Difficulty level of the routes: The route is largely on gravel dirt roads, on which you can comfortably walk side by side. Narrow paths are rather the exception on the Corfu Trail. In some places, for lack of other options, the Corfu Trail even runs along paved roads without a separate walkway.
Health Note: Corfu is also home to several species of snake whose bites can be life-threatening for humans if they are not treated by a doctor. How can you protect yourself? Snakes usually flee of their own accord when a human approaches. A leisurely walk usually gives the snakes enough time to retreat. Hikers are generally only at risk if a snake feels threatened (people running, provocation with sticks, etc.). Hiking boots that are closed over the ankles offer additional protection against snake bites. Overall, however, snake bites only occur a few times a year on Corfu.
Aggressive dogs: Along the hiking trail you can expect to encounter aggressive barking dogs several times. Most of the time they are behind fences, but sometimes they are free. Several hikers have reported negative experiences in this regard and have sometimes taken detours when the hiking trail was blocked by loudly barking dogs. I have not heard of any injuries or bites so far - but caution is still advised!
Public transport in Corfu: Corfu has a relatively dense network of bus routes. The "green" buses are to be distinguished from the "blue" bus lines. The blue lines are responsible for the inner-city bus traffic from Corfu town (www.astikoktelkerkyras.gr). More important for long-distance hikers on the Corfu Trail are the overland buses (greenbuses.gr).
The most important hub of the Greenbuses is the bus terminal in Corfu town, which is approx. 1,5 km walk from the airport (see Location on the map). The "green" line B1 runs several times a day to Kavos, the southernmost town on the island and the starting point for the Corfu Trail (timetable varies in summer and winter).
![Corfu-Trail: PDF-Wanderkarte als Download (1:25.000) [Digital]](https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/wp-content/uploads/Vorschau-pdf-Wanderkarte-Corfu-Trail-Blattübersicht-300x300.jpg)
![Corfu-Trail: Gesamtroute als GPX-Download [Digital]](https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/wp-content/uploads/GPX-Dateidownload-Fernwanderweg-Corfu-Trail-300x300.jpg)
9 October 2019
Hello Frank,
Thank you for your great description of the Corfu Trail. We start the tour on Saturday. Since I'm packing, I wanted to ask if trekking sandals (Keen) are sufficient for the Corfu Trail. Alternatively, I would take light hiking shoes. We do not go the stages in the far north, but only from Kavos to Agios Georgios. What do you think? Warm greetings from Christina from Munich
10 October 2019
Hello christina
The terrain and the hiking trails in Corfu are technically not very demanding, but I would advise against trekking sandals for two reasons: Firstly, my experience is that long-distance hiking is better served with sturdy shoes due to the additional weight of the luggage. On the other hand, closed hiking shoes (or even hiking boots) offer better protection against snake bites. The risk of a snake bite should not be overestimated, but I think it moves more relaxed with closed shoes.
I just looked through our photos again: We were even walking with hiking boots (see the top picture below http://www.wanderndeluxe.de/corfu-trail-highlights/)!
Greetings back to Munich and good trip!
Frank
11 October 2019
Hello Frank,
many thanks for your response. Then I will definitely take stable shoes with me. It starts tomorrow and we will follow your paths via GPS track. Best regards again, Christina
7 January 2023
Hello Frank,
Your page about the Corfu Trail is very helpful. We would like to walk the path in September. Do you have any current information, for example how the markings look today? Are there also stages with sand or beach sections on the tour you have made that you have to walk? You did the first stage individually, it doesn't correspond to the actual route from Kavos to Lefkimmi, does it? We would go the official way. I will download your GPX and then transfer it to Komoot.
7 January 2023
Hello Rainer,
the first stage corresponds to the official route up to kilometer 6,5. There we turned right back to the accommodation. In this respect you are right - the detour back to Kavos is not the official route, but it helped us a lot with planning the overnight stay :-) If you want to go the official route, you have to continue straight at kilometer 6,5. The kilometer information refers to the map included here: https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/corfu-trail-uebersichtskarte-und-gps-routen-download/. The official path can also be seen there in a yellowish tone (sometimes there are several parallel variants).
Unfortunately, I can't tell you what the current status of the trail marking is. On our tour, the trail markings were unreliable - there were well-marked stretches as well as stretches where the markings were no longer recognizable. Therefore, GPX is the safe choice.
And yes, there are a few stretches of beach - especially between km 31 and 43 you have to walk on sand from time to time. Sometimes you can also switch to a path above the beach. Have a look at the corresponding pictures in the gallery (Link: https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/corfu-trail-highlights/). The pictures are sorted by mileage.
