Corfu
Covers 18 European islands, from Crete and the Cyclades to Sicily, Sardinia, Mallorca, the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, with euro prices converted to dollars on a dated rate.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Corfu looks nothing like the Aegean islands. It sits in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Albania and the Greek mainland, it is covered in olive groves and cypress, and its capital was shaped by four centuries of Venetian rule. In 2007 the old town of Corfu was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. ELSTAT counted 1,941,159 arrivals in hotels, short-stay rentals and campsites in the Corfu regional unit in 2025, and cruise ships landed 894,179 passengers, up 10%.
The trade-off is the beaches. The west coast has sandy bays like Glyfada and Agios Gordios and the coves of Paleokastritsa, but much of the east coast is pebbly. If sand is the top priority, Crete or Naxos score higher. If you want a town to walk in every evening and a green island to explore by day, Corfu is hard to beat.
At a glance
- Best for
- Families, couples and teens who want a real town, green scenery, villas and varied day trips
- Skip it if
- You want whitewashed Cycladic villages, long pale sandy beaches everywhere, or total quiet in August
- Getting there
- Fly to Athens and connect to Corfu (CFU), or ferry from Igoumenitsa on the mainland in about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Hotel, mid-January
- $90 for a 3-star room near Corfu Town on Kayak for January 13, 2027; $130 on July 14, 2027
- Island size
- About 242 square miles (626 km2), with a long, winding coastline; a car helps
In this guide
How Corfu scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%7.2
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%7.0
- Things to doEditors · 25%8.5
- Getting there from the USData · 10%3.8
- ValueData · 10%7.6
- Room to breatheData · 10%3.9
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: July, August, September. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 56 | 58 | 60 | 66 | 72 | 83 | 89 | 89 | 80 | 72 | 65 | 59 |
| Sea °F | 63 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 67 | 73 | 76 | 79 | 79 | 73 | 70 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 7.9 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 6.7 | 14.3 | 8.5 |
| Weather score | 1.1 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (CFU)
- US nonstops
- None. No US nonstop to CFU (Corfu International Airport); connect via ATH (US nonstops to Athens: JFK, EWR, plus seasonal ATL, BOS, CLT, ORD, DFW, PHL, IAD; Delta DTW from June 8, 2027 and Alaska SEA from May 12, 2027)
- Distance
- 6,701 mi from Los Angeles, 4,686 mi from New York
- Passport
- Needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $90 on Jan 13, 2027 · $130 on Jul 14, 2027 (Corfu Town)
- Visitors a year
- 1,941,159 overnight visitors (2025), plus 894,179 cruise passengers
- Bringing a dog
- Possible: EU pet rules: ISO microchip implanted before a rabies shot given at least 21 days before travel, plus a bilingual EU animal health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, endorsed by APHIS and used within 10 days of arrival; no quarantine.
Hotel prices: Cheapest double in a hotel rated 3 stars or better within about 1.3 miles of the Corfu Town center, 1 night, 2 adults, total with taxes and fees as Kayak showed it (public rates only; Greece's climate resilience fee may be added at checkout), Kayak, checked 2026-10-20. January: Folies Corfu Hotel Apartments (3-star, Alepou suburb, via Expedia); July: Arion Hotel (3-star, via Hotels.com). 237 stays for January 13 vs 259 for July 14.. Visitor figures: ELSTAT, Arrivals in hotels, short-stay accommodation and campsites by regional unit, 2025 final data (Table 3); cruise: Hellenic Ports Association via INSETE.
Where Corfu ranks
Who Corfu suits, and who should skip it
Corfu suits families renting a villa with a pool, couples who want a beautiful town and good dinners, and teens who like boat days, cliff coves and a lively strip such as Kavos or Sidari. It is also one of the easiest Greek islands outside summer, because Corfu Town is a working city that does not close.
Skip it if your picture of Greece is white cubes and blue domes, or if you want quiet sand: in July and August the popular west coast beaches fill early. See our family ranking for alternatives.
Where to stay: Corfu Town, the west coast or the northeast
- Corfu Town has the old town, the Liston arcade, the two fortresses and the ferry port. On Kayak, the cheapest room rated 3 stars or better within about 1.3 miles of the center was $90 for January 13, 2027, in the Alepou suburb, and $130 for July 14, 2027, taxes and fees in.
- Paleokastritsa and Pelekas on the west coast have the coves, the sandy bays and the sunsets.
- Kassiopi, Kalami and Agios Stefanos on the northeast coast face Albania, with calm pebbly water and villa rentals.
- Dassia and Gouvia, north of town, are resort strips with family hotels.
Getting around takes time. The coast road is narrow and winding, so a drive from Corfu Town to the far north or south of the island is a half-day outing with stops. Green Buses link town with the main resorts, and blue city buses cover the suburbs and Kanoni, but for the west coast coves and mountain villages you will want a car for at least part of your stay.
Corfu stays open in winter: Kayak listed 237 stays for January 13 against 259 for July 14.
Beaches: sand in the west, pebbles in the east
- Glyfada: a long sandy beach under green cliffs on the west coast; surf on windy days.
- Agios Gordios and Kontogialos: sandy west coast bays with tavernas.
- Paleokastritsa: a cluster of small coves with cool, clear water, pebble and sand, and boat trips to sea caves.
- Issos: dunes and sand in the south, quieter and good for walks.
- Canal d'Amour at Sidari: sandstone cliffs and channels, more photo stop than swim.
- Kalami and Kassiopi: pebbly, calm and very clear, good for snorkeling.
Our score is 7 out of 10: very good swimming, but many beaches are pebble, and the sandy ones are spread around a long, slow coast road.
Things to do
- Corfu Old Town: Venetian lanes, the Liston arcade, the Spianada square and the church of Saint Spyridon.
