Overview
Corfu, the greenest Ionian island, has the iconic long-distance Corfu Trail leading from the southern tip of the island to its northernmost point. In this five-day Corfu Trail short break, you will start at the very beginning of the trail, where the island is at its narrowest, overlooking the sea to the east, south and west. Following the southern section of the trail, you will walk along ancient footpaths and winding paths above the coast, between olives and cypresses.
- Arkoudilas Beach
- Lefkimmi
- Santa Barbara/ Marathia Beach
- Issos Dunes and Lake
- Heritage olive groves
- West coast at Paramonas
- Strongili village
- Stavros View Point
- Benitses
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Asprokavos | 12km
Arrive at Corfu Airport and enjoy our complimentary transfer to your hotel at Asprokavos (50 km / ~ 1 hour). Meet our representative, who will brief you on the walks and give you the maps and the documentation needed for your trip. If arriving in the morning, afternoon optional loop walk Asprokavos-Spartera-Asprokavos. The shortest walk of the Corfu trail leads you to Corfu’s southernmost tip, where you will find the ruins of a monastery. You will continue through a forest to reach the sandy beach of Arkoudilas, where you will walk by the southern shore of the island to the northern end of the beach from where you walk up to Spartera and back along the road to Asprokavos.
- Accommodation: Mediterranean Blue Aparthotel or similar
- Walking for the day (if time permits): 12km, 3.5h, ↑250m
Day 2: Asprokavos to Santa Barbara | 22km
Crossing the island to the East through olive groves and fields, you reach Lefkimmi. Here, your path takes you through the old neighbourhoods and historic city centre of the town with its many churches. Leaving Lefkimmi, you will descend into the green valley of the Gardeno River. The last section of today´s walk leads you up again, so you will have splendid views of both the east and west coast of the island before you descend to the west coast to reach the beach at Santa Barbara.
- Accommodation: Perfect 10 Taverna’s studio apartments
- Walking for the day: 22km, 7-8h, ↑350m
Day 3: Santa Barbara to Paramonas | 20km
Today´s walk leads you along the west coast of Corfu, up through sand dunes and along the shore of Corfu´s biggest saltwater lagoon, Korission. Later you will leave the coastline and continue your walk through deserted ancient olive groves until descending to the small fishing village of Paramonas.
- Accommodation: Varangouli Apartments
- Walking for the day: 20km, 6h, ↑150m
Day 4: Paramonas to Benitses | 19km
Breakfast at Sunset tavern on the beach of Paramonas. As soon as you leave Paramonas, you will walk up on paths through olive groves. Once you reach the top, the views over the coastline are amazing. On the descent, you pass through small villages (Ano Pavliana, Kato Pavliana, and Vouniatades) to continue your walk through a heathland valley. After the village of Strongili, your way climbs again to reach today´s highest point at Dafnata, from where you have beautiful views. Afterwards, you descend on the road to Coyevinas, from where a forest trail takes you down to the coast at Benitses, where you will find many options to have a delicious goodbye dinner.
- Accommodation: Bella Vista Hotel & Studios or similar
- Walking for the day: 19km, 6-7h, ↑650m
Day 5: Departure or Onward Travel
Return home or individual stay extension.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in hand-picked studio apartments or small family-operated hotels. Some places are simple, but clean and all have private en-suite rooms. We have carefully hand-picked all places and regularly monitor their quality. We have tried to choose accommodations that offer friendly service, clean and comfortable rooms and local flavour.
Click to view default hotels
- Mediterranean Blue Aparthotel
- Bella Vista Hotel & Studios
- Varangouli Apartments
- Perfect 10 Taverna’s studio apartments
*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will give you the exact accommodation details upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is always included. Half board option is possible to order. In towns, there are multiple restaurants and taverns where you can sample the incredible local cuisine.
Difficulty and terrain
This holiday is suitable for walkers of good fitness (read more about difficulty grades). The terrain is varying from steep and exposed rocky footpaths to cobbled paths and asphalted roads. Routes are well signposted. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never shorten the way through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available between end-April and end-October. The tour can also be arranged in July and August, but please keep in mind that those months are too hot for walking, and an early start on the trail is recommended. Most hotels along the trail are closed in early spring and late autumn. If you want to visit Corfu in March, April or November, we can arrange a special itinerary to walk certain sections of the Corfu Trail, being based in Corfu Town. The flexibility of self guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Corfu (CFU). Complimentary airport transfers from/to Corfu airport are included.
Inclusions
Included
- Accommodation for 4 nights as listed in the itinerary
- 4 breakfasts
- Detailed pre-departure holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked
- Luggage transport to next hotel
- Complimentary airport transfers to/from Corfu Airport
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers from/to airports other than Corfu Airport
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- A supplement applies to members of a group who require a single room
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights in Corfu town or along the trail are bookable upon request
Gallery
