Corfu has been a popular beach holiday island for many years and there can be several charter flights a day during the summer season. The airport has domestic flights to Athens and Thessaloniki but the vast majority of traffic is in summer charter flights from Europe, most of which arrive on Monday and Friday.
Corfu is also a major port of call for ferries, notably from Italy, calling in on the way to mainland Patras. Some independent holidaymakers opt for cut-price flight sto Italy and a fast ferry to Corfu.
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Corfu has an international airport about 3km south of Corfu town called Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (CFU). It's notorious for long delays. It is clean and modern but a single terminal building serves both international and domestic flights.
Some efforts have been made to improve things such as outside seating beneath a sun canopy at busy times but passengers report flight time bottlenecks - especially on Monday and Friday, long shuffling queues, tour reps herding visitors around like cattle and just two carousels.
As well as the many package charter flights to Corfu are three flights daily to Athens and also flights to Thessaloniki on Monday, Thursday and Saturday both operated by Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines. The flight from either city takes about 50 min. EasyJet has flights to Corfu from Gatwick and Manchester.
For information on flights call the airport on (26630) 30180. Essential facilities include a bank and ATM, money exchange and a post office. There are telephones and toilets for the disabled. Once through to the departure lounge you get a reasonable amount of seating and a cafe and bar for drinks and snacks.
No public buses serve the airport itself, but bus #5 and #6 run along the main road in front of the airport to Corfu Town, about 500m from the entrance. It is about 15 minutes to Corfu Town. Regular buses pass throughout the day and many of the larger hotels have their own free minibus service.
For those travelling by car or taxi, Corfu town is 3km to the north on the route 25 Kerkira-Kanoni road. Taxis are also readily available outside the terminal but agree a price first. An information desk is in the Arrivals hall.
There is some limited car parking just outside the airport terminal. Browse some great deals from the range of cheap flights to Greece on this leading travel website.
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Ferries to and from Igoumenitsa on the mainland run hourly every day, 6am to 10pm. There are two types of ferries: the open ferry is cheaper but takes longer at 105 min while the larger catamarans and hydrofoils take abut 60 min. From the port of Igoumenitsa you can also sail to the southern part of Corfu at Lefkimi.
Daily ferry departures to Corfu are also available from Patras. Every Friday a ferry links Corfu to the Sagiada, on the mainland (40-45 min) and, four times a week, a hydrofoil goes to Paxos, sometimes direct, sometimes via Igoumenitsa. Get details of sailings from the Corfu port authority 26630) 32655.
Corfu is also on the ferry route between several ports of Italy's Adriatic coast and mainland Greece. There are daily sailings from Brindisi, Bari, Ancona, Trieste and Venice. The trip from Brindisi takes about 8 hrs; Ancona is about 12 hours and Venice around 24 hours. Boats continue on to Patras and then return.
Trieste, Ancona and Venice ferries are operated by Anek Lines; from Brindisi it is SNAV ferries and Blue Star Ferries from Bari. If you are traveling on foot you can buy tickets in Italy. If you want a cabin or you are taking a car then it is probably best to book in advance, especially during the summer season.
Many people fly to Italy and then take the ferry. You can drive to Italy but you have to consider the motorway tolls and get a special sticker for the car in Austria and Switzerland.
Summer ferry schedules may not be confirmed until April or May, and not published until then.
The information is as accurate as I can make it but note that ferry schedules can change at any time.
There is plenty of good accommodation throughout most of Corfu, the only exception being inland and along the wild south-west coast. Most of the big hotel accommodation is found north of Corfu along a 40km strip that extends from Corfu Town to Ipsos and centred around Gouvia. As well as big hotel complexes there are any number of small hotels, villas and apartment blocks.
Big hotels are also found along the north coast in the Roda and Sidari areas otherwise it tends to be luxury villas, small apartment blocks and rooms to let, especially in the north-east of Corfu around the Agni area. Smaller family hotels can be found on the north-west coast but, as you head down the west coast, both resorts and accommodation gets more scarce.
Those looking to escape the crowds should head inland where much of Corfu lies untouched by tourism. Simply Travel has a good selection of holiday accommodation off the beaten track.
Many hotels close down from November to March when the summer season ends and Corfu's wet and miserable winters set in, although a considerable number around Corfu Town stay open all year round. Some hotels in Corfu Town will offer substantial discounts out of season.
It's not a good bet to arrive on Corfu in July and August without a reservation but there is accommodation to be had and the local hotel and domatia owners still meet the incoming ferries to snap up any passing trade. The Corfu Room Owners' Association posts a list of hotels and phone numbers near the tourist office to the south-west of the main esplanade in Corfu Town.
Roads are generally good on Corfu, particularly in the east and north of the island. They deteriorate quickly though when you head inland and can quickly turn into dirt tracks in the less populated south-west. Car hire is plentiful on Corfu, with all the major resorts having several car and motorbike rental shops.
Daily bus services run to Corfu from Athens and Thessaloniki. For details telephone (26610) 30627, 39985. Corfu itself has two bus services - Blue Bus which serves Corfu Town and the surrounding area and KTEL (Green Bus) for routes to many resorts and villages on the island and several cities and towns on the mainland. The central bus station is in San Roko. Buses are modern and comfortable (some with air conditioning) but they can get full at popular times so it is best to get there early.
Timetables are posted on the bus stops but buses do wander around the villages sometimes as drivers like to drop local people off, even if the village is not on the posted route - so times can vary. Believe it or not you get used to it - it's the Greek way. Click here to find KTEL Corfu bus shedules online - they are in Greek but most services can be made out.
Taxis are plentiful but not as cheap as they used to be. Taxi drivers have been allowed to double their rates in the past year in return for better service. There are taxi stands in central areas of Corfu Town such as San Roko and Theotokis Street and you can also call radio-taxis (26610) 33811. Fares are often displayed in euro and British pounds for the most popular destinations and bigger taxi firms will quote you for island excursions.
