays with turquoise water.
The itinerary of the Corfu shore excursion names this stop Paleokastritsa Beach Sightseeing. The listing says you visit the beach itself. Blue Tours adds that visitors can swim in the clear water or eat in a seaside taverna. A cruise line’s own coach tour lists a drive of about 30 minutes from the pier.
Lakones, a Corfiot village on the slope of a green hill, was the seat of the old Paleokastritsa municipality. Churches and traditional coffee shops stand among its houses, with views out to the sea. Since a local government reform, Paleokastritsa is a municipal unit of Central Corfu and the Diapontia Islands. It covers 48.4 square kilometres and counts 3,389 residents.
What are the sea caves of Paleokastritsa, and how does the optional boat ride work?
Paleokastritsa has sea caves along its coast, and the listing says they rise out of the clear sea. The optional boat ride of the Corfu shore excursion takes you to them from the beach. You pay for the ride apart from the tour.
The listing says you take the ride at the beach. It uses the word optional twice for the ride, in the description and in the inclusions. On the Corfu shore excursion the listing marks the cost of the ride as extra. Blue Tours also lists a boat trip to the little caves among the things to do at Paleokastritsa.
A sea cave forms when waves wear away a weak zone in a rocky cliff. The sea then reaches into the cracks and widens them. The walls are generally rough, because the rock breaks off piece by piece. Blue Tours says small boats can explore the caves here. The optional ride of the Corfu shore excursion is such a visit.
A cruise line that sells its own coach tour names three caves for its boat ride. They are Nafiska, Saint Nicolas and the Blue Eye. It calls them naturally formed, each with its own special character, and it visits them by local boat. That tour then returns to the beach for free time to swim and sunbathe.
The listing names no cave, so ask the operator which ones the boat enters on your Corfu shore excursion. It gives no ride time and no boat size either, so ask about both. Settle the extra cost with the operator before the day. The Greek islands are noted for the variety of their sea caves.
What is the Monastery of Paleokastritsa on the hill above the bay?
The Monastery of Paleokastritsa crowns the hill on the peninsula above the bay and houses a museum. The Corfu shore excursion stops in the bay below, but the tour listing names only the beach and the caves.
A cruise port site calls the monastery pastel-painted. It adds that the clifftop setting looks over the beaches of the Ionian Sea. That site dates the monastery to the 18th century, while Wikipedia says it dates from the 13th century.
The same cruise port site lists a collection of ancient icons at the monastery. One icon of the Virgin Mary dates from the 12th century.
The site gives open hours of 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Note the gap from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. when you fit the monastery into a Corfu shore excursion day.
Wikipedia also shows photos of the monastery entrance, its church and its graveyard. Its photo of the bay shows the monastery at the top of the hill on the peninsula. A Corfu shore excursion that stops in that bay sits below the same hill.
Another tour seller lists the walk up to the monastery as a choice at its first stop. Guests pick one option only: the cave boat ride, a swim, beach time or the walk. Ask the English-speaking driver on your Corfu shore excursion whether the walk fits the day.
What do the legends of Odysseus and the Phaeacians tell about Paleokastritsa?
In legend, Odysseus came ashore in the bay of Paleokastritsa and first met Nausicaa, a Phaeacian princess. Wikipedia says the bay is a suggested landing place, so a Corfu shore excursion reaches the setting of the tale.
The tale comes from Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus built a raft to leave Ogygia, and Calypso told him to steer by the stars. Poseidon, angry that Odysseus had blinded his son Polyphemus, sent a storm. After three days of struggle with the waves, the sea washed Odysseus up on Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians.
On the shore, the goddess Athena told Nausicaa in her sleep to go and wash clothes by the sea. Nausicaa and her maids played a game on the beach. Their shouts woke Odysseus, who lay asleep nearby. The maids ran away, but Nausicaa stood her ground and said the Phaeacians had never seen a stranger.
