A Corfu shore excursion takes cruise passengers from the ship to the sights of the island and back before sailing. This page covers the pickup, the timing, the stops, the tour types and the season. The homepage lists more Greece Tours like this one.
Each tour card below opens a live GetYourGuide booking. Dates, departure times and group sizes are shown there.
What is a Corfu shore excursion and who is it for?
A Corfu shore excursion is a tour made for cruise passengers. It starts at the cruise terminal, comes with a tour leader or a driver, and ends back at the port. The formats run from a shared bus to a private van.
One Corfu shore excursion is a half-day bus tour sold only to cruise passengers. The bus goes to Paleokastritsa and to Corfu Town. Round-trip transport from the cruise terminal is part of the tour. A local tour leader assists the group all day. Food, drinks, entry tickets and beach towels are not included.
If you plan to cross into Turkey as well, the homepage also lists Turkey tours.
The city highlights tour is a different kind of Corfu shore excursion. The page for it calls the tour ideal for passengers who want a stress-free look at the top sights. It is a bus tour with photo stops and free time in the Old Town. Food, drinks and entrance fees are not included.
A private Corfu shore excursion swaps the shared bus for a van with a local driver. The page for it is aimed at passengers who want to avoid group tours. Passengers choose a beach escape, a sightseeing tour or a mix of both, so the day follows their own plan. Fuel, tolls and taxes are part of the private tour.
Another Corfu shore excursion centres on Paleokastritsa and offers a choice. Passengers spend free time on the beach, or they add an optional boat tour of the coast. The page for this format describes it as tailored for first-time visitors to Corfu.
So a Corfu shore excursion suits cruise passengers who want the route, the ride and the return to port planned. Passengers who want a fixed route choose the shared bus. Passengers who want to set the route choose the private van.
Corfu is one of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. It is the northernmost island on the west coast of Greece, apart from its satellite islands, the Diapontian Islands. Together they mark the border between the Ionian Sea in the south and the Adriatic Sea in the north. The International Hydrographic Organization sets this border.
The northeastern edge of Corfu lies off the coast of Sarandë in Albania. The southeastern side of the island lies off the coast of Thesprotia on the Greek mainland. The island has a population of 99,134 people. That figure is dated two thousand and twenty-one.
The capital and largest city of the regional unit is also named Corfu. This post calls it Corfu Town to keep the two apart. The municipal unit of Corfu has 40,047 residents, a figure from the same year.
The Old Town of Corfu was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in two thousand and seven. It is listed as a cultural site. The listed area covers 70 hectares, and a buffer zone of 162 hectares surrounds it. Both bus tours include free time there. That part of a Corfu shore excursion happens inside a World Heritage site.
How does a Corfu shore excursion fit between docking and sailing time?
A Corfu shore excursion starts at the cruise terminal and ends with a ride back to the ship. The Paleokastritsa and Old Town bus tour takes five to six hours. The city highlights bus tour takes four hours.
The cruise port lies a short walk from the historic centre of Corfu Town. The port lists the city centre at 2 km, or 15 minutes on foot.
The port has seven quays, 2,240 metres long in total, with a quay depth of 8 to 11 metres. It has two passenger terminals, one for cruise ships and one for ferries. The bus tours for a Corfu shore excursion start at the cruise terminal.
On the Paleokastritsa and Old Town tour, you leave the terminal through the arrivals area. The tour leader waits there with a sign and assists you all day. The city highlights tour meets at the exit of the cruise terminal building. When you book it, you give your cruise ship name and your arrival and departure times.
Here is the order of a Corfu shore excursion by bus. The air-conditioned bus drives about 30 minutes from the port to Paleokastritsa. You spend 2 hours there. Then the bus travels on to Corfu Town for a panoramic tour of the city.
In Corfu Town, the bus drops you at the entrance of the Old Town, where no vehicles can drive. From that point you explore on foot at your own pace. You get 1 hour 30 minutes there for shopping, lunch and exploring.
The Corfu shore excursion closes with a ride back to the ship. Round-trip transport from the cruise terminal comes with both bus tours. The bus tour promises to get you back to your cruise ship with safety and comfort. The last bus ride back to the ship is short.
The city highlights bus tour is the four-hour option. It is a panoramic sightseeing tour by air-conditioned modern bus. The tour has free time in the Old Town to explore, shop and eat. It ends with a ride back to Corfu port, and the tour promises a return in time for your departure.
A private Corfu shore excursion lets you set the clock. The private custom tour lasts 4 or 6 hours, and you pick a morning, noon or afternoon start. An air-conditioned minibus with a driver collects you at the cruise ship port or at another place you choose. The tour ends with a drop-off at the cruise terminal.
Not every tour starts at the port. The Kanoni, Pelekas and Lakones half-day tour runs 4 hours as a group tour in an air-conditioned minivan. The minivan waits at the Old Fortress ticket booth. At the end of the tour, you return to that meeting point.
The bus tour, the city tour, the private tour and the minivan tour share one timing rule. Being late on pick-up or departure counts as not showing up. For a Corfu shore excursion, that means reaching the meeting point on time.
Which places does a Corfu shore excursion reach?
