Corfu Trail emergency & health guide: hospital, rescue, 112 and 166

Emergency numbers

Mobile signal is good near villages and resorts but can drop in deep valleys and on Mount Pantokrator. Tell your host which stage you are walking each day, and carry the GPS track on your phone with a charged battery.

Rules to know

• Wild camping is illegal in Greece. The only organised campsite on the Corfu Trail is at Paleokastritsa; elsewhere sleep in hotels, studios and rooms.
• No fires, ever: open fires, barbecues and burning anything outdoors are banned in the fire season, with fines of up to €50,000 and prison on high-risk days. Never drop cigarette ends, and report any fire on 112 or 199.
• Waymarking is sparse: yellow "CT" signs with an arrow at key junctions and yellow paint marks between them. Carry the GPS track or the Anavasi map, and do not follow the white-green marks of the Corfu Mountain Trail race, which sometimes leave the route.
• Olive groves are private farmland: do not walk on the nets spread under the trees, close gates behind you and keep to the track.
• Stage 9 crosses the bare karst plateau of Mount Pantokrator: go only in settled weather, because low cloud makes the way hard to find, and carry enough water for the whole day.
• Old Perithia is a heritage-protected village: stay on the paths and respect the houses, many of which are private ruins.
• Drones: check the Drone Aware Greece (DAGR) map before flying. Archaeological sites, the airport area, ports and hospitals need prior approval from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority.

No permit or fee is needed to walk the Corfu Trail. Check the green KTEL and blue city bus timetables before each day, as they change often in summer and services are sparse in winter, and book beds early in Lefkimmi, Paramonas, Stavros, Sokraki and Old Perithia, where there are only a few.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Health centres and surgeries

The public health centre in Lefkimmi and the small rural surgeries in villages such as Strongyli treat minor injuries and illness, but they are not hospitals and their hours are limited. In the resorts (Kavos, Pelekas, Acharavi) private doctors and 24-hour medical services operate in summer; they charge fees, so carry travel insurance. EU visitors can use the European Health Insurance Card at public health centres and the hospital. For anything serious call 166 or go to the General Hospital in Kontokali.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Lefkimmi
• ATMs: Kavos, Lefkimmi, Agios Georgios South, Stavros, Pelekas, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Spyridon
• Shops: Kavos, Lefkimmi, Agios Georgios South, Stavros, Pelekas, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Spyridon
• Bus stops: Kavos, Lefkimmi, Agios Georgios South, Stavros, Pelekas, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios Pagon

Greek pharmacies take turns to stay open at night, on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays; the duty pharmacy for the area is posted on the door of every pharmacy. On the trail there are pharmacies in Lefkimmi, Argyrades (inland from Agios Georgios South), Benitses (below Stavros), Liapades village and Acharavi near the end; there are none in Paramonas, Pelekas, Agios Georgios Pagon, Sokraki or Old Perithia, so carry a first-aid and blister kit.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.