Nausicaa gave Odysseus clothes, food and drink, then sent him to the palace of her father, King Alcinous. Athena hid him in a mist, and he begged Queen Arete to help him get home. Visitors on a Corfu shore excursion stand in the bay where the legend places the first meeting.
The Phaeacians took Odysseus home to Ithaca on one of their ships. The Odyssey describes these ships as fast as a falcon and steered by thought.
Locals on Corfu say a rock off the west coast is that ship. Poseidon turned it to stone to punish the Phaeacians for helping his enemy. The rock tale gives every Corfu shore excursion to this coast a second legend.
The link between the legend and the bay is a theory. In his Peloponnesian War, Thucydides names Scheria as Corfu, under its ancient name, Corcyra. The island lies within 110 kilometres of Ithaca. Wikipedia says conclusive evidence has not been found, so a Corfu shore excursion visits a story, not a proven site.
What is Corfu Old Town, the UNESCO site on the tour?
Corfu Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed under the official name Old Town of Corfu. The Corfu shore excursion reaches it on the second stop, when the vehicle drives you from Paleokastritsa to Corfu Town.
UNESCO added the old town to its World Heritage List in two thousand and seven. The site is cultural, and it is listed under criterion (iv). Its reference number is 978. The protected area covers 70 hectares, about 170 acres. A buffer zone of 162 hectares, about 400 acres, surrounds it.
The operator’s listing sends you to the Old Town. So your town time on this Corfu shore excursion is spent inside the listed place. Wikipedia adds that ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, recommended the listing.
Experts checked the town before the listing. ICOMOS noted that the layout and structure of the city make Corfu a quintessential example of a fortified maritime city. That means a classic case. The layout includes the Venetian fortifications.
The same evaluation describes the buildings in plain terms. About 70% of the buildings older than the twentieth century date from the British period. German bombing raids in the Second World War destroyed whole blocks of the Old Town. New buildings later replaced them. Parts of the streets you walk on a Corfu shore excursion therefore hold newer buildings.
ICOMOS classed the urban fabric as predominantly Neoclassical. It added that this fabric has no special architectural features that distinguish it. Wikipedia says houses of the Venetian time stand in parts of the town. The Old Town holds more than one age of building.
A cruise travel site calls Corfu Town one of the largest “living” medieval towns in Greece. The listing for this Corfu shore excursion asks you to meander through the Old Town and explore its top landmarks.
What are the kantounia, the narrow lanes of Corfu Old Town?
Kantounia is the Corfiot dialect word for the narrow lanes of Corfu Old Town. The operator’s listing uses it for the narrow pavements you meander through on this Corfu shore excursion.
Wikipedia calls the kantounia the cobblestone streets of Corfu. It writes the word as καντούνια in Greek. It says the town was built inside fortifications, and that limit kept the streets narrow. They are sometimes too narrow for vehicular traffic. A vehicle does not fit in the tightest lanes, so on a Corfu shore excursion you meet them on foot.
The lanes tell part of the Venetian story. Wikipedia says much of the city reflects the time when the island belonged to the Republic of Venice. Its description includes multi-storied buildings on narrow lanes. A Corfu shore excursion walks you into that mix of tall buildings and narrow lanes.
The operator’s listing points to Venetian architecture in the old buildings. It also names tiny churches and secret gardens among the sights of the Old Town. These sights sit in the same Old Town as the kantounia.
A cruise travel site describes Corfu Town as a maze of winding streets and alleys lined with shops and restaurants. The operator’s listing uses the same picture, a maze of narrow pavements on its Corfu shore excursion. Two separate sources use the word maze. Expect a tangle of turns, not a straight grid.
Wikipedia’s list of the city’s quarters has an entry called Kampiello, marked as the old town. The listing sends you through the kantounia of the Old Town on this Corfu shore excursion.
What is the Old Fortress of Corfu?
