7 Tips for a Perfect Corfu Trip
You can’t go wrong with a trip to the gorgeous Greek island of Corfu. From the delicious local food to the incredible beaches, Corfu is easily my favorite destination to date. Even in 2024, no trip has been better than my Corfu trip!
Your trip will be great no matter what! These tips are to help you have an even better one.
This post contains affiliate links that earn me a commission. For more information, read my disclaimer.
1. Get water shoes
I mention the need for water shoes in my Corfu Beaches blog post because they are a must-have. I really wish I had gotten some before our trip because the rocks on the beach and the sea urchins in the water are not ideal to navigate with bare feet.
The rocks on the shore get burning hot, while the rocks in the water can be painful and clumsy to step on. I often had to borrow my husband’s water shoes since they worked so well for the rocky beaches!
There were a few sandy beaches, mostly on the west side of the island, where water shoes were not needed. If you plan on visiting beaches in the north or east, get some water shoes for a nicer beach experience.
Don’t be like me and skip the water shoes because you think they will look dorky. Hobbling across the beach as you navigate hot and sharp rocks is much more dorky looking than water shoes!
2. Rent a car
You may be able to stay in areas that are more walkable or where you can take some public transportation, but to get around the whole island, you’ll need a car.
The streets in Corfu are tiny, and so are the cars!
We had the best time driving around in the teeny car we rented and loved it! I found it pretty easy to drive everywhere and the convenience was unbeatable. Our trip wouldn’t be half as great without the rented car.
We used Corfu Explore Car Hire and highly recommend them! There are tons of other car rental places as well if they’re not available.
3. Start the day early
It gets hot in summer. It was 95-100ºF each day we were there at the end of June and midday was not comfortable to be outside for hours.
Not only is it much cooler in the morning, but there are also fewer crowds the earlier you get out! We did the most touristy things first thing in the morning since we knew it would get crowded starting around 11am.
Some activities/attractions that are best done earlier in the day:
La Grotta Beach Bar
Porto Timoni Beach hike
Snorkeling
Get those hikes in early before it heats up! And don’t forget your sunscreen — my favorite face sunscreen and body sunscreen are from Coola! It’s reef-safe, goes on like a moisturizer, and doesn’t have a white cast.
4. Bring mosquito repellent
I left Corfu with more than a tan and good memories – I left with about a dozen massive mosquito bites too! Whether you bring repellent or just some good anti-itch cream, I highly recommend something to deal with mosquitos and their bites.
While I try to use natural products, the natural mosquito repellent just doesn’t seem to work. One of the highest-rated repellents is the OFF Deep Woods insect repellent. As for bites, I used Exederm and that seemed to relieve the itch!
You can see a couple of my mosquito bites on my leg in this photo (lol).
5. Go out to eat often
The restaurants in Corfu have the most incredible food! Every restaurant we visited not only had incredible food but also had kind people working there and seemed to all be family-owned.
I cannot recommend the restaurants in Corfu enough! The food is inexpensive (at least compared to other places I’ve been) and worth every penny. If you’re able to, go out to eat for every meal!
A few of my favorite restaurants in Corfu:
Sagrado
Favella
Coffee Lovers
Lucciola Garden
Ta Diktia
For a full list, visit my Best Restaurants in Corfu post.
6. Stay local
There are plenty of hotels to stay at around the island and it can be difficult to decide where to stay in Corfu, but staying at a local home or apartment will give you an experience you can’t get at a hotel.
Our first rental was in Corfu Town, which doesn’t actually have hotels – just apartments to rent. We got a gorgeous two-bedroom apartment with a balcony right on the water. Our second rental was a lovely cottage loft in a more local area in Dassia. It was close to tons of amazing restaurants and we even had a private pool and backyard!
Use the map below to search for apartments, homes, and hotels in Corfu:
If the map is not loading, try turning off your ad blocker and refreshing the page.
7. Don’t plan too strictly
Some days take more energy than others, which might make it hard to follow a packed schedule. I love to fill my days on trips, but between the heat and spending all our energy walking, swimming, and hiking, a strictly planned itinerary just wouldn’t have worked.
My best suggestion is to research the places you want to go and things you want to do ahead of time and write them down on a list, then at the end of each day, plan which things you’ll do the next day.
If you’re someone who likes to book specific tours ahead of time, try to only book a couple so you aren’t too tied to a schedule!
This way, you will be able to gauge your energy level and what you’re up for!
