The island of Corfu has been at the forefront of the most popular holiday destinations for years. It is not surprising, because this pearl of the Ionian Islands attracts crowds of tourists every year, thirsty for sun and rest on vacation.
The biggest magnet here is definitely the mild climate, which makes Corfu one of the greenest islands in Greece. If we add excellent weather together with the blue sea and various landscapes and rich history, we have a ready recipe for success. Corfu is an island with different faces, so it’s worth taking advantage of it on vacation.
Optional trips to Corfu
The best idea to explore the island of Corfu are optional trips that will help you see the entire area, including the nearby islands. In Corfu, just like in other places in the world, you can buy optional trips at local travel agencies, but also from people representing the holiday organizer with whom you came. The third option is also sightseeing on your own – then just rent a car and just go ahead.
How and where to buy optional trips on the island of Corfu?
However, it is definitely more convenient to take advantage of the optional trips offered. Not only that, while participating in them you have assured transport that will easily take you to every part of the island, but under the care of a pilot you will definitely see all the most interesting parts of the region. In addition, the pilot not only tells about the monuments encountered along the way, but also often quotes anecdotes related to the life of the island’s ordinary inhabitants.
Therefore, optional trips to Corfu are also a chance to get to know the local culture and customs. In addition, their big advantage is the organization of these trips in a smaller group. There is no place for rushing or treating people en masse.
All tour tourism slowly goes in this direction, focusing on the experience, there’s time for a stop and coffee, not the rush to tick off the next planned point. Therefore, it is worth considering buying optional trips in such small local travel agencies, while those bought from a resident who represents the organizer of your rest are sometimes more expensive and are not always available with a guide in the preferred language. However, we leave the decision to each individual.
The best optional trips in Corfu. Which to choose, which will be the best?
Getting to the point, which is what optional trips are available on the island of Corfu.
Trip around Corfu
The most popular trip is definitely a tour of the whole island and all interesting places. This touring program usually includes visiting the capital of Corfu – its old town with narrow streets, which due to their unique character have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See on the map where the old town of Corfu is:
Another must-see is Achillion, the property of the popular Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria, more commonly known as Sisi.
No trip will also pass the viewpoint on the Kanoni peninsula, from where you can see Mouse Island and the Vlacherna islet (monastery). It is here that the most convenient view of the landing planes.
The iron point of full-day optional excursions around the island of Corfu is also the Paleokastritsa bay, from where cruises to the beach inaccessible from the land side Chomi beach (Paradise beach) are often organized.
See on the map where the Chomi beach is located on the island of Corfu:
In turn, on the nearby hills that surround the bay there is an important monastery – Moni Theotokou. These types of round trips also reach one of the nicest viewpoints in Corfu, Bella Vista. It is often called the balcony of the Ionian Sea.
Other full-day optional excursions around the island may include visits to one of the kumquat distilleries, or wine cellars or oil presses, which are not lacking in Corfu. In addition, they focus on the more northern areas of the island.
For example, they take tourists to Sidaria, where the famous Love Channel is located, or Cape Drastis with the amazing jagged coast located nearby.
Some trips then visit the famous 7th Heaven cafe with a transparent floor or go to the ruins of the Angelokastro castle. The program also happens to climb the highest peak of Corfu – Pantokrator (906 m a.s.l.), from where you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the entire area.
What else is worth seeing on the island of Corfu using optional trips bought on site or at a travel agency?
Optional trip around the city of Corfu
Another optional trip to Corfu, in which visitors willingly take part, is to visit the capital itself.
And both during the day and at night, or rather late in the evening, after dark. The city of Corfu is a sensation on the Greek scale, because its buildings show the influence of successive usurpers. Venetian style of construction stands out especially in the architecture of the old city. For this reason, all trips around the capital cannot go without walking through the narrow streets of the old town, as well as visits to the church of St. Spirydon (patron of the island).
The iron point of each of them is also the passage under the famous arcades at Spianada Square. In the capital itself there is also the Old Fortress, a Venetian stronghold, to which admission is paid. In addition, in the city you can see the town hall, the cathedral with the chapel of St. Teodora, a new fortress and a royal palace from the 19th century.
Attractions for children on the island of Corfu
When it comes to attractions for children, there are several water parks on the island to choose from, trips to Aqualand and Hydropolis are the most popular. These are all-day trips to a place full of slides, pools and other water attractions for the whole family.
For lovers of cooking, a special trip has been prepared to small villages, hidden somewhere in the mountains, where you can learn how to prepare traditional Greek and, above all, Corfian dishes. You can also buy local products and handicrafts along the way and try local ice cream and Greek iced coffee. Optional tours in the culinary edition are becoming more and more popular.