The Old Fortress of Corfu is a Venetian castle on a promontory in Corfu city. A sea channel cuts it off from the town. The listing for this Corfu shore excursion names it as a top landmark of the Old Town.
The promontory lies between the Gulf of Kerkyra on the north and Garitsa Bay on the south. The Venetians dug a moat called the Contrafossa that joins the two waters. It turned the citadel into an artificial island. A permanent bridge now replaces the old drawbridge, and small fishing boats line the moat.
The first walls here date from around the 6th century AD, after the Ostrogoths destroyed the ancient city of Corcyra. The Venetians named the two peaks of the fortress Castel a Terra and Castel a Mare. Corfu comes from the Greek name for these peaks, so the title of a Corfu shore excursion starts here.
After the first Ottoman siege, the governor ordered new bastions and towers, and they still stand. The engineers Savorgnan and Martinengo drew the bastions in the mid-16th century. One source calls them masterpieces of military engineering. The fort held out in all three major Ottoman sieges. The Old Town on a Corfu shore excursion still shows clear Venetian influence.
In the 18th century, lightning struck the powder store at Castel a Mare. The blast set off three smaller stores and destroyed much of what stood inside. Today the old British barracks house the public library of Corfu. The James Bond film For Your Eyes Only shot a scene here, a fun fact for any Corfu shore excursion.
What is the New Fortress, the second castle above the harbour?
The New Fortress is a Venetian fort on the hill of St. Mark that overlooks Corfu Town. It is the town’s second castle. The listing for the Corfu shore excursion names only the Old Fortress, not this one.
The Venetians planned wider defences after the first great Ottoman siege. The city council had complained that parts of town outside the old citadel had no fortifications. The Venetians razed 2,000 homes in the San Rocco suburb and built walls in their place. They raised the New Fortress on the hill of St. Mark as the focal point.
The military engineer Ferrante Vitelli was the original architect, and the work went on in stages. Accounts differ on the exact dates, but all of them start in the 16th century. The town earned the name Kastropolis, or Castle City, because of its two castles. A Corfu shore excursion names the older one, and the New Fortress completes the pair.
The fortress above the Old Town of a Corfu shore excursion has two levels. The lower level holds a three-storey building called Punta Perpetua and a pentagon-shaped bastion. Inside lies a maze of arched chambers, galleries, ventilation shafts, stairs and ramps. Two baroque-style gates lead in. A dry moat runs along the western wall to the new harbour.
The twin bastions Skarponas and Epta Anemoi, or Seven Winds, look over the sea and the mountains of mainland Greece. The British, who ruled the island later, built the barracks below them and the buildings inside today. The barracks now house art exhibits and collections.
The Venetian Senate chose the captains of the two fortresses for two years. Each captain swore never to contact the other. This guarded against one captain persuading the other to betray Venice. Italian aircraft bombed both castles in the 20th century. For a Corfu shore excursion in the Old Town, the two fortresses show how the Venetians guarded the city.
What are the Liston promenade and Spianada Square?
The Liston is a short pedestrian street of arcades and cafes, and Spianada Square is the open space beside it. Both sit in Corfu Town, the Old Town that the Corfu shore excursion explores on foot.
On this Corfu shore excursion, the operator’s listing counts the Liston among the top landmarks of the Old Town. The French finished the street while they ruled the Ionian Islands. The Rue de Rivoli in Paris inspired its design. Its name comes from a Venetian word, and the strip was once a firing range for Venetian troops.
The Liston is about 150 metres long and runs along the western edge of the Spianada. It is a popular site in Corfu Town. Another tour seller says its arcaded terraces were once the exclusive domain of local aristocrats. A cruise site suggests coffee or lunch in the cafes that line the arcade on a Corfu shore excursion.
Spianada Square lies directly in front of the Old Fortress. That makes it easy to place on a Corfu shore excursion. Its name comes from a Venetian word that means an open, flat area. The operator’s listing calls it the biggest square in the Balkan Peninsula. Another tour seller calls it one of the largest in Europe.
