Corfu on our own ?

[sheilacat]

Any shore excursions from the ship (Nieuw Amsterdam ) don't interest us. Can you easily get into Corfu from the port and once there, what should we do ?

[dileep]

you can take a cab for 10 euros into the Old Town and walk around.

We rented a car at the port from Corfu Sunrise and drove around the island by ourselves with our friends.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=12458245&postcount=7

 

[Keith1010]

We did Cofu on our own and it was OK. I actually think we would have gotten more out of it from a shore excursion.

 

Keith

[Mines]

 

From this photo, it does not seem too far to walk into town from the port. Is this possible?

[dileep]

 

From this photo, it does not seem too far to walk into town from the port. Is this possible?

 

It is about a half hour walk to the edge of old town and you will walk a lot after that. A taxi will cost you about 10 euros.

[sheilacat]

Thanks for your input...it looks like we'll be taking a taxi into town and browse around on our own.

[Cornishpastyman1]

We only had a short day there so just wandered around the old town, which looks like this

[ROCruiser]

We took the bus from the cruise terminal to Old Town which cost something like 1.5euro each. Very easy and cheap.

[Keith1010]

Just don't have high expectations for the town.

 

Keith

[greenisle]

Hi there everyone!

 

The town is beautiful if you know where to go. Get a taxi to the Liston or the 'Old fort' and get off into the back streets. The walk from the commercial harbour is not nice and is quite a way. Or, if you fancy something a bit different, walk to the Old Port, and jump on the little boat that goes every hour to Vidos island, a lovely place to swim, beautiful views of the town. Or join an excursion with www.dailycruisescorfu.com a really fantastic cruise along the North East Coast of the island with a fresh fish barbeque included, usually you will need to organise a group of a few people though as the boat is hired privately. It's a lovely island. Enjoy it!

[Mrs Miggins]

Well done Greenisle - but even if you just stay in Corfu town its great - good historic sights, lovely churches, boat excursions from the old port, good shopping especially jewellery. Sit and enjoy a coffee - watch the world go by.

Keith's expectations obviously different - be interested to know where he recommends ?

[PC168]

We took the bus from the cruise terminal to Old Town which cost something like 1.5euro each. Very easy and cheap.

 

The bus is right at the cruise terminal parking lot. Bus #2.

[esspaniel]

I would recommend walking around the Old Fort. It's built into a hill and so most of the time you are walking outside to the top of the fort. The best thing about it are the views. Corfu has some fabulous scenery. However, I might not recommend it if you don't have good balance or have trouble climbing stairs as there are a lot of stairs and they're aren't handrails for a large part of it. The safety standards for Corfu are a significantly more lax than in North America or other parts of Western Europe so sometimes there would be a step missing or a 30 ft. drop without any wall or railing. So, I would be really careful taking small children there. But for older children and adults it's fine. Actually, the fact that the view wasn't obscured by railings etc. was kind of nice. The whole thing was a bit of an adventure.

[UKBayern]

We walk in every port, so also in Corfu. We did not find the walk too long (20-30 min) and not strenguous. The port is not so far out as in some other cities, you don't have to walk a long way through no-mans land or rows of containers. We liked the old town, also walk a little through the back streets away from the main streets for the real feel of the place. Considering the size of Kerkyra, we thought the shops looked good. Do keep the midday closing hours in the back of your head. Do your shopping before noon, since most shops do not reopen until after 4 or 5 pm.

We walked along the bay to Koloni, the tip of the bay with a small lighthouse. There is a quaint taverna there with a terrace with nice views on the Old Fort, which does good Greek Meze dishes. The locals sip coffee there and go fishing next to the lighthouse.

[kiwixmas]

we will be there 27/4/11 nieuw amsterdam have seen other post for this ship saying takes 1 and a1/4 for shore tours to get off first ?? so if shops close at noon, only gives you about 2 and 1/2 hours to find stuff for shopping ?? is this correct??

ship arrives 8am and sails at5 pm

[greenisle]

Hi there,

 

if you want to go into town I'd just walk to the customs gate and grab a taxi. The main shops (shoe shops, book shops and the like) close at 2pm but there are loads of other really lovely shops that stay open all day and late into the evening, there are also loads of lovely cafes on the liston in particular or in the little back streets. Catch a cab to the 'Old Fortress' which is easy to find and right in the centre of the old town. For excursions try www.dalycruisescorfu.com for a great full day coastal boat trip with bbq lunch or perhaps hire a car for the day or taxi, there are a few recommended on here..to explore on your own. Head to Lakones, Paleokastritsa for amazing views and lovely beaches, or Glyfada beach for sun and sand...

[hnymngrl]

We just returned from cruising the E. Med on the Ruby Princess. Corfu was one of my favorite islands...very scenic and beautiful if you get out and about. On the recommendation from another thread we used Dimitris from Corfu Taxi Private Tours www.corfutaxi**************** . Dimitris was awesome. He was waiting for us right when we came out the side doors from the port building. We did a 4 hour tour driving to many of the scenic parts of the island (lasted more like 4.5 hours) for $180 euros. The car holds 4 people, but it was just the two of us. We visited a local wine maker (George) and tasted his wine and olive oil. We ended up buying the olive oil, some olives, and oregano so we can make our own Greek salads, which are different than "Greek salad" in the U.S. Dimitris is very knowledgable about the island and its history. He took us to some of the most beautiful spots on the island, so I could get some photos for my mom to paint. I think I took more photos here than anywhere else on our trip.

[FreeSpeech]

Corfu is very doable on your own. Rental cars are available as you exit through the port building for about 50 - 70 euro's for the day. You can drive to mouse island (for the view) then to the other side of the island to see the sea caves...we hired a boat and baoted along the coast line (with a guide) for about 25 euro's for an hour tour. We then wandered back to Corfu Town through some amazing hill villages...did alittle shopping had lunch etc. It was a good day

[sjpo]

I would like to go to the Achilleon, the house which belonged to Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) and also to Emperor Willem II. Does anybody know if it is far from the Old Town in Corfu? Has anybody taken a taxi there?

 

Thanks

 

S