Hiking in Corfu, Greece

A fabulous destination in spring is Corfu in Greece. I was in Corfu hiking in April. April in Corfu is not too hot, but still warm. It can rain a little bit, but usually not nonstop - usually. Corfu is well-attended in spring, but it is still not crowded. Therefore, hiking in Corfu was the perfect journey for me in spring. In this blog entry I write more about my experiences hiking in Corfu, but also a little bit about all the birds I observed on the island.

Hiking in Corfu

Emerald green waters. Hiking through olive orchards. And maybe observing one or two flamingos? I exactly imagined hiking in Corfu in Greece like that. And yes. In several places in Corfu the water shines emerald green. And it is very probably to wander through olive orchards on a hike in Corfu. Olive orchards are very common in Corfu and characterize the landscapes in many places.

I very enjoyed every view onto the sea or onto the olive orchards in Corfu. However, to say it right away, I did not see any flamingo in Corfu. Unfortunately. There are flamingos in Corfu, but unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to observe these birds in Corfu. Instead of flamingos, however, I saw some other birds. Later I will write more about the few birds I saw in Corfu. Important to mention here is, that the focus of my journey to Greece was not wildlife watching that time, but hiking. As hiking in Corfu was so beautiful and as I saw some birds, I wanted to share my travel experiences in Corfu here on this blog.

Paleokastritsa-Angelokastro

A beautiful hike on the island is from Paleokastritsa - a small holiday resort about 20 km away from the town Corfu - to Angelokastro. Angelokastro is a former defensive work close to Krini.

Important to mention here is, that this hike is not a circular route. That means, the hike from Paleokastritsa to Angelokastro is about 8 km (a little bit less) and the path back as well. Thus, for the whole hike I had to walk about 15 km.

At the beginning, the hiking trail led from Paleokastritsa up to a small village which was called Lakones. This part of the trail was nice, because I hiked through a tree-covered area. Especially on a hot day, it is advantageous to have so many trees which provide shadow around. In Lakones I had to walk along the street. There was no trail for hikers. Thus, if you decide to walk this path, on this stretch you need to share the street with cars. As there were not many cars passing by, fortunately, it was still a beautiful and enjoyable part of the hike for me.

Along the hiking trail were several restaurants, small shops and a nice lookout. However, the lookout was more a stop for cars than for hikers, as I had already beautiful views onto the sea at so many other places. As mentioned before, I had to climb up to Lakones, and thus, from up there I had many beautiful views onto the surrounding landscapes.

When I reached the small village Krini, I knew that Angelokastro was close.

Nisaki-Kassiopi

Another beautiful hiking trail in Corfu is the one from Nisaki along the coast to the northeast of Corfu to the village Kassiopi. Although the hiking trail led along the coast, I needed a hiking app. Especially the last kilometres to Kassiopi were not exactly along the coast. Thus, it was quite difficult for me to find the right path, as furthermore, several crossroads were without signs. At the end of the hike, I was already a little bit tired, and therefore, I was happy that I didn't have to walk long detours. At the beginning of the hike in Nisaki, the hiking app was also quite helpful, as some trails were a little bit hidden. It was impressive for me, that the app even new private footpaths, which I - because of the app - did not use. In one situation - it was in the middle of the hike - the app led to a path, which I wouldn't have seen because of the vegetation.

Nevertheless, it was not that difficult to walk on this hiking trail. I was overwhelmed again by the stunning landscapes. Trails along the coast. Emerald green waters. And several beautiful, small villages. I very enjoyed this hike. Although I was a little bit tired at the end, it was not a very challenging hike. But of course, there were some small hills to climb up and down. As a reward I got some more amazing views onto the landscapes. For this hiking trail I walked again about 15 km. If you decide for this trail, you can also extend the hike by visiting the small village Agios Stefanos. Again, this hike was not a round trip, but from Kassiopi you can take a bus to get back, for example, to Corfu Town.

Luckily, Corfu did not burn in April, and hopefully, it will not burn in the future! However, there were here and there small fires, because the people in Corfu burn their rubbish.

In some places you meet many cats. Interestingly, I observed, that cats in Corfu rather gather in groups than living solitary which would be typical for cats. I thought, that maybe they just stay close as a group at a place where people feed them...

Sidari-Cape Drastis

The coastal village Sidari is usually a lively place in Corfu. However, in April, there were not many things to do in the village. But that was not necessary at all, because from Sidari you can go on amazing hikes. And this again - like from Nisaki to Kassiopi - along the coast. Only some parts of the hiking trail led through tree-covered regions including many olive trees.

My hike started in Sidari from where I visited at first the Canal d'Amour. The Canal d'Amour is a rock tunnel which connects two small coves between sandstone rocks. In April, the village appeared to me as being very quiet. However, when I looked at the surroundings, the village might be quite crowded in summer during the peak season. I met some tourists, but it was still very quiet. Many restaurants were even closed. I just found one open restaurant at the end of my hike. I could image that this place might be quite busy in summer.

Nevertheless, hiking in Corfu from Sidari to the Cape Drastis in April is a wonderful destination. Tree-covered stretches alternate between shadeless paths. Sometimes the hiking trail led up a small hill and sometimes down. After leaving Sidari behind, there was a hiking trail that took me along the coast to the Cape Drastis.

The sun was shining on that day as bright as she could. The sea showed its most beautiful blue. And the snow-covered mountains on the other side contributed to the spectacular views I got on that day.

Hiking in Corfu was just so wonderful!