The Upper Square, to the south, has flower beds and landscaped paths. The round Maitland Rotunda stands at its centre. The Lower Square, to the north, is flat and covered in grass. A cricket ground fills a large part of the square. A Corfu shore excursion visits a square with a Venetian name, a French layout and British cricket.
What is the Palace of St. Michael and St. George?
The Palace of St. Michael and St. George is a neoclassical building at the northern end of Spianada Square. Sir Thomas Maitland, the British Lord High Commissioner, had it built. The Corfu shore excursion listing names it as a landmark of the Old Town.
Colonel George Whitmore drew the plans in the Greek Revival style. The foundation stone was laid on St. George’s Day, and the palace was finished five years later. On a Corfu shore excursion, look for the white walls. They are Maltese limestone, brought to the island for the building. Maltese workers and sculptors from Malta and Corfu worked on it.
The palace first served as the High Commissioner’s home. It also housed the Ionian Senate and the Order of St Michael and St George. The building takes its name from that Order. Later it became a royal residence. Locals say Palaia Anaktora, which means Old Palace. You can recognise the building on a Corfu shore excursion by either name.
Today the palace is the Museum of Asian Art of Corfu. This Corfu shore excursion landmark holds art as well as history. The biggest gift to the collection came from Gregorios Manos, with 10,500 pieces. A cruise site says two Greek diplomats gathered Oriental pieces. It lists works from China, Japan, Tibet, the Gandhara Kingdom, Cambodia and Thailand.
Two gateways flank the palace, the gate of St. Michael and the gate of St. George. Inside, a grand staircase and a central rotunda lead to the Throne Room. The gardens hold old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers, and they overlook the bay. After the Greek monarchy ended, the gardens became the Garden of the People.
Why is the Church of Saint Spyridon the heart of Corfu Town?
The Church of Saint Spyridon holds the relics of Corfu’s patron saint. The operator’s listing for this Corfu shore excursion names it among the top landmarks of Corfu Old Town. The church dates from the late 16th century.
It is a Greek Orthodox church in the old town, a single-nave basilica. Its bell tower dates from the 17th century and is the highest in the Ionian Islands. It resembles the bell tower of the Greek Orthodox church of San Giorgio dei Greci in Venice. A cruise travel site places the church just behind the Liston arcade.
The saint’s body has travelled far. Traditional accounts name a monk, Georgios Kalochairetis. After the fall of Constantinople, he brought the relics of Saint Spyridon and Saint Theodora to Corfu. The Voulgari family first kept them in a private church. In the same century they moved to the present church, inside the city fortifications.
Spyridon is the patron saint of Corfu for the miracle of expelling the plague. The faithful also believe he saved the island in the Ottoman siege of the early 18th century. The Venetian Senate gave the church a gilded silver lamp to mark his miracles in that siege. Its inscription reads “For the Salvation of Corfu.”
Inside, a chapel to the right of the iconostasis keeps the remains in a double sarcophagus. The inner casket is covered in red velvet and has a removable bottom, so the saint’s slippers can be changed. The marble iconostasis has a front like the entrance of a baroque church. Scenes from his life and miracles fill the ceiling.
The relics are carried in procession every Palm Sunday and on other special occasions. All the Philharmonics of Corfu take part. Three sources name this church for a Corfu shore excursion. They are the operator’s listing, another tour seller and a cruise travel site.
How can you spend the free time in Corfu Town on a Corfu shore excursion?
The operator’s listing for the Corfu shore excursion offers three ideas for your hours in Corfu Town. They are a gelato in Spianada Square, a look at the shops, or a rest to savor the traditional delights.
Start with the gelato. On a Corfu shore excursion, the listing pictures you wandering in Spianada Square with a fresh one in hand. It calls the square the biggest one in the Balkan Peninsula.
