Corfu Holidays 2026/2027

Greece's greenest island sits at the head of the Ionian, nearer the heel of Italy than to Athens — Corfu holidays combine a UNESCO-listed Venetian capital, more than 100 named beaches, and one of Europe's largest waterparks. All-inclusive, half-board and room-only options run right across the island, so the board basis can be matched to the kind of trip you want.

Why Visit Corfu

Corfu rewards almost every kind of traveller, which is why holidays to Corfu stay near the top of our Greek bestseller list season after season. Families head for the shallow north-coast bays and the waterpark; couples lean towards the Venetian lanes of Kerkyra and the clifftop scenery of the west; sailors use it as a launch point for the southern Ionian. We list properties across the lively north, the calmer east, and the dramatic west coast, so the trip is built around what you actually want rather than what happens to be on the shelf. For travellers booking Corfu holidays from Ireland, the short hop and euro pricing make it one of the easiest Greek islands to reach without a connection.

Getting to Corfu

Flights from Dublin reach Corfu in around three and a half hours, with seasonal departures also running from Cork and Shannon through the summer. The island measures roughly 60 km from its northern tip to the southern cape at Kavos, narrow enough that no resort sits more than an hour's drive from the capital. Its position off the north-west Greek mainland gives it a wetter, greener landscape than the Aegean islands further south, which is why it stays under olive and cypress when other islands have dried out.

How Many Days in Corfu

Seven nights is what most travellers book — long enough for two beach bases, a morning wandering Kerkyra's Old Town, and a day-boat down to Paxos without a rushed itinerary. Couples after something calmer often find five nights in September plenty, while walkers and sailors basing themselves here stretch to ten or more. Among our Greece holidays, Corfu is one of the few islands where a hire car genuinely reshapes the trip, so build that into your dates and your budget from the start.

Why Book Corfu Holidays

Water for every confidence level

The coast is ringed with named coves and beaches, from the deep turquoise of Paleokastritsa to the warm, flat shallows at Messonghi where children can wade out a long way. Picking the right one for your lot takes an afternoon, not a fortnight, and a hire car puts the entire coastline in reach.

Three colonial layers

Venetian, French and British rule each stamped Kerkyra — from the Liston arcade modelled on Paris's Rue de Rivoli to cricket still played on the green of the Spianada. The capital is a working city, not a preserved museum piece, and you'll see locals doing their shopping between the monuments.

A genuinely green island

Higher Ionian rainfall keeps Corfu under olive, cypress and wildflower long after the Cyclades have turned dry and brown. Roughly four million olive trees cover the island, many of them planted under Venetian rule, and the shade they throw makes the high-summer heat far easier to handle than on the bare Aegean islands.

A kitchen of its own

Corfiot cooking sits apart from mainland Greek food, shaped by Venetian spicing — and the kumquat, found nowhere else on the continent, shows up as liqueur and preserve across the island. It is one of the few Greek destinations where the food is a reason to go rather than a bonus.

A drive-able size

At about 60 km top to bottom, Corfu feels like several islands in one yet stays small enough that a hire car reaches nearly every corner inside an hour. That makes a two-base trip — one stretch north, one south — very doable inside a single week.

Easy family logistics

Most main resorts have calm water on the doorstep, watersports hire along the beach, and reach Aqualand — among the larger waterparks in Europe — within a short transfer. The quieter south coast offers the same shallow, child-friendly water with noticeably fewer crowds.

Your Guide to Corfu Holidays

Why Choose Corfu

Cruise & Culinary Highlights

Perfect Holiday Destination

Travelodeal Travel Tips

Best Places to Visit in Corfu

Corfu splits into distinct regions, and each delivers a noticeably different sort of holiday depending on what you're after.

Corfu Town (Kerkyra): The UNESCO capital lines up the French-built Liston, the Venetian Old Fortress and the Asian Art Museum within a few minutes' walk of each other — half a day here goes a long way on any Corfu Greece holidays itinerary, and the cafés under the arcade are a fine spot to slow down once you've walked it.
Paleokastritsa (west): Roughly 24 km west of the capital, Paleokastritsa is the island's most-photographed stretch — six small coves under a 13th-century clifftop monastery, with snorkelling water clear enough to read the seabed. Glass-bottom boats run from the main bay if you'd rather stay dry, and the headland walk up to the monastery takes only a few minutes.
Sidari (north): Sidari, about 36 km from the airport, is lively and shallow-beached, with the wind-cut Canal d'Amour channel right on its edge. It's hard to beat on price among cheap holidays to Corfu, and the beaches don't suffer for the value.
Kassiopi (northeast): A still-working harbour village under a ruined Byzantine castle, roughly 35 km up the coast from the capital. It has drawn returning visitors for decades, stays calmer than the northern strips, and keeps a row of tavernas right around the quay.
Glyfada (west): One of the broadest sandy stretches on the island, backed by green hills — among the most reliable Corfu beaches for an afternoon of swimming and watersports, with sunbeds, a couple of beach bars, and surf that's gentle enough for paddling.

Things to Do in Corfu

Between UNESCO fortresses, a 220 km long-distance trail, and boat trips to two of Greece's clearest-water islands, this Corfu travel guide section covers what fills the days off the lounger.

Corfu Old Town on foot: The Old Fortress, the New Fortress, the British-era palace on the Spianada, and the Liston promenade sit close enough together to cover in a single morning's walk, with the cricket ground and the cafés of the Liston in between whenever you need a breather and a cold drink.
Achilleion Palace: Empress Elisabeth of Austria had this neoclassical palace built in 1890 at Gastouri, just south of the capital, with its famous Achilles statues and sea-view gardens. It's easily paired with the Kanoni viewpoint and the little chapel on Mouse Island below.
Mount Pantokrator: The island's highest point at 906 m, reached on a roughly 90-minute climb from Old Perithia and ending at a monastery whose foundations date to 1347. On a clear morning the view stretches across to the Albanian coast, and the small café at the very top is a welcome reward after the climb.
Paxos & Antipaxos by boat: Day boats run south from several resorts to these two small islands, about an hour away, prized for water clear enough to read a coin on the bottom. Guests routinely name this the highlight of their week, so book a seat early in peak season.
Aqualand: Among Europe's bigger waterparks, with several slides, a lazy river and a dedicated toddler zone. Most north-coast hotels arrange transfers, and a half-day there is usually plenty for younger children before they tire of the queues.

UNESCO Kerkyra & Paxos Sailing