The Island of Corfu with Children

The island of Corfu is one of those destinations that many travelers are currently choosing. But is it suitable for traveling with children? Mother Greta, who has just returned from a holiday on this island, shares her impressions.

Corfu island with children. “We had to visit the islands of Crete and Kos. Corfu is a much greener, more vegetated and more mountainous island. A lot of places in Corfu reminded me of Crete, only that the island is more compressed and less visited by tourists,” says Greta. So we read and plan our vacation.

You can follow mother Greta’s travel adventures on Instagram.

Corfu Island with Children

Why Should You Choose Corfu For a Holiday with Children?

Indeed, the island of Corfu has been on our minds for some time. We always try to go where there is a lot of nature and greenery, and most importantly – the sea! Many have praised this direction, even calling it the “Hawaii of Europe”. We had bought plane tickets to fly in May, but the airlines canceled the flights and we had to plan another route. Therefore, when the time for summer vacation came, there were almost no questions about where to fly. I wanted to go on the trip I had already started planning. A direct and short flight was a very important criteria too.

Independent Organization of a Trip to the Island of Corfu with Children

We planned the trip ourselves. We bought Ryanair tickets, and we booked a place to stay on the Booking.com platform. The hotel owner helped organize the car rental. Everyone knows everyone, wants to recommend, offer and ensure smooth rest for their guests.

We stayed in an apartment with a kitchen in the bay of Agios Georgios Pagon for a whole week. I can definitely recommend this location in the northwest. Even after going around the island, it was the nicest to return there. This is the largest bay of Corfu and the resort town is quite small and quiet. You can find everything you need: several supermarkets, taverns, water entertainment or sunbed rental points. Almost 3 km long clean blue flag beach, clear azure sea framed by green cliffs on the sides. I recommend coming here to people who like a quiet and private vacation. From your terrace you can enjoy the waves of the sea, sunsets and concerts of cicadas. The family hotel had about 8 double-quad rooms with private balconies and terraces, kitchens and air conditioning. The area is particularly quiet.

Resting on the Corfu Island

In our opinion, all trips are suitable for children, the only question is what vacation the parents themselves expect. The island of Corfu can certainly offer secluded quiet apartments and large hotel complexes with all entertainment and catering.

Our son Matthew is 3 years old. He, like his parents and grandmother, was born to travel, which we have been doing successfully since the age of 7 weeks. The flight times were very good, just in time for the lunch nap and only 3 hours from one capital to the other. Therefore, the child took a nap on the plane after having a snack, and then looked intently out the window of the plane or car. Of course, the best part of the trip was soaking in the sea!

Our main goal was to arrive by the sea because it was hot, just like in Lithuania at that time. But every day, early in the morning or in the evening, we went by car to visit a couple of objects, to get to know the surroundings. We decided not to try to cover the whole island. Although it seems that it is quite small, narrow mountainous roads make the trip longer. Not wanting to spend half a day in the car, we chose to visit the northern part of the island to the middle. Corfu immediately left a good impression, we knew we would come back and want to visit more!

What to Visit with Children? The Island of Corfu

My son is most important to bathe a lot and loves to roll around. Therefore, there was no need to think or look for special directions, because water is everywhere! The sea is the most fun entertainment, swimming pools and water parks are of interest to us only in the cold season. And you can find quite a few playgrounds in the city of Corfu itself.

And now, I would like to mention a few of the places we’ve visited.

Agios Georgios Pagon Bay

Our place to stay. A very calm and beautiful bay. From here you can access the spectacularly beautiful double bay of Porto Timoni. You can either rent a boat or hike down the cliff. I managed to leave my grandmother with the child early in the morning and walk alone to the beach. It was a very fun morning cardio. We had to go down a narrow and stony path, so if you have smaller children, bear in mind that it would be really complicated to do that, so I would suggest choosing the boat option for the whole family.

The Higher Town of Afion Nearby

White walls, blue shutters and narrow streets without traffic. A fairy tale! It seems to me the only such stereotypical Greek village on the whole island. Our discovery was very unexpected, because we just climbed the mountain to meet the sunset and found this beauty. I don’t know where it came from, but it was a very good feeling there, we came back more than once (after all, we lived only 10 minutes from there). Almost every tavern there opens up a wonderful panorama of the sea, the distance and other small islands.

Palaiokastritsa

According to all ratings, Palaiokastritsa provides the best views on the island. It has a really nice coast, but it’s very busy, lots of hotels and tourists. We visited, took pictures, but missed the authenticity.

Kassiopi

A fishing town with lots of boats, nets and fresh fish. We always try to take a boat ride at least once on our trip. We decided that it was enough to go around the island by car, so we booked a Cosmic boats boat tour to Corfu. We swam for about 1.5 hours, admiring not only the views of Corfu, but also of Albania. It was possible to see the island from another perspective: impressive cliffs and Prince Charles’ summer residence or the Villa of the Angelli family. I would also suggest visiting Mont Repa, the birthplace of Prince Philip.