Next come the shops. The listing tells you to choose your favorite Corfu specialties from the souvenir shops. A cruise travel site lists jewelry, designer outlets and boutiques with locally made dresses and lacy jackets. It adds craft stores with embroidered cloths. So the souvenir from your Corfu shore excursion can be as small as a cloth.
For a quieter stop on a Corfu shore excursion, try the Byzantine Museum in the Church of Antivouniotissa. The same cruise travel site notes the church’s interior and its collection of Byzantine icons. The museum is closed on Monday, so check the day your ship calls before you plan on it.
The listing’s last idea for a Corfu shore excursion is the simplest: rest, unwind and savor the traditional delights. It also points you to tiny churches and secret gardens among the Venetian buildings. The same travel site calls the old town a maze of winding streets and alleys, which suits a slow walk.
What can you eat in Corfu Town, from kumquat sweets to local dishes?
Corfiot cooking leans on Venetian recipes, such as pastitsada, a slow-cooked meat stew in spiced tomato sauce served over pasta. Kumquat, grown on the island, goes into local sweets and liqueurs. Your Corfu Town stop on a Corfu shore excursion is the time to taste them.
Long Venetian rule shaped the menu you meet in town on a Corfu shore excursion. Pastitsada comes from the Venetian dish pastissada. Savoro is fried fish marinated in vinegar, garlic and rosemary, served cold. Bourdeto is a spicy scorpionfish stew in tomato and red pepper sauce. Sofrito is veal in a garlicky white wine sauce.
Sweets lean on nuts and honey. Mandoles are caramelized almonds, and pasteli is a honey bar made with sesame, almonds or pistachios. Mandolato is a pasteli of crushed almonds, sugar, honey and vanilla. A cruise review site adds tiganites, sweet doughnuts, and sykomaitha, spiced fig cakes.
Kumquat and bergamot orange go into spoon sweets and liqueurs. The review site says local ice cream is flavored with local fruit, including kumquat. Another tour seller adds a stop on its Corfu shore excursion. It offers a taste of kumquat liqueurs and sweets, candied nuts, local honey and olive oil with bread.
Corfu was a British protectorate, and locals took up ginger beer, which they call tsitsibeera. Ask for it at the Liston. Island wines include Kakotrygis, a light dry white, and Petrokoritho, a robust red. The fish and vegetable market outside the New Fortress is listed as open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
For a sit-down meal, the review site calls Kapodistriou Street and the Liston area crowded with restaurants and tavernas. Restaurant Rex, behind the Liston arcade, lists chicken with kumquat sauce. The listing for this Corfu shore excursion names no meal. It does invite you to rest, unwind and savor the traditional delights.
How do you get back to the ship at the end of the tour?
The Corfu shore excursion ends at the Corfu Cruise Port Terminal, where it started. The listing includes port pickup and drop-off with an English-speaking driver, so the ride back is part of the tour.
Your cruise line sets the real deadline. A cruise travel site says each ship sets an all-aboard time, when everyone is expected back on board. Sail-away follows about half an hour later. Your Corfu shore excursion has to fit inside that time. Ask your cruise line for it before you pick a start.
Your start time sets the return time, so note both on the day. Choose one that leaves a gap before all-aboard. The travel site advises being back at least an hour before the set time.
The listing says itineraries are subject to change. Another tour seller says timing on its own Corfu tour shifts with traffic. Its provider is not responsible for delays outside its control. Plan a Corfu shore excursion with room to spare.
Does the ship wait for a late bus? The travel site says it does for a cruise line’s own tours, but tours booked elsewhere carry no such guarantee. The listing names Blue Tours as the provider and makes no promise that the ship waits.
Missing the ship after a Corfu shore excursion is costly. It can leave without you. If the gangway has closed, a port official receives your passport and other important items. You then pay to rejoin the ship or get home.
