Corfu Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Corfu Trail is a long-distance walking route along the whole length of Corfu, the green island off the north-west coast of Greece. It starts just south of Kavos, at the southern tip, and ends on Agios Spyridon beach in the far north, after rounding the Agia Ekaterini headland, the island's northernmost point. It was created by long-time Corfu resident Hilary Whitton Paipeti and welcomed its first hikers in 2001. It is waymarked with yellow "CT" signs and walked from south to north, so the most dramatic scenery comes at the end. Most people take about ten days, sleeping in small hotels, family-run studios and rooms above tavernas.

The route

The first days cross the flat, rural south: olive groves and forest past the ruined Arkoudilla monastery, the market town of Lefkimmi, then the long sandy west coast and the juniper dunes of the Korission lagoon. From Paramonas the trail climbs inland through the hill villages of Pavliana to Stavros above Benitses, then over Agii Deka, Corfu's second highest mountain, to Pelekas. The middle of the walk follows old paths and olive-grove tracks through Vatos, the Ropa valley and Liapades to the bays of Paleokastritsa. In the north it climbs the cobbled mule paths of Lakones and Makrades, drops down a remarkable zigzag path to Agios Georgios Pagon, and crosses the quiet northern hills to Sokraki. The last two days cross the bare karst plateau of Mount Pantokrator to the half-deserted Venetian village of Old Perithia, then descend through oak woods to the north coast.

This guide follows the route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 10 stages, about 15.5 km each, following the official ten-day planner. The official site gives 180 km; the line used here measures about 155 km, because the planner has dropped a loop on the north-east coast and the official stage distances are rounded. The highest point on the trail is about 760 m on the Pantokrator ridge; the summit (about 906 m) is a detour.

Highlights

• Arkoudilla: a ruined monastery in the forest above the white cliffs of the southern tip, on the first morning
• Korission lagoon: wild beaches, dunes and juniper forest beside a large coastal lagoon
• Agii Deka: a steep climb to Corfu's second highest summit, with views over Corfu Town and the mainland
• Myrtiotissa and Paleokastritsa: a famous small beach on stage 6 and the green bays and monastery at its end
• Lakones, Makrades and the cliff path: cobbled paths, a detour to the Angelokastro castle, and the zigzag path down a sheer cliff to Agios Georgios
• Pantokrator and Old Perithia: the wildest scenery on the island, then a Venetian mountain village of stone houses and tavernas
• The north coast: the Antinioti lagoon and the rocky Agia Ekaterini headland at the end

When to walk the Corfu Trail

The best months are May to early June and mid-September to October: spring brings wild flowers and orchids, and in autumn the sea is still warm. July and August are hot and humid for long days on open tracks, and beds in the resorts are busy. The trail is open all year, but most rooms and tavernas in the beach resorts and villages close from late October until late April or May, and after heavy rain some paths are muddy and streams hard to cross.

How many days do you need?

Ten days of walking, with stages from about 10 to 24 km and 3 to 8 hours. The longest days are Pelekas to Paleokastritsa (about 24 km) and Agios Georgios Pagon to Sokraki, which climbs about 850 m. You can walk the southern or northern half in five days each, and buses make it easy to skip a section. Fast walkers combine stages 7 and 8 or 9 and 10, but those are long, steep days.

Getting there and logistics

Corfu airport is just south of Corfu Town, and ferries arrive from Igoumenitsa on the mainland (some to Lefkimmi) and from Italy. Almost all buses start in Corfu Town: green KTEL buses go to Kavos, Lefkimmi, Agios Georgios South, Agios Mattheos (near Paramonas), Liapades, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios Pagon, Sokraki and Acharavi, and blue city buses go to Benitses and Pelekas. Timetables change often in summer and services are sparse in winter, so check them before each day. From Agios Spyridon you can walk to the main road at Almyros or New Perithia for a bus, or take a taxi.

There are no permits or fees. Accommodation is the main thing to plan: the official planner lists only limited beds at Lefkimmi, Paramonas, Stavros, Sokraki and Old Perithia, so book these early. At Stavros most walkers stay in Benitses, 1-2 km below the trail, and the official stage 7 end at Agros has no beds, so this guide ends that stage at Agios Georgios Pagon. Wild camping is illegal in Greece; the only campsite on the route is at Paleokastritsa. Local agencies offer self-guided trips with rooms booked and bags carried.

Money and phone signal

Greece uses the euro. Resort hotels take cards, but small studios, tavernas and village shops often want cash. There are ATMs in Kavos, Lefkimmi, Benitses, Pelekas, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios Pagon and Acharavi, but none in Sokraki or Old Perithia. Mobile signal is good near villages and resorts but can drop in deep valleys and on the mountain, so download the track and the map before you set off.

What to pack

Light walking boots or trail shoes with good grip for rocky and muddy paths, sun hat, sunscreen and at least 2 litres of water per person: there are long sections without shops, notably stage 2, the Korission dunes and the Pantokrator plateau. Bring a light waterproof, a small first-aid and blister kit, and the GPS track on your phone with a power bank. The Anavasi 1:40,000 Corfu map shows the trail.

Safety

The Corfu Trail is a moderate walk with no technical sections, but the first day is surprisingly tiring and the climbs on stages 4, 5 and 8 are steep. The waymarks are infrequent and easy to miss, and white-green race marks sometimes lead you the wrong way, so check the track at every junction. Cross the Pantokrator plateau only in settled weather: low cloud makes the way hard to find. Fires are strictly banned, as is walking on the nets under the olive trees. In an emergency call 112 (ambulance 166, fire and land rescue 199). Corfu has one hospital with an emergency department, in Kontokali near Corfu Town, and a health centre in Lefkimmi.

History

Corfu was ruled by Venice for about four centuries, and its millions of olive trees, many of them planted under Venetian rule, still cover much of the island that the trail crosses. In the 1930s the Durrell family lived here, and Gerald Durrell's books made the island famous. Hilary Whitton Paipeti, who also wrote about the Durrells' Corfu, mapped a route through the quiet interior away from the coastal resorts and opened the Corfu Trail in 2001. Old Perithia, near the end, was one of the island's wealthiest villages under the Venetians, was almost abandoned in the 1960s, and has slowly come back to life since 2010.