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Car hire on Corfu turns the island into a proper road trip. Corfu is the greenest of the Greek islands: olive groves, sea-cliff bends, a medieval Old Town and Venetian architecture next to French. Without a car the holiday narrows to one beach in bus reach; with one, Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Pantokrator and the Achilleion palace open up.
On Corfu we'd suggest taking the car from day one. The airport is 3 km from the Old Town, so picking it up is easier than catching a taxi to the hotel and going back later.
Corfu has a single airport — CFU. Several dozen operators work here, and the local Corfiot companies dominate the international chains. There isn't a single toll road on the island, so your road budget is petrol only. One ring road, a handful of radials, and the satnav holds the signal almost everywhere — hard to get lost.
Where to drive on Corfu
A hire car opens three directions. The west — Paleokastritsa with its five coves and the cliffside monastery (25 km from Corfu Town, 40 minutes), Myrtiotissa beach and the viewpoint at Lakones village. The north — Sidari with its "Canal d'Amour", Kassiopi and the climb up Mount Pantokrator (906 m), reached by a tarmac switchback road.
Set off for Pantokrator early — by 9 a.m. you're on the summit, the views reach Albania and the mainland, and the haze hasn't risen yet.
The south runs from Benitses and Messonghi to Kavos — a UK nightlife zone where police enforce drink-drive limits hard. On the way is the Achilleion palace (Empress Elisabeth's residence) and Vlacherna with its famous "mouse island" Pontikonisi.
Achilleion plus Vlacherna is the standard half-day with the Sissi photo set. Lunch in Benitses by the sea on the way back.
Corfu is also linked by ferry to Albania (Saranda — an hour) and Italy (Bari, Ancona), but the hire car cannot board these ferries.
Nissan Qashqai in Corfu
Everything is fine.
Nissan Pulsar in Corfu
everything was fine, very good car, comfortable to drive, economical.
Nissan Pulsar in Corfu
I am satisfied, thank you. An employee of the company phoned me after the flight landed, met me at the airport and took me to the office. After returning the car, he drove me to the airport. The pulsar was under repair, I was offered a micra. The car was in good working order and met my expectations.
Hyundai i20 in Corfu
Everything was good. Thank you for your activities
What travellers value about hiring on Corfu
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The closest airport-to-centre
CFU is 3 km from the Old Town — closer than any Greek airport, with the car at the hotel within 10 minutes.
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No toll roads
Corfu has zero toll motorways — your road budget is petrol and the occasional tourist car park.
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Hotel delivery to Dassia and Paleokastritsa
Many local operators bring the car to your resort hotel — usually free for rentals from 5 days.
Paleokastritsa, Achilleion and Saranda
From Corfu Town the car opens three different days.
Paleokastritsa and the west
Paleokastritsa is 25 km from Corfu Town, 40 minutes on the mountain road. Five coves of clear water, the 13th-century Theotokos monastery on the cliff, and the lookout at Lakones — the postcard frame of the bay.
If you're heading to Paleokastritsa with kids, take the small boat tour between coves — $10 per person buys three more beaches that aren't reachable by road.
Achilleion and Vlacherna
The Achilleion is Empress Elisabeth's summer residence 10 km from Corfu Town, 20 minutes away. Entry $10. On the way back is Vlacherna with its "mouse island" Pontikonisi and Kanoni beach — planes come in low over the water from the airport next door.
Saranda by ferry
Saranda in Albania is an hour by passenger ferry from the new port. The hire car can't board: park at the port lot ($10 a day) and travel as a foot passenger. Bring your passport — most European visitors don't need a visa for a short stay.
Saranda makes a comfortable day trip: 9 a.m. ferry, a castle and a beach in Albania, back by 19:00. Albanian food prices are noticeably below Corfu's.
Pick one of the three for a full day; pair Achilleion with Vlacherna if you only have a half-day spare.
CFU airport and where to base
Corfu airport "Ioannis Kapodistrias" (CFU) sits 3 km from the Old Town — the closest airport-to-centre distance in Greece. From the hotel it's a 10–15 minute walk or a 5-minute drive, with no tolls.
A family flying in at 23:40 from Manchester signed at the terminal exit and were in their Dassia hotel by midnight. Desks are inside the arrivals hall, no separate CarPark shuttle — paperwork on the spot in 10 minutes.
Three basing options on Corfu. The Old Town — for a culture-led stay with walks through Venetian lanes and the seafront on foot. Dassia / Kontokali — beach zone 10–15 km north, useful as a hub. Paleokastritsa or Sidari — if the priority is sea and nature, with Corfu Town 25–35 km away.
Many guests pick up at the airport, stay 3 nights in the Old Town, then move to Paleokastritsa or Sidari. Each leg of the holiday gets a different mood.