Other tours end differently. On one cruise line’s island tour with a village lunch, you choose at the end. You can be dropped off in the Old Town or ride the coach straight to your ship. The Blue Tours listing names only the cruise terminal as the end of this Corfu shore excursion.
What do you wear and bring for a day ashore in Corfu?
For a Corfu shore excursion, wear comfortable, casual clothes that suit the season, plus comfortable shoes. One tour seller gives this advice for its own Corfu tour. Its page also asks for appropriate clothing in places of worship.
The listing for the first-time visitors tour has no packing list. It names a beach stop and a town stop, and it sends you along narrow pavements in Corfu Town. So the advice here for a Corfu shore excursion comes from other sellers’ pages for similar tours.
A cruise line gives a similar shoe rule for its cave tour in Paleokastritsa: wear flat, comfortable walking shoes. It adds one more line, which is to dress in weather-appropriate clothing. Both lines suit a Corfu shore excursion that visits a beach and then an old town.
Church visits need a little thought. The tour seller’s page asks for appropriate clothing in places of worship. It names St. Spyridon Church and the Virgin Mary Monastery, and the Blue Tours listing names St. Spyridon Church too. The page does not say what appropriate means, so pick clothes that also work inside a church.
For its Corfu sailing tour, the same cruise line lists more items: a swimsuit, a towel, a hat and sunscreen. That sailing tour is a different product from a land trip. Treat its list as a hint for sunny hours, not a rule for every Corfu shore excursion.
The Blue Tours description tells you to prepare your cameras at Paleokastritsa. It names no other item to bring, so the packing list above rests on the other sellers’ pages.
What is the weather like on Corfu during the cruise season?
Wikipedia files Corfu under the hot-summer Mediterranean type. Summers run hot and dry, and winters turn mild to cool and very wet. Its winters are much wetter than those of other Greek islands. Check the monthly figures below before you plan a Corfu shore excursion.
A travel wiki says cruise ships arrive throughout the summer season. In its words, the Corfu summer is warm and fairly dry. Seasonal breezes cool the air under a blue sky. Rain rarely interrupts the summer, and the mountainous areas are cooler. That is a sunny setting for a Corfu shore excursion.
These monthly averages come from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, as listed in an encyclopedia article on Corfu. They are for Corfu at sea level, in degrees Celsius and millimetres of rain.
- April: high 19.1, low 9.6, rain 65.2
- Late spring: high 24.0, low 13.3, rain 36.5
- June: high 28.2, low 16.9, rain 15.5
- July: high 31.2, low 18.9, rain 8.7
- August: high 31.5, low 19.3, rain 21.7
- September: high 27.5, low 16.8, rain 87.8
- October: high 23.2, low 13.7, rain 140.4
By rainfall, July is the driest of these months and October is the wettest. July has 3.3 rain days and October has 11.4. April has 12.2 rain days, late spring has 7.7 and June has 4.8. A Corfu shore excursion in midsummer meets very little rain, while one in autumn meets much more. Rain peaks later, in November and December.
Sun peaks in July at 364.5 hours, against 324.2 in June and 332.8 in August. NOAA, a US agency, supplies the sunshine hours in the table. Humidity is 61.7 per cent in July and August and 74.9 per cent in October. On a hot day, a hat and sunscreen make sense on a Corfu shore excursion.
The same table helps you dress. April has an average high of 19.1 degrees Celsius and a low of 9.6. July averages a high of 31.2. Weather-appropriate clothing therefore changes with the month of your Corfu shore excursion.
What is the Achilleion Palace, a stop on other Corfu tours?
The Achilleion Palace is a summer palace in the village of Gastouri, around 10 km south of Corfu Town. Empress Elisabeth of Austria had it built, and it is named after the hero Achilles. A Corfu shore excursion from another seller can include it.
The first-time tour in this post does not stop at the palace. Its listing names only Paleokastritsa Beach and Corfu Town. Blue Tours, the operator behind that tour, lists a private tour on its own site. It is called Private Shore Excursion: Achillion, Kanoni and Corfu Town.
