Corfu Town

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WorldMediterraneanIonian SeaGreeceCorfuCorfuTownCorfu Town
Corfu Town
Port of Entry
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Corfu Town has some attractive out-of-the-way spots

Corfu Town, capital of the island of Corfu, is the largest port in the Greek Ionian and a major transport hub for ferries across the Adriatic to Italy and to the Greek mainland at Igoumenitsa. Its international airport is also one of the busiest in Greece, with daily flights to most European destinations. The island has long been popular with European tourists, especially British as a consequence of British rule in the 19th century, and Corfu Town reflects this long tradition, with more tavernas, shops and cafes per square mile than almost anywhere else in Greece. Its architecture is a hectic mix of Venetian, classical and British colonial and in spite of the huge numbers of tourists that throng the town’s streets in summer, Corfu Town is still a delight to explore, with its narrow, sleepy passageways lined with atmospheric Italianate apartment blocks. The visiting yachtsman is perhaps less well served than the land tourist, with limited berthing opportunities consisting of the grimy east basin of the commercial harbour, the cramped, yacht club-managed basins of Mandraki on the N side of the Venetian castle and NAOK on the S side, a couple of reasonably sheltered anchorages and the marina at Gouvia three miles to the NW.

Weather

Charts

BA
189 Nisos Sapiénza to Nisos Paxoi
203 Zakinthos to Paxoi
Imray-Tetra
G11 Nísos Kérkira to Nísos Levkas
NIMA
54280 Corfu Channel to Nisis Proti
Greek
212 Othonoi I. to Amvrakikos Gulf- Kerkyra I. And Paxoi I. Inset: Northern Kerkyra Strait

Radio Nets

  • Coast Guard - VHF channel 12

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Islands

  • Paxos
  • Othonoi
  • Erikoussa
  • Mathraki

Approach and Navigation

The approach to Corfu Town from all directions is largely free of dangers, though there are shoals to the N of Nisos Vidho, the small island half a mile due N of Corfu Town.

Check-in facilities (for Customs and Immigration)

Corfu Town is a port of entry. The customs and immigration and port police are situated on the W side of the commercial harbour. Note that there is no longer any customs office at Gouvia Marina, so it will be necessary to travel into Corfu Town if clearing into or out of Greece.

Berthing options

As mentioned above, the visiting yachtsman has four main berthing options: Mandraki harbour; NAOK yacht club harbour; the commercial harbour or Gouvia Marina to the NW of the town.

Mandraki Harbour

Mandraki Harbour
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Mandraki from the castle
Mandraki harbour is occupied by yacht club moorings

Situated right under the N wall of the prominent Venetian fortress on the headland of Corfu Town, Mandraki harbour is protected from the prevailing NW winds by a long breakwater enclosing laid moorings tailed to buoys or the quay for around 60 yachts. The berths are distributed between the harbour’s S quay and N breakwater. Yachts usually go stern-to the quay and bows-to the breakwater in view of the depths at the latter. Depths at the quay are 1.5 and 3.0 metres (the deepest water being in the centre) and at the breakwater 1.25 – 1.5 metres.  Larger boats drawing no more than 2.0m can sometimes berth bows to on the breakwater with care, providing you don't mind seeing just a few cms extra showing on the depth sounder where your keel is.

The moorings are owned by two separate yacht clubs and visitors are only permitted when members have temporarily vacated their berths. A sign on the breakwater gives a VHF frequency (68) and asks that you contact them prior to entry tel +30 6945377674 Andreas Doukakis. Expect to be met by a harbour official who will guide you to a berth and take your lines. In 2013 the charge was approximately €20 per night inclusive of water and electricity.

The showers and toilets are not in the best of conditions to say the least but the bar and restaurant fair much better.

Foot access from Corfu town to the harbour is through the Venetian Castle and may be restricted outside the castle’s opening hours. If you are welcoming crew on board then carrying heavy bags from the castle down to the marina is not an easy task. Taxi's can enter the castle up to a parking spot 200 meters from the harbor. Equally, it is not the most convenient place to re-stock a boat.

Shelter here is good in the prevailing winds but is likely to be uncomfortable in very strong NW winds.

NAOK harbour

NAOK harbour
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There are a few visiting yacht berths in NAOK yacht club harbour

The harbour of the NAOK yacht club lies on the S side of the Venetian castle, next to the anchorage of Garitsas Bay, and is protected from S by an L-shaped breakwater. The harbour is relatively shallow, with depths of 2.5 to 3.0 metres at most. Visiting yachts can moor stern or bows-to on the easternmost part of the breakwater quay, where there are 4-5 laid moorings in depths of 3.0 metres, or use their anchors to moor to the quay towards the eastern end. On the outside of the breakwater are moorings for superyachts. Water and electricity are on the quay. Showers and toilets at the yacht club. Wifi. Café. Shelter is good in the prevailing winds but the harbour would become very uncomfortable and possibly untenable in strong southerlies. The moorings are occasionally affected by swell from large ferries. Contact Andreas at +30 6972 117001 to enquire about a berth.

