Beautiful Corfu

For walkers of average fitness, with no luggage to carry. 4 to 6 hours of walking per day. Elevation gain varies between 250 and 600m per day. No technical difficulties: walking on paths, tracks and along the beach.

You carry only a small backpack with your belongings for the day, your picnic lunch and snacks for the walk.

From 2 people.

8 days / 7 nights.

We provide a digital travel pack that includes access to our smartphone navigation app, a list of your accommodation, any vouchers required and all the information you need for your trip to run smoothly. If you wish, we can provide a printed travel pack with maps, a route guide and a travel wallet (at an additional charge). For printed travel pack requests made less than 45 days before departure, and for travellers living abroad, the packs will be sent to your first hotel.

Accommodation

At the lower end of the village, above Liapades Bay: accommodation in a room for two, in an apartment or a guesthouse with a bathroom, or in a hotel. Comfort equivalent to 2* or 3*. Triple rooms are available on request, with limited availability. Single rooms can be booked on request.

Villa Papoulas, Liapades, Corfu

Meals

Breakfast included. Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

Start

On Day 1 at Kerkyra Airport (Corfu Town)

End

On Day 8 at Kerkyra Airport (Corfu Town)

Flights

Flights are not included. Confirm trip availability and the current itinerary with our team before booking travel to Corfu.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim during a day’s walk or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and undertaken at your own risk.

For current information about our responsible-travel commitments, see our story.

For carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition or a reasonably compact suitcase. One bag per person, with a weight limit of 15kg

Find out how to pack your hiking backpack in our magazine.

For hiking
For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. As a general rule, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which traps moisture next to your body (and dries slowly), and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a sturdy heel counter, a good treaded sole and reliable waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• Technical T-shirts or base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Telescopic walking poles can help on uneven ground; see our guide to hiking poles.

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing has also become available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of not developing sweat odours!

For your lunchtime picnic

• Your cooking kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – mandatory –; an insulated flask for winter

Protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly waterproof trousers

After your activities

• A pair of running shoes for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• Personal medication and a suitable first-aid kit; ask a pharmacist or clinician what is appropriate for you.

Check your packing list against the confirmed itinerary before departure.

This list is provided as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

Country: Greece (Hellenic Republic)
Capital: Athens

Check current entry requirements with your national travel authority before departure. If you are eligible for a European Health Insurance Card, check that it remains valid for your trip; it does not replace travel insurance.

International dialling code for Greece: +30.

Check the local time difference for your travel dates.

Winter is generally mild on the island. However, rainfall can be heavy, especially from December to February, which explains the island’s lush greenery. Air temperatures range between 10 and 15°C, and water temperatures between 14 and 18°C. In spring, the weather is mild. Air temperatures range between 15 and 25°C, and sea temperatures between 16 and 22°C. Summer brings the most sunshine, and sea temperatures range from 24 to 26°C. Autumn is slightly milder than spring, with average temperatures ranging from 23°C in September to 15°C in November; the water remains warm in September and October (around 22 to 25°C).

Greek, English and sometimes a little French.

Euro.

• The Greek Summer: by J. Lacarrière, published by Plon
• Lawrence Durrell: Prospero’s Cell
• Albert Cohen: Mangeclous (the story, supposedly set on Kefalonia, actually describes the town of Corfu)

The Corfu Trail
Created in 2001 and stretching for 220km, the route crosses varied landscapes away from the island’s busiest tourist areas. From the vast beaches dotted with junipers in the south of the island, through the olive groves of the central region, to the karst plateau and steep mountain gorges in the north, the Corfu Trail takes in all the beauty and diversity of an island whose seaside tourism reveals only a small part of what it has to offer. While some sections of the Corfu Trail are of limited interest, our route explores its most beautiful paths, avoiding the less attractive areas.

A little culture
Corfu is an island with many facets.
Its inhabitants' age-old love of the arts, culture and trade now blends harmoniously with olive cultivation, imposed by the Venetian occupiers, livestock farming and the high-quality tourism that has flourished on the island for many years.

Local customs, which include many Western influences evident in the music, churches and even the island’s distinctive dialect, have in no way changed the character of the people of Corfu.
Beyond its natural beauty and fascinating history, Corfu also conveys to visitors the simple, sincere values of its people, along with their joyfulness and natural affinity for singing, dancing and art.
During the religious processions, the enduring presence of ancient traditions is clearly apparent. These traditions retain all their strength and vitality to this day, expressed with such beauty and authenticity that they are sure to move visitors.
The people of Corfu have a deep religious faith, characterised by their veneration of Saint Spyridon, who is considered the island’s patron saint. They have a distinctive relationship with him and turn to him with all their problems, in times of both joy and sorrow.
They express this intense devotion through numerous local festivals and religious celebrations. The most important and spectacular of these are the processions of Saint Spyridon, which take place four times a year.
Easter Procession
This procession commemorates the island’s deliverance from a deadly cholera epidemic through the Saint’s intervention.
It was established in 1673 by the Venetian government. Many traditions associated with the seasons of major agricultural activities, such as harvesting and grape picking, and with the various daily activities of farmers and fishermen continue to this day.
On the Saturday morning of the week of Lent, a strange noise accompanies the ringing of the bells: it comes from the smashing of clay pots, which the people of Corfu throw from their balconies.
This custom recalls the joy of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, who, according to tradition, were the first to see Christ’s open tomb. It also carries on the pagan custom of replacing household crockery with the arrival of spring.