Greek culinary evening
A nice experience is also taking part in the so-called Greek evening. It is an attraction organized rather in the evening, where participants are taken to one of the taverns. There, a real Greek feast awaits them, often richly sprinkled with local alcoholic beverages. And all this with the participation of traditional dances and songs.
Boat trip around the island of Corfu
Cruises have a completely separate category among the optional trips in Corfu. Here you can choose a full range of sea expeditions, from admiring the island from the water, to trips to nearby islands and even to other countries.
One of the most popular cruises is the one on Paxos and Antipaxos. This is a very relaxing trip to nearby, paradise, green islands. Along the way, you can enjoy the views and swim in the sea when the ship stops.
Many of the optional excursions to Corfu also include a swim to the Blue Caves, which is one of the major attractions of these islands. Then the ship stops on one of the sandy beaches or continues to ports located in the towns of Gaios or Lakka. Then passengers have free time to explore the area, go shopping or have dinner.
Visiting mainland Greece
Another suggestion of an optional trip from Corfu is a sea crossing to the shores of mainland Greece. Usually it is a cruise to Parga and Sivota, which are located on the Ionian coast. This trip is also for sightseeing and recreation. After sailing around the island of Corfu and sailing around the coast of Sivota, the ship is moored in Parga, where you can experience a truly Greek atmosphere. Then there is free time, and passengers can explore the area, go to the beach or have lunch in one of the traditional taverns. Sometimes a cruise to Parga is connected to the island of Paxos.
Blue Lagoon on the island of Corfu
Another type of cruises that can be purchased as an optional trip to Corfu is a sea crossing combined with grilling and a traditional cruise with a glass bottom. On the first one, the passengers go out to the beach (eg Blue Lagoon near the village of Sivota), after reaching the shore and enjoy sea and sunbathing baths.
During this time, the crew of the ship prepares grilled dishes, which then everyone will eat on the way back. Sometimes there is a crazy party going on on the ship. In contrast, the cruise on the glazed bottom is to admire the underwater world around the island of Corfu. Typical entertainment especially recommended for families with children.
Cruise to Albania from the island of Corfu
The last but not the worst option on an optional sea trip is a cruise to Albania. The country is away from Corfu by only an hour and a half by ferry. That is enough to get off in Albanian Saranda and get to know it is a state closed to tourists until recently. The town itself is just an example of what tourism in Albanian resorts might look like in the future. Saranda is subsidized, which can be seen with the naked eye. Moving a little further, deeper into the country, the views change significantly. Optional trips to Albania, in addition to a visit to Saranda, usually have a program of visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Butrint.
Discovered by accident, they are a perfectly preserved remnant of a place inhabited by Greeks, Romans and also Ottomans. On site you can admire, among others: the ancient amphitheater, Roman baths and remains of temples. The ruins are located within the Butrini National Park, where you can also see the Venetian tower (on the viewpoint) and the vast wetlands. On the way back to Saranda, some of the trips go to the Blue Eye (Syria and Kalter), which is an unusual water reservoir. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the source does not flow from the mountains, but flows from the underground. And in addition, it has an amazing blue-light shade.
After returning to Saranda, there is usually free time where tourists can eat before the return trip.
How much are optional trips on the island of Corfu? Let’s check the price list!
Prices for optional trips in Corfu
Below are the prices of the most popular optional trips in Corfu:
- Full-day trip to the most important places of Corfu 40-60 euro per person depending on the tour program
- trip around the capital of Corfu around 30 euro per person (Corfu at night from 27 euro)
- trip to the aquapark (transport + ticket) about 40 euro per person
- culinary trip with food sensations and cooking about 70 euro per person
- Greek evening about 40 euro per person
- Cruise to Paxos and Antipaxos around 35-40 euro per person
- Cruise to Parga and Sivota around 40 euro per person
- BBQ cruise around 40 euro per person
- Cruise with a glass bottom 30 euro per person
- Cruise – trip to Albania 30-40 euro per person depending on the tour program
What are the reviews and opinions of tourists about optional tours in Corfu?
Reviews of optional trips on the island of Corfu
If you are going on a holiday in Corfu, you will certainly be useful to the opinions of other tourists who previously chose this island for their successful vacation. If you have already had the opportunity to spend your holidays in Corfu, we encourage you to publish your impressions from these holidays in the form of opinions in the comments to this travel guide on optional trips to Corfu.
Learn more using the official website of the island of Corfu.
Map of the island of Corfu
Find on the map all the places of interest that you can visit during the optional trip of your choice: