We visited in June 2024
If you are looking for an easy island hopping trip with a car then our wonderful 18 day trip to Greece, visiting Corfu, Sivota on the mainland and Paxos might inspire you.
We include advice and reviews on car ferries, car hire, things to do and places to stay, eat and drink.
Sections
Our location: Agios Stefanos (NE), Corfu
Overview
On the north east coast of Corfu is Agios Stefanos (also known as San Stefanos), a small fishing village with a picturesque bay surrounded by pine trees and olive groves. With stunning views and a few tavernas, bars and shops, this it is an ideal destination for those who want peace and relaxation.
Note, there is another Agios Stefanos on Corfu on the north west of the island.
Where we stayed in Agios Stefanos
There are plenty of accommodation choices around the north east coast of Corfu. Having explored most of Corfu, this is our preferred area for the views, the accommodation, the boating and the relaxed atmosphere.
This time we stayed in Villa Firefly booked through Villa Plus. It is a lovely large villa with a pool and has amazing views across Agios Stefanos and over to the mountains of Albania.
We have previously stayed several times at Villa Zeus booked through Solmar Villas. This is our favourite villa in Agios Stefanos, sleeps 8, so great for a larger group. Vintage Travel also has villas in this area.
Our favourite places to eat and drink in Agios Stefanos
For a relaxing morning choose between the Wave Bar and Damianos, both offering a selection of breakfast, lunch and snacks along with a great choice of drinks. Late evenings can sometimes be more lively with music and dancing!
There is a good choice of tavernas for a small resort and our two favourites are Galini, where you can dine on the jetty and savour delicious dishes such as calamari, Greek salad and meze. Kaparelli is a very popular taverna; their beef stifado and seafood risotto are highly recommended!
If you prefer to dine in occasionally, visit the small Nikolas Supermarket on the main road into Kassiopi for a selection of groceries along with amazing homemade hummus and homemade ice cream.
What else to do in and around Agios Stefanos
A day out exploring the coast and coves around the area in your very own boat! Hire a boat from San Stefanos Boats in Agios Stefanos. They have a great choice of boats; for a good size boat not requiring a boat licence expect to pay about €180 a day plus fuel. The boats are good (we rented the Orange Pearl) and it makes for a fantastic day swimming from the boat, exploring bays or just zipping along!
A short drive from the village will take you Kerasia beach complete with a beach taverna and sunbeds, perfect to while away a few hours.
For a short trip from Agios Stefanos, take the winding road down to Agni and be rewarded with a tiny but beautiful bay with a few, but good, tavernas. There is also boat and kayak hire available.
In Agni, enjoy a frappé, cold juice or a cocktail at Korina’s Kitchen and Cocktail Bar. For delicious and beautifully presented dishes a visit to Toulas Seaside restaurant is a must, especially if you arrive by water taxi from Agios Stefanos!
A 10 minute drive from Agios Stefanos is Kassiopi where you will find everything you need in this lively town. From designer boutiques to souvenir shops, well stocked bakeries and supermarkets an abundance of tavernas and bars to suit all tastes.
For cocktails and drinks we liked Virginia’s and for super friendly service we liked the Kassiopi Wave Bar.
Within a short walk from Kassiopi town you will find sandy coves and beaches; crystal clear water perfect for snorkelling.
With plenty of shops, in Kassiopi you will also find some amazing boutiques selling local Greek designed jewellery and clothes. There are also fresh fruit and honey stalls around the town.
From Kassiopi you can take a boat trip to Corfu Town. If you can, whether by boat or car, a trip to this beautiful Venetian town is a must. Explore the streets, harbour and castle; it even has a cricket pitch.
Top Tips
It is essential to have a car if you want to stay in this area. If not, base yourself in Kassiopi or within walking distance of the town.
Stock up at the large supermarkets in Corfu Town as the local shops can be a little pricy. There are two Lidls in Corfu Town.
Our location: Sivota, mainland Greece
Overview
We actually made our trip to Paxos a little more complicated than it should have been! We had initially booked a week’s holiday to celebrate our daughter’s birthday in June in Corfu, we then decided that it would be a great opportunity to add Paxos onto our holiday.
However, as we needed a car ferry our only option was to go via Ingolumentisa on the mainland. If you wish to go as a foot passenger from Corfu to Paxos it is much simpler! We therefore included an overnight stay in Sivota so we could take the car ferry to Paxos. Sivota was a wonderful surprise and much better than just somewhere for an overnight stay.
If people watching is your thing you can't go wrong here. It is a pleasant and easy going place where families and couples stroll along the water's edge, stopping off for a drink, ice cream or meal.
Where we stayed in Sivota
We had two separate nights in different apartments with one before our trip to Paxos and another one at the end.
Neoma Luxury Residence are new, very modern apartments for adults only with everything you need for a short stay. We had a small balcony overlooking the large pool and views of the sea beyond. It was a 10 minute walk to Sivota's bars and restaurants... and a 15 minute walk back up!
Virvilis Apartments are only a few feet from the bars and restaurants. These conveniently situated apartments were clean and modern and included a selection of drinks and bathroom toiletries. Our apartment had a comfortable balcony.
