6-day Sailing Itinerary from Corfu
Corfu is big enough to offer plenty of things to explore without even leaving the island, but there are outstanding sandy beaches and clear seas throughout the region, and it is a pleasure to sail around them. You could head off in almost any direction from Corfu and come across a pretty fishing village, a beautiful secluded bay, or a long sandy beach before long – so it's not always vital that you have a rigid plan for your holiday before you go - often it’s best to see what the wind is doing, and plan your route from there. Of note, Paxos and Antipaxos are areas of outstanding natural beauty, Petriti and Sagiarda are cute fishing villages, and Parga is a lively and spectacular-looking tourist town.
This is a 6-day itinerary which takes in the very best that the North Ionian, with a diverse mix of towns, beaches and hidden gems so that you can make the most of your time on a luxury private boat. It's only 6 days because often you might not get checked-in and stocked up on the first day until it's too late to do any meaningful sailing.
In total, this route is 98 nM and covers the best parts of Corfu and the surrounding area - so you’ll be able to say that you’ve literally seen it all! This means sailing an average of just under 20 nM a day. An average yacht should be able to travel at over 5 knots an hour, so most days should be fairly relaxed and you should have plenty of time to stop at bays and beaches as you pass them if you wish.
Day 1. Gouvia to Sagiada – 16 nM 
Check that everything is stowed below deck, check that no other yachts are moving off, and lets get out of here! You can go early to beat the traffic, or go late in the hope that the boats next to you have already left, so you have an easier start to the week. Wave to Gouvia town as you meander out of the marina, then point the nose of the boat in a South-Easterly direction like a pro. After a couple of miles, you’ll get a brilliant view of Corfu old town on the starboard side, with its imposing fortress making an interesting backdrop for your first photos to send home.
After admiring the old town, we're heading off pretty much due East - it should be a straightforward reach across the prevailing wind to end up at delightful Sagiada. Sagiada is technically on the Greek mainland, and only a few kilometres from the Albanian border, but it has a real island feel to it, and it takes hours to drive to the nearest big town. One of the local tavernas here - Alekos - claims to offer the freshest (and tastiest) prawns in the Med, so if you're a fan of seafood, you really ought to give them a go!
Day 2. Sagiada to Sivota Mourtos – 16 nM 
From Sagiada, we're following the beautiful Ionian coast-line south to our next port of call. There's plenty of bays you could stop at along the way to Sivota Mourtos - feel free to stop somewhere, throw down the anchor and dive in. You should be running with the prevailing wind, and, if you’re feeling up to it, you could even throw in a bit of goose-winging for the thrill of it.
Sivota is a name you’ll come across a lot as it used to be used to name the safest port in the area. Regrettably, the moniker ‘Mourtos’ means death in Greek, and it recalls the massacre of the Turkish army here in 680 BC! Thankfully, the bay has been transformed from a graveyard into a very cute Greek village with the best views of the sunset in the whole Ionian (so grab a drink or your camera, and settle in).
Owing to the fact that this is also a popular tourist resort with landlubbers, there's a great choice of places to eat, drink and relax. The islands nearby also offer great places to bathe if you want to get a little further away from the beaten track.
Day 3. Sivota Mourtos to Parga – 13 nM 
From Mourtos, we're just hopping through the islands and around the Greek mainland to nearby Parga, which is a popular tourist resort with young and old alike, and which will be our last big town for the week (so stock up here for a few days to avoid paying excessive island prices).
Follow the coast South then South-East, with the prevailing wind behind you, and Parga will appear all of a sudden on the port side – a glorious amphitheatre of buildings perched on the hillside around the bay. If you couldn't see it for yourself, you really would imagine that it was photoshopped, and it’s about as picture-postcard as you can get.
Parga itself is a delightful place to stroll around, with narrow cobbled streets and tiny bars and restaurants (almost all with a view and fine seafood) and live music performances throughout the summer creating a vibrant and atmospheric place to be.
Day 4. Parga to Gaios (Paxos) – 14 nM 
Leaving Parga, you can probably see the Paxi islands, just 15 nM away. They’re in a South-westerly direction which means that you’ll be reaching across the wind, paying attention for the few ferries a day that link Preveza and Lefkas to Corfu.
The Paxi islands are made up of Paxos and Antipaxos. Both outstandingly beautiful, but both very different. The uninhabited Antipaxos is full of beaches and vineyards, whilst Paxos has a number of towns and is mainly focused on growing olives. It has stunning scenery, combining dramatic cliffs and caves, long sandy beaches, cute little villages and green arable land. To appreciate the best of both worlds, we recommend dropping the anchor on the north side of Antipaxos and visiting Voutoumi beach – arguably the best beach in the whole of Europe, and certainly the best unspoilt one. Swim in the warm crystal clear waters here and it’s hard not to feel ultimately relaxed.
From here, we’re heading Northwards to Gaios, the capital of Paxos island, for more stunning views. The locals will give you a friendly welcome into the port, and you can stroll around the old Venetian town and find a bar. Those who have already had enough nature and are missing civilisation will be glad to hear that Gaios is also the home of the only nightclub for around 25 nautical miles!
Day 5. Gaios to Petriti – 21 nM 
Today is the longest day of our trip, but at 21 nM it shouldn't feel too arduous. We're heading back to Corfu island, which will see us beating up the prevailing wind, or ideally, close-hauled if the wind allows, as we work our way from Paxos past all the major Corfiot tourist resorts on the South coast, and up to the enchanting fishing village of Petriti.
Despite being in the middle of tourist-central, Petriti is hidden away from the major resorts by lush green forests, and the atmosphere is of peace and tranquillity as opposed to the giant strips of bars, clubs and karaoke outlets which are just up or down the coast. The village is focussed around the marina area, and bursts into activity in the morning and early evening, when the local fishermen get to work.
The town is big enough to have a reasonable array of shops and restaurants, and it's a beautiful place to spend the last night.
Day 6. Petriti to Gouvia – 18 nM 
And finally. Unfortunately, we’re round to the last leg already. Where has the time gone? It only feels like yesterday that you were diving in Antipaxos or dancing in Parga. Today we're completing the final leg of our tour around the Ionian, a place which has hopefully captured your imagination (and your heart). Our journey home sees us beating up the prevailing wind back past Corfu old town, and to get safely tucked up back in Gouvia marina.
Once in the marina, head to the fuelling station, where there will likely be some form of semi-chaotic queue during the peak season as everyone returns their boats during the same 3 hour window! Our yacht charter partner will come and inspect the yacht, and tomorrow morning you’ll need to check-out and get the plane home.
If you’ve not had the chance to go to Corfu old town, it is well worth the trip (when are you likely to be in Corfu again) and the old town is now a huge UNESCO world heritage site, with castles, cobbled streets, loads of tavernas, and even a cricket pitch to see. That said, Gouvia is also a fun place to be, particularly on the last night of people’s holidays, and when all the sailors will be out in their finest, and with stories to tell.
Hopefully you have enjoyed the week, and the sailing, the boat and the crew have all impressed you. It’s been a pleasure to sail with you, and we'd love to hear about your adventures on the seas. And next week, when you’re feeling nostalgic and missing the sea, come back to us and start planning your next adventure!
.jpg "Must See if you're Sailing from Corfu")
Corfu has long been loved by the British for its fine weather, so it should be no surprise that the weather is warm pretty much all year long. In summer, the average temperatures hide the fact that there can regularly be days where the temperatures reach the high-thirties. The beauty of the climate is that you can dig out your shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops from around April to September, and you can be sure that almost every day will give you an excuse for getting an ice-cream. Bliss.