Similar to the other two trails, the hike was about 15 km long. This was, however, a circular hiking trail. The hike to the Cape Drastis led along the coast, while the other part back to Sidari was through tree-covered areas. Only the last part of the hiking trail through the village was on the same path. It is also possible to walk back the same route along the coast.

At the end of the tour, I went to the only open restaurant (with sea view!).

Monastery Vlacherna-Achilleion

A hike close to the town Corfu is the one from the monastery Vlacherna to the Achilleion. There was a bus in Corfu Town which stopped at the bus stop Kanoni E from where I got a great view onto the monastery Vlacherna. Then I took the close-by steps down to visit the monastery Vlacherna.

Along the path to the monastery, I saw many boaters which took visitors to the small island Pontikonisi. Of course, I visited the island Pontikonisi as well. By boat, it only took a few minutes to get to this island. The island is indeed quite small. Thus, it took me only a few minutes to get around the island, although I didn't hurry. I observed several boats which constantly took visitors there and back. Therefore, it was not crowded at all on Pontikonisi.

Interestingly, from the island Pontikonisi and the monastery Vlacherna I could observed quite well airplanes taking off and landing from the nearby airport.

The hiking trail from the monastery Vlacherna to the Achilleion was about 5 km long, and again, very beautiful. The hiking trail did not lead directly along the coast, but here and there I got a nice view onto the sea.

The Achilleion was closed on that day in April. I was, by the way, not the only one who did not know that. Apparently, there was even no information on the official website of the Achilleion that the building and its surroundings would be closed for a longer time. The Achilleion is a palace, which the Empress of Austria - Sissi - let to be build.

I did not walk the same way back to the monastery Vlacherna. Instead, I took another path which went steeply downhill. The hiking trail ended at a street, which led along the coast. Unfortunately, there was no specific hiking trail, and thus, sometimes I had to walk on the same road with the cars passing by. At times, there was a sidewalk. Walking by the sea was marvelous, but the noise of the cars was a little bit annoying. There were more cars as I was used to on other hiking trails. But still, I would have preferred this path than the other path back to the monastery Vlacherna, because like that I saw more different parts of the island.

Kavos

Kavos is a small village in the south of Corfu. They say that this area is very touristic in summer. In April it was quite the contrary. It was very, very quiet. The place seemed to me even weirdly quiet. Some beach sections were untidy. The bus ride took some time to get from Corfu Town to Kavos. Furthermore, I could not find a long and nice hiking trail. Thus, I would rather recommend the other previous mentioned hikes than one around Kavos.

Corfu Town

Even in Corfu Town you can walk and explore a lot. Be it through the numerous, pretty, and narrow streets in the Old Town. Or a stroll along the promenade. But also, the many tourist attractions or the many small shops in the town are worth to explore by a stroll through Corfu Town.

Regarding tourist attractions. How about visiting the Old Fortress in the east of the town? The Old Fortress is located close to the Esplanade - the main square at the edge of the Old Town - which offers spectacular views onto Corfu Town.

The Esplanade is a very vivid place where people in Corfu Town meet. There are also several restaurants close-by.

In Corfu Town it is also beautiful to stroll through the park where you can visit the castle Mon Repos. You can connect a stroll through the park with a stroll along the promenade. You can also connect a stroll through this park with a walk to the monastery Vlacherna.

It was very convenient in Corfu Town, that there were so many city buses, which connected the city centre with other parts of the town.

Birds in Corfu

Although I was not in Corfu to primarily observe birds or other wildlife, I still saw some. Especially noticeably were the numerous swallows and swifts above Corfu Town. I remember very well the calls of the swallows and swifts in the evening when they were circling around the Old Town. Thus, a stroll in the evening hours is especially beautiful in Corfu Town. Although I was a little bit tired of the day hikes, I could still enjoy every minute of their presence. Here and there I met seagulls and pigeons. But I also observed house sparrows at some places in Corfu Town.

Outside of Corfu Town I could listen to some tits. But usually, I didn't see much of them. Either they were hiding or I just saw them from far away. I could also hear the typical songs of Eurasian blackcaps. However, these birds, again, were quite elusive and didn't show much. At times, I saw a Eurasian blackbird. On one hike - the hike from Sidari to the Cape Drastis - I observed several Eurasian jays. Was it always the same one? Or were there many Eurasian jays around?

Unfortunately, I did not see any flamingo. But instead, I saw a little egret close to the monastery Vlacherna in the water apparently searching for food.

Apart from that, I did not see many more wild animals - was it because the focus of my journey was hiking in Corfu?

Practical information

Accommodation

In Corfu Town there are several possibilities to find an accommodation - be it in the town or outside of the town. I was in Corfu Town, because I travelled by bus. The other advantage for me staying in Corfu Town was the central location. Corfu Town is located more or less in the centre of the island from where buses headed to the north or the south.

I cannot recommend a specific accommodation in Corfu Town or in other parts of the island, because there are so many different possibilities and I know, that one accommodation could be good for me but not for another one. However, I very enjoyed staying in the Old Town.

Transportation

Corfu has a quite good bus traffic. The address of the bus terminal in Corfu Town is: Green Buses Terminal - KTEL, Leof. Eptanisou, Kerkira 491 00, Greece. There is an official website of the Green Buses, however, this website was not very helpful in my opinion. For me it was more helpful to get the information about bus connections at the bus terminal.

At the bus terminal you also get information about the bus routes and the timetables within the town. There is a separate website of the urban buses.

More information

Have you ever done hiking in Corfu? If yes, which hiking trails did you get to know? Have you observed any wildlife? Please let me know in the comments.