Corfu

Once docked, we had 4 hours of free time. The city reminded me a lot of a combination of Venice and Malta. I was a little worried about whether it was worth going to the city in such heat. We were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of shade in the narrow streets of the labyrinthine old town. We spent a lot of time in the parks and playgrounds near the Venetian forts overlooking the sea. And of course, we didn’t miss the souvenir shops… After all, we need to support local entrepreneurs. Many cafes and shops were unable to open after the quarantine too…

Stop By the Vlachernon Chapel Near the Airport

Here, everyone is very eager to get married, and the queues are the longest on the waiting list. But this place is special in that you can watch the planes landing by climbing on the narrow bridge. And they whistle really, really close to the ground. It was a new and exciting experience for all of us!

I had to visit quite a few more resorts or towns, all of them have something to offer, depending on what you are looking for. Sidari is more for young people and vacationers who like nightlife. You can also swim to the rocks of the channel of love. Arillas and Agios Stefanos provide a cove of white sand. This would be another option I would consider staying with family for more privacy.

“Travelling with Children” Recommends These Activities On the Island of Corfu

The Corfu Water Park

Buy your entrance ticket in advance to avoid the ticket line and enjoy the whole day of visiting the park with 49 water slides.

Enjoy not only the fun water attractions, but also the green landscape of the forest, free sunbeds and umbrellas for sun lovers.

Enjoy water rides designed by the same people who created some of the Universal Studios and Disney attractions.

Corfu Aquarium

Discover the Corfu Aquarium and learn about the local marine animals and fish that live in the Corfu Sea, such as starfish and manatees. See the octopus and enjoy a tour of the aquarium. Next, head to the Reptile House to see the snake and amphibian exhibit.

If you’re feeling like it, you should take a guided tour – we highly recommend it and the price is very attractive, and you will learn a lot.

Prices in Corfu

• Cafes and shops that are very reminiscent of Lithuanian prices. Of course, it all depends on where you go and what you do. It’s just worth noting that for the same price you get extremely fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood.
• We spent about 180 euros per person for flight tickets (due to the rather expensive baggage policy to the Greek islands).
• Apartments can be found from 30 to 300 euros per night.
• Car rental for 8 days was 260 euros.
• Fuel is more expensive than in Lithuania (1 liter of gasoline is about 1.72 euros.)
• I would just like to emphasize that most hotels in Greece are not very modern or fancy resort options. Overall, it is in order, only a number of places could be renovated. I don’t know if it’s relaxation or the Covid-19 situation that has made business difficult. But for us personally, old-fashioned hotels and unpolished facades have a lot of charm.

Tips for Traveling to Greece

Greece is a great destination because you can find all kinds of entertainment, from hiking in the mountains, boating, walking the narrow streets of the town or relaxing on the beach.

Greek cuisine will suit any discerning traveler – it has many different salads, meat, potatoes or seafood dishes. I highly recommend buying olive oil – everywhere is full of olive groves and small local presses. The island of Corfu also has a lot of kumquat (lit. kinkanai) – it is a citrus fruit from which sweets, jams, liqueurs and various other products are extracted. Quite an interesting taste.

Anyway, I just want to encourage everyone that it is not so scary or difficult to leave the country! And the impressions are only the best!

What to Take and What to Leave Behind when Traveling to Corfu with Children

Things that worked best: sunscreen, mosquito spray and a life jacket.

I would suggest taking a stroller only when staying in Corfu Town. What if you rent a car for the trip and go to smaller towns, you say? The downside is that there’s just not that many sidewalks or places to walk. There’s basically just the beach or roads for cars.

Travel to Corfu with a Travel Agency

If you don’t want to organize your trip on your own, travel organizers will help you here. Every year, there are direct charter flights from Vilnius to Corfu. We sincerely recommend you to contact our partners over at Choose Wings. If you want a reliable travel agency to take care of your travel planning and organize an unforgettable vacation for you, choose reliable partners. Please contact Choose Wings – they will offer you the best travel option, and when applying, say that you’re referred to them by Travelling with Children. They will apply a discount!

“Travelling with Children” Recommends

The Best Holiday Outfits for Kids – Ponchos

We are often asked what is important to take when traveling with children and babies when going on vacation to warm countries. Our biggest discovery and recommendation goes to the extremely versatile item PONCHAS.

These ponchos were created by the Lithuanian mother Gintarė, they are handmade. Amber sews ponchos to order from 100% cotton – muslin. Muslin is especially suitable for babies and small children and is adapted to their sensitive skin. These ponchos dry easily and are made of thin and light material. They have many uses. Perfect for the beach or by the pool after swimming, it dries quickly when wet. Perfect for being out in the sun, protecting your baby’s skin from direct sunlight. It is ideal to dress the child when leaving the beach, when you do not want to dress in clean clothes. It is extremely important that the baby or child does not overheat with this poncho, because the material is extremely light. And for girls, they can perfectly represent a light dress, because they are extremely beautiful.

In our opinion, this is an extremely versatile piece of clothing that is ideal for traveling. Takes up very little space, many uses, dries quickly after washing. It is also perfect for visiting swimming pools in Lithuania, so that the child does not get cold after getting out of the water.

Ponchos cost 24.99 EUR. Sending ponchos in Lithuania costs only 1.5 EUR, and you can choose them from five colors (lilac, blue, mustard, pink and green). They are available in two sizes – for children for up to three years of age and from children from three to five years of age.

This article is author’s work and was prepared by “Travelling with Children ®”. Copying and use without the permission of the author or “Travelling with Children ®” is strictly prohibited.

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