Our favourite places to eat and drink in Sivota
Watching the world go by and listening to some great music was provided by Alcanthus Cocktail Bar. We loved it, but it got very busy after people had eaten in the restaurants. We'd recommend having a pre-dinner drink here whilst watching the sun go down.
For dinner we chose to eat on both nights at Parasole. This large busy taverna has an open kitchen widow where you can watch the chefs twirling the freshly made pizza dough and throwing it into the air! We were quickly served with pizza, a salad and carafe of wine; all for a very reasonable price. The second time we ate here we had to wait far too long for the bill which spoilt our experience here.
For breakfast there is a good choice of where to eat. We chose comfort and a view for our breakfast. We enjoyed juice, frappé, omelettes and scrambled eggs overlooking the sea which was flat calm early in the morning.
Our location: Paxos
Overview
Expectations were high for Paxos, an island that we had wanted to visit for many years. We had heard about the beauty and laid back relaxed charm and even the “paradise on earth” with crystal blue waters and stunning landscape.
After arriving by ferry, we drove through the olive groves along the small, quiet roads to reach our villa just outside Loggos. Loggos is the smaller of the main three towns; Gaios is the largest with Lakka being between the two.
Loggos was much smaller than we had expected and a bit too rustic, the road running in-between the seafront and tavernas also didn’t appeal. We sat down for lunch but felt underwhelmed and slightly disappointed.
The following morning, we headed to the slightly larger village of Lakka, again we were not particularly enamoured, but we sat down for a coffee and looked at the amazing bay and all looked good. Not long after several massively crowded trip boats descended with day trippers pouring into the village.
After a couple of days, we relaxed into a routine and we began to really enjoy Paxos.
One thing to specifically mention is that the people of Paxos are amazingly friendly and helpful. We know that Greece is a very hosiptable place to visit, but Paxos was even better!
Unbeknown to us we had taken the ferry over to Paxos on a holiday weekend, similar to our bank holidays, where popular places become inundated with visitors.
Where we stayed on Paxos
We stayed at Villa Hara booked through Agni Travel. The villa was lovely with great outside space and a pool. We had some issues and got very poor customer service from Agni Travel. However, the property manager on Paxos was brilliant.
Note, the villa is advertised on several web sites some with slightly misleading information. You do need a car, there is no upstairs balcony (it is a bungalow) and it does have a washing machine.
Our favourite places to eat and drink on Paxos
Lakka for morning coffee (before the day trip boats arrive on some days about 11am) is relaxed and easy going at Fanis Bar.
Evening drinks at Romantica, Lakka which is an upstairs terrace with fabulous views.
With a great choice of tavernas we enjoyed the Stasinos for tasty moussaka, for grilled souvlaki. La Piazza was also very good; so good that we went twice! The service here was friendly and efficient and the food was delicious.
We also visited Akis in Lakka with its stylish décor at the water's edge. We enjoyed a lovely meal of squid ink risotto and lamb with whipped feta and berries. Maybe because we ate slightly early we felt there was little atmosphere and the meal arrived very quickly.
In Loggos, we had a very tasty Greek salad and beetroot salad at Kohili. Again, great service.
There are several in Loggos overlooking the harbour. We had drinks at one, only to discover that behind each bar was the most perfect waterside setting, looking out into crystal clear waters, watching yachts and people swimming off the rocks. Our favourites were Roxi Bar and Le Rocher, which even had its own small private beach!
Where we went and what we did on Paxos
We had already stocked up with essentials at Lidl in Igoumenitsa, so we used the small shops in Lakka for water and fresh food and the bakeries to pick up delicious spanakopita.
Mongonossi beach is a beautiful, quiet little place with a small stretch of sand with sunbeds and two tavernas. It is about 10 minutes south of Gaios. Top tip: don't follow the route suggested by Google maps, use the road that follows the coast between Gaios and Mongonissi.
Gaios is the main town of the island and ferry port. It's also a good place to go shopping
We had a car, but if you don't then hiring a quad bike enables you to tour around this small but beautiful island. Parking in Gaios is a bit of a nightmare; though go early and there is usually space in the small free public car park.
Ferries and car hire
Ferry booking was done via Ferryhopper, a very easy-to-use website which meant we could have all ferry trips booked in advance. Tickets are e-tickets so very convenient; just show the QR code on your phone. Some changes can be made free of charge if your schedule changes, but check the terms and conditions so you know what can and can't be changed.
It can be a bit daunting finding your ferry, especially at Igoumenitsa. It is organised chaos! Go with the flow, take your time to find your ferry and join the rather chaotic queues of cars waiting to board.
They pack the cars in very, very tightly! You are guided to where you should park and don't be surprised if you find yourself less than an inch from a car next to you.
Inside the ferries there are comfortable, air-conditioned lounges and snack bars selling food and drink at very reasonable prices. Outside seating is less comfortable, but you get amazing views of Corfu, Paxos and mainland Greece.
One thing to note is that car passengers have to get out of the car and walk on to the ferries before the cars board.
Our car was hired through Jet2carhire and provided by Enterprise; very efficient service at the airport. We always buy the extra excess insurance for worry-free driving (useful on some of the island roads!).
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