Local operators on TakeCars usually deliver the car free to Dassia, Paleokastritsa and Sidari on rentals from 5 days.
Parking near the Old Town and in villages
The Old Town of Corfu is UNESCO and pedestrian inside the Venetian walls. Driving in is impossible — the satnav may try to send you into one-way alleys, ignore it. The most convenient parking is by the Old Port or Spianada Square ($5–8 a day), or in San Rocco on the edge of the new town for free (10 minutes' walk to the centre).
A guest followed the satnav into a one-way alley near Liston and got the €40 fine forwarded by the operator a fortnight later. If the road looks impossibly narrow, it almost certainly is — back up and park outside the walls.
In Paleokastritsa, the parking by the beach and monastery is free but fills up by 11 a.m. in high season. Sidari and Kassiopi also have free parking, usually right on the seafront. Achilleion and Vlacherna run paid lots at $3–5 for two hours — enough for a visit.
On Corfu it pays to book a hotel with its own car park. There aren't many in the Old Town — most are in Dassia, Gouvia and Kontokali.
If you're staying inside the walls, accept that the car lives in San Rocco or by the Old Port for the duration — and that twenty minutes' walk each way is the price of the view from your window.
Rates in Corfu vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length.
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How expensive is renting a car in Corfu: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes. Delivery across Corfu not included.
Frequently asked questions
In shoulder season (April–June, September–October) economy starts at $30 a day; in July–August prices reach $45–55. Corfu is on a par with Crete — a sizeable fleet and strong competition between local operators. From 14 days expect 20–30% off.
3 km — the closest airport-to-centre distance in Greece. Five minutes by car, 30–40 on foot with cases. Alternatives are the Blue Bus №15 at €1.70 (15 minutes) or a taxi at $8–12.
No. Corfu hire cars are not allowed on any ferry — to Italy (Bari, Ancona), Albania (Saranda) or the mainland (Igoumenitsa). The contract is voided and insurance won't apply. If your trip continues to Italy or the mainland, return the car at CFU and pick up a fresh one on arrival.
The paid car park at Corfu Town's new port — $10 a day, no booking needed. The hire car can't board the ferry, you travel as a foot passenger. Passport required. Ferries leave at 9 and 11 a.m., return at 16:30 and 18:30.
No, not a single gate. Every road on Corfu is free, including the coastal route to Paleokastritsa and the mountain switchbacks to Pantokrator. For comparison, mainland Greece between Athens and Thessaloniki is around $32 in tolls one way.
The most convenient paid lots are by the Old Port and Spianada Square — about $5–8 a day. The free alternative is the San Rocco area, 10 minutes' walk from the centre. Inside the UNESCO Old Town walls driving is forbidden — narrow pedestrian streets only.
25 km from Corfu Town, 40 minutes on the mountain road via Skripero. Parking by the beach and monastery is free but fills up by 11 a.m. in high season. Aim to leave by 9. The monastery opens 7–13 and 15–20.
10 km from Corfu Town, 20 minutes by road via Gastouri. Parking is free at the entrance. Entry $10 covers the palace and gardens. On the way back, drop in at Vlacherna with the Pontikonisi "mouse island" and Kanoni beach.
A tarmac switchback road climbs to the 906 m summit from Spartilas village. About an hour from Corfu Town. Parking at the top is free. A saloon car copes, but bear in mind the bends are tight and summer fog drops in fast — drive carefully.
Inside the Old Town of Corfu, on Filarmonikis 32. The headline pilgrimage site of the island: the relics of St Spyridon are carried in procession four times a year. Park outside the Old Town (Spianada or San Rocco) and walk in 5–10 minutes.
At the Platytera monastery in Corfu Town, around 1 km from the Old Town. Admiral Fyodor Ushakov liberated Corfu from the French in 1799 and was later buried here. Street parking around the monastery is usually free. The monastery opens 7–13 and 17–20.
No. Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Kassiopi, Achilleion and Pantokrator are all on tarmac. An economy copes. Corfu has very few gravel roads, and tourist destinations are paved.
Compact class — Hyundai i10, Toyota Aygo, Fiat Panda. Narrow village lanes, small car parks and mountain bends — the smaller the better. An SUV is overkill. For longer trips with motorway and air-con, a Hyundai i20 or Volkswagen Polo is the better balance.
Kavos in the south is the British young-adult nightlife zone. Police enforce drink-drive limits especially hard there from 22:00 to 04:00. Drivers under two years' experience face a 0.2‰ limit (effectively zero). Plan a taxi for evenings out.
Along the coast road from Sidari to Kavos — around 70 km and 1.5 hours without traffic. With a stop in Corfu Town it's a comfortable day-loop. In high season midday traffic adds 30 minutes from tourist congestion.