Another seller titles a private half-day Corfu shore excursion Shore Excursion to Achilleion Palace, Mouse Island view and Corfu Town. A cruise line describes a tour that names the palace, the village of Kinopiastes and the Old Town.
Elisabeth was deeply saddened by the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf. She had the palace built as a refuge. The Italian architect Raffaele Caritto designed it to suggest an ancient palace of mythical Phaeacia. Her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, did not like sea voyages and never saw it.
A Corfu shore excursion that stops here shows paintings and statues of Achilles in the main hall and the gardens. They show scenes from the Trojan War. The centrepiece of the gardens is Dying Achilles, made by the German sculptor Ernst Herter.
A cruise review site also names the Colonnade of the Muses. This black-and-white tiled terrace is lined with statues of gods, heroes, muses, poets and philosophers.
German Kaiser Wilhelm II bought the palace and used it as a summer residence. He commissioned a bronze Achilles by Johannes Götz that guards the gardens. In World War I, French and Serbian troops used the palace as a military hospital. Today it is a museum, so pick another Corfu shore excursion if the palace is your first choice.
What are Kanoni and Mouse Island, the view on other shore tours?
Kanoni is a spot along the coast from Corfu Town. It looks across to two tiny islands, Vlaherna and Mouse Island, which is Pontikonisi in Greek. One seller names the Mouse Island view in the title of its Corfu shore excursion.
A cruise review site says the islands lie about 30 minutes’ walk from Corfu Town, past Mon Repos beach. The No. 2 bus makes the same trip along the coast.
At Kanoni you find pleasant cafes. From there a causeway leads to Vlaherna, and a boat goes on to Mouse Island. So a Corfu shore excursion is not the only way to see the view.
Vlaherna is almost completely covered by a white Venetian monastery, Panagia Vlahernon. Mouse Island holds a tiny Byzantine chapel. Wikipedia calls it the chapel of Christ Pantokrator and dates it to the 11th or 12th century. It describes the island as small and very green, with a highest natural point of about 2 m.
Wikipedia also explains the name. Seen from afar, the white stone staircase of the building on the island looks like a mouse tail. That gave the island its name.
A cruise line offers a catamaran tour with a swim off Mouse Island, a sea-going Corfu shore excursion. Its page gives a legend: Ulysses was shipwrecked here, and Poseidon turned his ship into the island.
The Durrells have a link here too. Gerald Durrell and his sister Margaret lived on Corfu as children and used to swim out to the island. Part of their ashes were scattered there. In the film For Your Eyes Only, Bond greets the character Melina at Pontikonisi.
Check the stops in each listing before you book a Corfu shore excursion. The first-time tour in this post visits neither place.
Which other Corfu shore excursion tours leave from the port?
Other sellers list a Corfu shore excursion for cruise passengers. Blue Tours, the operator behind this tour, runs private ones. Another seller adds olive and bike tours. A cruise line sells a catamaran sail and a coach tour to the caves.
Blue Tours lists private shore excursions for passengers whose ship docks in Corfu port. One pairs Achilleion, Kanoni and Corfu Town. Another pairs Achilleion with Paleokastritsa. A third visits the beaches of Paleokastritsa and Glyfada. An easy Corfu shore excursion stays around Corfu Town at a relaxed pace. The Paleokastritsa and Corfu Town tour includes cruise ship pickup.
Another tour seller has a heading for popular shore excursions. Two are private. One is a half day with the Achilleion Palace, a Mouse Island view and Corfu Town. The other is a trip to Paleokastritsa and the Old Town. The list also holds an olive excursion, a Jewish community tour and a private bike tour in Corfu Town.
A third seller’s Corfu shore excursion, Corfu Past and Present, runs 4 hours 30 minutes. At Paleokastritsa the hour goes to one choice: the caves, a swim, the beach or the monastery. The vehicle then climbs to the village of Lakones. The day ends in Corfu Town with the Liston promenade, before the trip back to port.
