Small Group Corfu Shore Excursion

Group tour
Duration: 5.5 h
By car
Moderate walking

Overview

Corfu has been Venetian, French and British and never Ottoman, which is why its old town looks Italian and its main square has a cricket pitch. This tour takes in the best of the island in five and a half hours: the cliffs and clear water of Paleokastritsa, the view over Mouse Island at Kanoni, and the UNESCO-listed old town.

The tour covers:

Paleokastritsa, its bays and the clifftop monastery
An optional boat trip to the sea caves, at extra cost
The viewpoint at Kanoni, Vlacherna convent and Mouse Island
The old town of Corfu, the Liston, the Spianada and the fortresses
Free time for lunch and shopping

Please note that the tour order and the time spent at each venue may vary.

What you will see

Paleokastritsa, its bays, its cliffs and its clear green water
The monastery above the sea, founded in the 13th century
Mouse Island seen from the terrace at Kanoni
The old town of Corfu, Venetian and UNESCO-listed
Time for lunch and shopping under the arcades of the Liston

Itinerary

Meeting at the port

Meeting at Corfu cruise port, where your guide and vehicle are waiting. The start time is adjusted to your ship's arrival.
Drive to Paleokastritsa

About forty-five minutes across the island through olive groves and hill villages
Paleokastritsa

Time at Paleokastritsa, a set of small bays between wooded cliffs on the west coast, with water so clear that the rocks show metres down. The monastery of the Virgin stands on the headland above, founded in 1225 and rebuilt in the 18th century, with a courtyard of bougainvillea and a small museum of icons. Boats run from the beach to the sea caves along the coast, an optional extra of about forty-five minutes.
Kanoni

A photo stop at Kanoni, looking down on the white convent of Vlacherna at the end of its causeway and, beyond it, the cypress-covered rock of Pontikonisi, Mouse Island, which legend says is the ship that carried Odysseus home turned to stone by Poseidon. The airport runway runs along the lagoon, so aircraft land almost at eye level.
Corfu Town

Nearly two hours in the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 and unlike anywhere else in Greece: four hundred years of Venetian rule left tall ochre houses and narrow kantounia, the French added the arcaded Liston in about 1807 in imitation of the rue de Rivoli, and the British left the Spianada, the largest square in Greece, where cricket is still played. Two Venetian fortresses guard the ends of the town. There is time for lunch and for shopping.
Return to the ship

Back at the port in good time for departure

Price includes

Full Day Private Shore Excursion by modern, air-conditioned vehicle
Pickup from Corfu port
Professional Tour Guide
Taxes

Not included

Food and drinks
Boat trip to caves of Paleokastritsa (optional activity available in Paleokastritsa, approx. 45 minutes, extra 10 eurosperson)
Gratuities (optional)