By the third or fourth day of their stay, most of our beach-house guests start to want something beyond the morning swim at Acharavi and the evening walk to the taverna. The request, phrased a dozen different ways, is always more or less the same: "Is there a way to see Corfu that we're not seeing from the beach?"
There is, and it involves a small boat. This is what we tell them, after a few summers of handing out the same folded map at the kitchen table.
The North-Coast Option: Kassiopi
From our beach house in Acharavi, Kassiopi harbour is a 15-minute drive. This is the sensible launch pad if you're staying with us — closer, calmer water, and the channel between Corfu and Albania means the sea stays glass-still most mornings.
The Kassiopi–Agios Stefanos Coves
The coastline south of Kassiopi hides half a dozen tiny coves invisible from the road. None of them have facilities or names you'll find on a map. The pleasure is wandering — drop the anchor in whichever one looks inviting, swim, move on. Guests who go out for the day usually come back with three or four they've mentally claimed as theirs.
Sailors' Lunch at Agni
Technically road-accessible, but arriving by boat to anchor in front of Taverna Agni or Taverna Nikolas is the proper way to do lunch on the east coast. Both are family-run, both grill whatever came in that morning. Ring ahead on busy weekends.
The Big-Ticket Day: Paleokastritsa
If your guests want the famous postcards — Paradise Beach, Rovinia, the emerald sea caves — they need to be at Paleokastritsa harbour, which is about a 55-minute drive from our beach house. It's a full day out, not a lazy morning. Worth it.
Paradise Beach (Chomi)
Ten minutes south of Paleokastritsa harbour. Narrow white-pebble cove squeezed between vertical cliffs. Water visibility routinely 15 metres. No facilities — bring water and snacks. Best before 10am before the tour boats arrive.
Rovinia Beach
A twenty-minute chug further south. Smooth white pebbles, emerald water, backed by wild olives. Gerald Durrell swam here. Now it pops up as a location in the ITV Durrells series — even so, it somehow stays quiet on weekday mornings.
Limni's Double Cove
Two small beaches separated by a rocky outcrop, each with a different shade of water. The sea caves at the base of the cliffs are perfect for snorkeling — take a torch if you want to go inside the biggest one.
Further West: Porto Timoni
If you're already south, it's worth the extra half-hour run out to Porto Timoni — Corfu's most-photographed double bay, seen from the water in a way the hiking shot can never capture. Two beaches on either side of a narrow peninsula, each a different colour of blue. Bring good snorkeling gear.
Host's Tip
Check the wind the day before, not the morning of. Anything over Beaufort 4 and the west coast becomes unpleasant at best — we reschedule guests' boat days around the forecast rather than the calendar. A calm morning is worth waiting for.
How Much, How Long
Small motorboat rental: €50–100 per day with fuel included, at Kassiopi, Paleokastritsa, Gouvia Marina and Benitses. Fits 4–6 people. The 30HP limit means you'll cruise comfortably at 12–15 knots — not a speedboat but enough to get anywhere along the coast.
Group boat tour: €15–25 per person from Paleokastritsa, roughly 3–4 hours, hits 3–4 beaches. Easiest option if you don't want to drive.
Water taxi: €20–40 one-way to drop you at a cove. Good for couples who want pure solitude without the captain's responsibility.
What to Pack
There's nothing at any of these beaches. At all. Pack like you're going camping for the day: plenty of water (more than you think), sunscreen and a hat, snorkel gear if you have it, a dry bag for phone and wallet, aqua shoes for the rough landings, and enough snacks. We keep a dry bag and a pair of snorkel masks for guests who ask — just let us know the night before.
Getting to the Harbour
If Kassiopi is your launch point, you're a 15-minute drive from our beach house. If it's Paleokastritsa, count on nearly an hour. Either way, you need your own wheels for a flexible boat day — public buses exist but don't run late enough for a proper sunset cruise.
★ Rent a Car with Herbie
Our go-to car rental in Corfu. They deliver the car to the beach house and collect it from wherever you leave it at the end. Reliable, reasonably priced, and run by people we actually know.
Book a car →Stay With Us
If a quiet morning swim followed by a boat day sounds like the right pattern for your week, our beach house in Acharavi was built around exactly that. Private garden, sea views, and Kassiopi harbour fifteen minutes away. If you'd rather be closer to the western harbours or the Old Town, the town house in Corfu Old Town puts you next to the Old Port — a good base for the Paleokastritsa side.
Read Next
If you enjoyed this, the Achillion Palace day trip is the cultural companion piece — good for a day when the wind is up and the boat won't work. Or see our full blog for more north-coast guides.