A cruise line lists its own Corfu shore excursion tours for the port. One is a sail on a 42-foot catamaran with swim stops and a buffet lunch. Another goes by air-conditioned motor coach to Paleokastritsa, about 30 minutes from the pier, then by boat into the caves. A third has a taverna lunch with Greek music and dancers.
How does a private Corfu shore excursion differ from a group tour?
A private Corfu shore excursion lets you travel with your own party alone. A group tour fills with other guests. One seller sizes its small tours at 2 to 20 people and its standard tours at 20 to 50.
That seller sorts its tours into small, standard and private. Small excursions range from 2 to 20 people. Standard excursions range from 20 to 50 people and are similar in size to cruise line tours. Private excursions take your party alone. The seller says the small ones give a more personal experience than the large tours that cruise lines offer.
A private Corfu shore excursion from Blue Tours has a flexible itinerary that it can change to your needs. When you book, you enter your ship’s exact arrival time, and the operator sets the start around it. Your private driver takes you back to the ship in good time for departure. Confirmation arrives within 24 hours, subject to availability.
Tour leader and language are choices on the private side. The page lists a professional tour leader if you select that option. English is the standard language for all of the operator’s tours. Private tours can be offered in other languages if a tour leader is available. You note your language when you book.
Blue Tours keeps a separate page for small-group tours. It lists a Corfu Highlights Group Shore Excursion to Paleokastritsa and Corfu Town, marked 4.5 hours. Its private page offers the same two places for about 4.5 hours. The listing for this Corfu shore excursion states no group size, so ask the operator which format it is.
What else do cruise passengers ask about a Corfu shore excursion?
Which Corfu Town sights close on a Monday?
A cruise review site says the Old Fortress is closed on Monday. It lists the hours as 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. The Asian Art Museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.
The same site lists the New Fortress as open daily, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It gives the Achilleion Palace daily hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Match your Corfu shore excursion to these hours, and confirm them locally, because they come from a review site.
Is a Corfu shore excursion suitable for children?
The listing for the first-time tour gives no age limit, so ask the operator about children before you book. Wikivoyage calls the whole island welcoming and safe for children. It adds that Corfu has no tropical diseases and very little danger from crime or violence.
For a different day, the review site names Aqualand, a water park just west of Corfu Town. It has rides, pools and green space, and it opens daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from late spring through October. It is no stop on this Corfu shore excursion.
Can slow walkers or wheelchair users join a Corfu shore excursion?
The Blue Tours listing states no access rule and no walking distance. Another tour seller says its own Corfu Past and Present tour can take a collapsible wheelchair. That seller adds that guests need to be able to get in and out of the vehicle.
Wikipedia says the older lanes of Corfu Old Town sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground. So the ground in those lanes is not always level. Raise this with the operator before you book a Corfu shore excursion.
Is there a beach near Corfu Town to add after a Corfu shore excursion?
The review site picks Mon Repos as the convenient beach. It has soft sand, a taverna and changing rooms. The beach is about a 20-minute walk, or a short tourist-train ride, along the promenade south of Corfu Town.
The Mon Repos estate lies close by. The site says Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born in its palace. It also lists Roman baths, a Doric temple and an early Christian basilica. It warns that signage is poor and parts of the grounds are overgrown. The estate opens 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.
What happens in Corfu Town on Holy Saturday?
Wikipedia describes the Early Resurrection celebration at exactly 11:00 a.m. on Holy Saturday. Balconies in the old city are decked in bright red cloth. Corfiotes throw large water-filled clay pots, called bótides, onto the pavement, especially in the wider areas near the Liston.
The three city bands then parade the clay-strewn streets, playing the Graikoí march. It works as the island’s anthem. Wikipedia does not say how the custom affects tours. Check with the operator before a Corfu shore excursion in Easter week.