Commercial harbour

Commercial harbour
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Corfu commercial harbour is an uninspiring place to moor

The only place a yacht may find space here is in the E basin, where there are a number of laid moorings occupied by fishing and other commercial boats. A couple of yachts can, however, go alongside on the end of the rough breakwater, where the depths are around 4.0 metres. However, this is a dirty and depressing place to be and only recommended if you wish to visit customs and immigration and the port police to clear in. Plans have been in place for several years for construct a small marina just E of the commercial harbour and so far a small basin had been completed and mooring bollards installed. There are no apparent works at the moment (2016). Two sewage conducts drain into the harbour giving a rather unpleasant smell and fouled water. However, nothing further has been done to protect the basin from the prevailing winds and the site is currently (September 2012) fenced off as a construction site.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Corfu Marina

The rather forlorn site for Corfu Town’s planned mini marina

This is a "future" marina.

Gouvia Marina

Gouvia Marina is few kilometers to the N.

Anchorages

Garitsas Bay

Garitsas Bay
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Garitsas Bay

Garitsas Bay lies just S of the Venetian Castle and the NAOK yacht club harbour and has good access to the old town and nice clear water. It offers good shelter from the prevailing NW winds, but is open E and S. Anchor in 5.0 – 8.0 metres wherever there is space. Holding is good in mud, but only once you are well dug in (look for the sandy patches to drop the anchor in). There are steps from the sea up to the road at the root of the NAOK YC mole. Note that these are commonly used by older people to go swimming, and dinghies are a nuisance for them. There are also steps at the elbow of the NAOK YC breakwater and these are better for dinghies. Exit from the YC breakwater to the street is no problem.

If there is space, even better shelter can be obtained by anchoring under the castle walls just E of the NAOK harbour, taking a line ashore to the rocks if necessary. Depths here are 3.0 – 5.0 metres and holding is good in sand and weed.

Naok from the castle

Kammeno Bay

Kammeno Bay/wiki/Corfu_Town#Kammeno_Bay
Anchorage icon Kammeno Bay [[Corfu Town#Kammeno Bay|Kammeno Bay]] 39°39.56′N, 19°51.37′E
Kammeno Bay lies 400 metres N of the entrance to Gouvia Bay and Gouvia Marina. It is a handy anchorage for visiting the shops and chandleries of Gouvia without having to berth at Gouvia Marina. Shelter is good from the prevailing winds but the bay is open E and S. Anchor in 5.0 – 8.0 metres. The bottom is mud and weed and good holding.

Yacht Repairs and Services

Numerous repair facilities at Gouvia Marina and in the town.

Boat Yards

In Gouvia Marina.

Fuel, Water, & Electricity

Fuel
Fuel station in Gouvia Marina. It is also possible to arrange tanker delivery to NAOK yacht club harbour
Water
At Gouvia Marina, NAOK harbour and Mandraki harbour
Electricity
At Gouvia Marina, NAOK harbour and Mandraki harbour

Things to do Ashore

Tourism

Corfu Town has several good museums, including an archaeological museum and a museum of Asian Art. The Venetian Castle is a must; although there is not much to see inside, the views from the battlements are spectacular. The church of St Spiridon in the town houses the remains of the saint in an ornate silver sarcophagus and boasts a beautifully painted ceiling. Further south, the villa of Mon Repos, the birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh, consort of the British Queen, can be visited. At the end of the peninsula on which it sits is the view everyone knows, out over the tiny former monastery of Kanoni on its island joined to the shore by a narrow causeway. With transport, it is possible to visit the Achilleon 6km S of the town, a pseudo-Hellenic palace contructed for Empress Elizabeth of Austria in the 1890s and filled with specially commissioned statuary and colonnades.

Grocery & Supply Stores

  • It is hard to find provisions in Corfu Town, since most of the supermarkets are out of town
  • Good supermarkets on the road outside Gouvia Marina

Eateries

  • Enough bars, cafes and tavernas in the town to satisfy all tastes
  • Good choices in the Liston area are Pomodoro (Greek), La Cucina (Italian), La Famiglia (It), and Del Sole ( It). Two others a walk away from the Liston but excellent are Venetian Well (Gr) and Salto Wine Bar (Gr Mezes). -- Monterey 2014

Internet/WiFi

  • At several of the bars and tavernas around the castle
  • Wifi in Gouvia Marina
  • Free wifi in Mandraki, at office hours.

Laundry

Motorbike & Car Rentals

  • All the usual rental outlets in the town
  • Car and motorbike rental through Gouvia Marina office

Garbage Disposal

Bins at Mandraki and NAOK harbours and in Gouvia Marina.

Transportation

  • Internal and international flights from Corfu airport.
  • Ferries to Igoumenitsa on Greek mainland, Paxos island and to Bari, Ancona and Venice
  • Hydrofoil to Sarande in Albania and Paxos island (seasonal)
  • Long distance buses to Athens and Thessaloniki
  • Local buses to most island destination.

Useful Contacts

Routes/Passages To/From

Cruiser's Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forum Discussions

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

External Links

References & Publications

See Corfu.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit. Personal experiences?

  • A great place to visit. Anchor and swim in Garitsas Bay, leave your dinghy at NAOK, enjoy the restaurants and the street life in the Liston. Take a tour of the Achilleion Palace. --Monterey June 2011

Last Visited &; Details Checked (and updated here)

Date of member's visit to this Port/Stop & this page's details validated:



This is a usable page of the cruising guide. However, please contribute if you can to help it grow further. Click on Comments to add your personal notes on this page or to discuss its contents. Alternatively, if you feel confident to edit the page, click on the edit tab at the top and enter your changes directly.


SailorSmiley.gifContributors to this page

Names: Lighthouse, Istioploos, Atheneoflymington, Wayward, Haiqu, Monterey, CORFUBOAT, Fair Game


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