- The Old and New Fortresses, guarding the town from the sea.
- The Achilleion, the palace built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria at Gastouri, south of town.
- Kanoni, for the view of Vlacherna monastery and Mouse Island.
- Paleokastritsa Monastery and Angelokastro, a Byzantine castle on a crag nearby.
- Mount Pantokrator, the island's high point, by car or on foot.
- Day trips by boat to Paxos and Antipaxos, or by ferry to Saranda in Albania for the ruins of Butrint. Albania is outside the Schengen area, so bring your passport.
Our things-to-do score is 8.5 out of 10: a week of varied days without repeating yourself.
When to go
May, June and September are the best months: green hills, warm sea and room on the beaches. July and August are hot and busy. Corfu is wetter and greener than the Aegean islands, with most of its rain in the cooler months, and the summer north wind matters less for ferries, because the main crossing is the short hop from Igoumenitsa. The monthly table below shows the pattern; our May ranking compares the spring options.
Winter travelers, note one closure: Fraport Greece will suspend runway operations at Corfu airport from January 20 to January 28, 2027 for works. Fly in before or after, or use the ferry from Igoumenitsa.
Getting there from the US, and what you need
No US airline flies nonstop to Corfu (CFU). Fly to Athens, which has nonstops from New York JFK and Newark, and seasonally from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington Dulles, with Detroit and Seattle added in summer 2027, then take a short domestic flight. In summer, many European hubs also fly direct to Corfu.
By sea, Corfu is a short hop from the mainland. Kerkyra Lines and Kerkyra Seaways run between Igoumenitsa and Corfu Town many times a day in about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, from $6 (€5.60), per Ferryhopper. Ferries from Italy (Bari, Brindisi and Ancona) also call.
US citizens need a passport valid three months beyond departure from the Schengen area; no visa for 90 days. The EU Entry/Exit System records fingerprints and a photo, and it applies again when you come back from Albania. ETIAS is not yet operating. See our passport guide.
What a trip costs
The Kayak floor near Corfu Town was $90 in January and $130 in July. A rental car is the other big cost, and worth it. Hotels collect Greece's climate resilience fee at checkout: $5.60 (€5) per room per night at a 3-star, $11.20 (€10) at a 4-star and $16.80 (€15) at a 5-star from April to October, and $1.70 (€1.50) to $4.50 (€4) from November to March. Cruise passengers pay $5.60 (€5) per port call from June to September.
Tickets and tours you can book
From Corfu: Day Cruise to Paxos, Antipaxos, and Blue Caves
Only the cruise and crew are included; food and drinks are sold on board and pickup is an extra option. Large boats and a long day on the water, but the easiest way to see Paxos in a day.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Gouvia: Corfu Island Sailing Trip with Snack and Soft Drinks
Skipper, sandwiches, fruit and soft drinks are included; alcohol and snorkel gear are not.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Small-Group Food and Cultural Tour in Corfu
Food stops and lunch with ouzo are included; it starts at the Old Fortress entrance. Corfu Walking Tours runs it.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Is Corfu worth visiting?
Yes, especially for families and couples who want a town, scenery and boat trips. It is less of a pure beach island than Crete or Naxos, because many beaches are pebbly.
Which side of Corfu has the best beaches?
The west coast: Glyfada, Agios Gordios and the Paleokastritsa coves. The northeast coast is pebbly but calm and very clear for snorkeling.
Can you visit Albania from Corfu?
Yes. Ferries run from Corfu Town to Saranda, the base for the ruins of Butrint. Albania is not in the Schengen area, so bring your passport and expect EU entry checks on return.
Is Corfu open in winter?
Yes. Corfu Town is a year-round city, and Kayak showed 237 stays for mid-January. Note that the airport runway closes from January 20 to 28, 2027.
How do you get to Corfu from Athens?
Fly; it is the quickest. Overland, drive or take a bus to Igoumenitsa, then a ferry of about 1 hour 10 minutes from $6 (€5.60).
Further reading
Official sources
- ELSTAT, Arrivals in hotels, short-stay accommodation and campsites by regional unit, 2025 (final data, Table 3) – Corfu regional unit (including Paxi and the Diapontia islands) 2025: 1,558,455 hotel + 363,823 short-stay + 18,881 campsite arrivals; checked October 20, 2026
- INSETE Intelligence, 2025 annual review (Hellenic Ports Association and HCAA data) – 894,179 cruise passengers at Corfu in 2025 (+10%); 2,077,665 international air arrivals; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak hotel search, Corfu Town – Cheapest 3-star-or-better within 1.3 miles: $90 (January 13, 2027, Alepou) and $130 (July 14, 2027); 237 vs 259 stays; checked October 20, 2026
- Fraport Greece, Runway construction works at Corfu, Mitilini and Mykonos airports (September 8, 2026) – Corfu runway operations suspended January 20 to January 28, 2027; checked October 20, 2026
- Ferryhopper, Corfu to Igoumenitsa – Kerkyra Lines 13-17 daily and Kerkyra Seaways, 1 h 10 min to 1 h 30 min, from $6 (€5.60); checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia, Corfu – Old town added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007; Achilleion
- Wikipedia, Corfu International Airport and Athens International Airport airline tables – No US routes to CFU; US nonstops to Athens; checked October 20, 2026
- Greek Laws 5177/2025 (Art. 44) and 5162/2024 (Art. 27), via Taxheaven – Climate resilience fee by class and season; cruise fee $5.60 (€5) June-September; checked October 20, 2026
- US Department of State, Greece travel information; European Commission ETIAS and EES pages – Passport validity, 90-day stay; ETIAS not operating; EES fully operational April 10, 2026; checked October 20, 2026
- European Central Bank reference rate – One euro = $1.1225 on October 19, 2026