A Corfu shore excursion can reach Paleokastritsa on the west coast, the Old Town, Kanoni, Pelekas and Lakones. A longer bus day trip adds Kassiopi, a harbour town on the north-east coast.
Paleokastritsa is a village on the west coast of Corfu, just south of Angelokastro. It is known for its cliffs and nearby beaches. A Corfu shore excursion with a beach stop leaves time on an organised beach with sunbeds. Olive trees fill the cliffs and mountains behind the bay.
The Monastery of Theotokos stands on the hilltop of the peninsula above the bay. It was founded at the start of the thirteenth century, and the buildings seen today are later. A small museum holds Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons. On one Corfu shore excursion the monastery is a hilltop photo stop.
One shore trip gives a choice at Paleokastritsa. You can swim and sunbathe on the beach for one hour, or take a boat to nearby coves and caves. The boat ride is optional, and it depends on the weather and the season. The same trip then spends one hour in the Old Town.
Another format swaps the beach for a food stop. Paleokastritsa takes one hour. Then comes a 45-minute tasting of local products at a family-owned business. This Corfu shore excursion closes with one hour and 30 minutes in the Old Town.
The Spianada is a large square directly in front of the Old Fortress. A cricket ground takes up a large part of it. The Liston runs beside the square. It was built during the French period and recalls a Parisian boulevard. Cafes and restaurants fill its arcades.
The Old Fortress covers the promontory between the Gulf of Kerkyra and Garitsa Bay. The Venetians dug a moat that turned the citadel into an artificial island. A Corfu shore excursion on the city highlights route lists the fortress at one edge of the Esplanade.
The Old Town has clear Venetian influence. About 70 per cent of the buildings from before the twentieth century are from the British period, say ICOMOS experts. Sir Thomas Maitland built the Palace of St Michael and St George, a large structure of white Maltese stone. The church of St Spyridon holds the tomb of the island’s patron saint.
Pontikonisi means Mouse Island. A Byzantine chapel of Christ Pantokrator, from the eleventh or twelfth century, stands on the islet. A Corfu shore excursion on the city highlights route starts with views of Vlacherna Monastery and Mouse Island. The half-day route to Kanoni adds an airport runway built into a lagoon.
Pelekas is a village in the central part of Corfu. On the half-day route, a Corfu shore excursion stops at Kaiser Throne there. It is a viewing platform on a craggy rock with views of the island. Lakones is a hillside village. Its Bella Vista stop looks over the Ionian Sea.
Kassiopi lies on the north-east coast of Corfu. The remains of Kassiopi Castle still stand above the village. Its fortifications are mainly Byzantine, and the Venetians fortified the walls further. A longer bus day trip lists a walk around the harbour town, with free time to explore.
Which months, clothes and rules suit a Corfu shore excursion?
A Corfu shore excursion fits the cruise months. The port schedules more than 70 ship calls a month from late spring to September. July’s average daily high is 31.2 °C, so pack grippy shoes, sun protection and a monastery cover-up.
A Corfu shore excursion needs a ship in port, so the ship calendar sets the season. The port names late spring to September as its peak months, with more than 70 cruise ship calls in each. Ships still call in October, November and December.
In April the average daily high is 19.1 °C. The record counts 12.2 rainy days in the month and 65.2 mm of rain. In late spring the average high is 24.0 °C and the rainy days drop to 7.7. These figures come from the long-term record of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service.
Summer is hot and dry. The average daily high is 28.2 °C in June, 31.2 °C in July and 31.5 °C in August. A July Corfu shore excursion meets 3.3 rainy days in the whole month and 8.7 mm of rain. That makes July the driest month in the record.
September has an average daily high of 27.5 °C, with 87.8 mm of rain over 7.4 days. In October the high is 23.2 °C, and rain climbs to 140.4 mm over 11.4 days. November and December are the wettest months, at 187.1 mm and 189.9 mm.
Footwear comes first on a Corfu shore excursion. The Old Town has cobbled lanes, so choose shoes made for walking on stone. Pick grippy soles, because polished stones can surprise a walker.
Sun protection matters on breezy days too. Stone streets reflect heat, so drink water, find shade and reapply sunscreen. Pack a hat and light layers. The bus tour with beach time does not supply towels or beach amenities, so bring your own.
The Paleokastritsa monastery asks for modest dress. Shoulders and knees stay covered, and sleeveless tops, short skirts and short shorts are not appropriate inside. Shawls are available at the entrance to cover shoulders and legs. A Corfu shore excursion with a monastery stop follows this rule.
The half-day bus tour with a beach stop and an optional boat trip is not wheelchair or scooter accessible. Walkers need to be moderately fit for it. Infants must sit on an adult’s lap on that tour. A private full-day tour is listed as suitable for all fitness levels, with infant seats available.
Booking ahead carries a deadline. The Paleokastritsa and Old Town bus tour can be cancelled for free until 24 hours ahead of the trip. Cancelling later, or not turning up, costs the full price, and being late for pick-up counts as not turning up. The private van tour has the same 24-hour rule for a Corfu shore excursion.
The bus Corfu shore excursion to Paleokastritsa and the Old Town has an English-speaking tour leader. Its audioguide comes in 6 languages. A private van tour gives you an English-speaking driver and no professional guide inside the monuments. The bus tour with a beach stop and an optional boat trip is offered in English.