Regards
Frank
21 May 2023
Dear Rainer,
warm greetings from Sokraki!
Frank's hiking report is wonderful and was also a welcome planning aid for me - many thanks to you, dear Frank.
As part of a longer stay in Corfu to learn Greek, I am currently doing the entire Corfu Trail from Kavos to Agios Spyridon by myself.
As of May 2023, the signage and marking of the Corfu Trail is excellent! I transferred the stages exactly to the official CT route in Komoot and only rarely look at the app - you can currently do the trail completely without extra navigation. Although there are hardly any beautiful original signs left, there is currently at least one dark yellow marking at EVERY fork in the path (not to be confused with the neon yellow and white markings, which indicate a different route). Sometimes you have to look for her on posts, trees or walls (even a few meters away), but she really is always to be found! The color should also last until September 2023...
If you go wrong, you notice it immediately, because I see a marking every five minutes at the latest while walking.
I can also highly recommend the other stages in the north; especially an overnight stay or at least a longer break in the village of Sokràki, where I am currently taking a two-day break! For me, this picture-book village is the most beautiful stopover on the Corfu Trail so far.
Kind regards, Daniela
(my complete stages are public under my account danielakinkel@googlemail.com to find)
June 26, 2023
Hi Frank
Thank you so much for your tips. And thank you Daniela. My husband and I are planning to do the Corfu Trail in early October and I am wondering if there are any taxis that would transfer our bags so that we can just take day packs.
Thanks
Ginny
September 5, 2023
Hi Frank,
Grazie per le tue informationazioni, stavo cercando un trekking in Grecia and mi sembra ottimo,
Ma non c'è un sito ufficiale su cui prendere informationazioni nuove? Non trovo niente in rete
Thank you!
September 8, 2023
Hello Luisa,
The Corfu Trail is one of the unofficial hiking trails that was created on a private initiative, which means that, as far as I know, there is unfortunately no official organization that looks after the trail, maintains it or renews the markings. I'm also not aware of any official website etc.
Instead, I try to keep the information on my site fairly up to date with the help of other hikers... so far I think it's working quite well.
Regards
Frank
17 November 2024
Dear Frank
Your site was very useful for our planning – thank you very much.
We were on the trail in November 2023.
We liked it a lot, but in the off-season you should definitely plan where you will sleep and eat in more detail. A lot of places are closed then and we resorted to AirBnB.
Warning: we had a lot of encounters with very aggressive dogs. Most of the time they are fenced in, which is frightening and the barking is just annoying. But sometimes the fences had holes or the dogs were free and that led to very unpleasant situations. Once we even had to take a detour because an angry dog was blocking the road and there was no one in sight.
I would therefore recommend taking some kind of protective spray with you or acting very dominant. I am not afraid of dogs (normally) and would not have been able to cope with these situations on my own.
But the trail is a great experience!
1 December 2024
Hello Milena,
Thank you very much for your feedback! Several people have already reported the problem with dogs. I have now included it as an extra point above, so that everyone can prepare for it a little better.
Regards
Frank
4 May 2025
Hello Frank,
Once again, we followed in your footsteps, this time in Corfu (April 3-24.4). We hiked the entire trail (with minor variations and additions), but given our age (68/71) and some health issues, we split the stages into several (14 stages plus 5 rest days). We also took advantage of a transfer from Sokraki to Pantokrator, which allowed us to walk the final stage without any problems: the absolute highlight of the trail!
We booked all our accommodations in advance and, while planning, discovered that the options in April were significantly better than in March. In every town, there was at least one minimarket and/or tavern/café open in April.
A must-visit overnight stop for all trail hikers is 'Kostas Walkers Point' in Dafnata. Kosta maintains the trail, provides a wealth of information, and cooks excellent food. Hikers meet here in the evenings. There's also a great viewpoint.
I'd also like to recommend two other accommodations: Pension Skala (Paramonas/near Ag. Mattheos) and the Elia Studio in Sokraki. Both accommodations boast very friendly and helpful hosts and a great location and atmosphere. The food in Skala is also very good. (All booked through booking.com)
Two additions for those who have enough time:
– From Agios Georgios (North) a trip to Afionas/Twin Bay
– After descending from Mount Pantokrator, we spend the night in Acharavi (which isn't worth it). But the coastal hike to the final destination the next day is a fantastic finale.
Our conclusion:
A very worthwhile trail, with many fantastic views and a great variety of terrain. A beautiful path through olive groves, everything in bloom in April, beautiful and typical villages, a lot of authenticity, and plenty of peace and quiet. The trails are generally not difficult to hike; there are many really beautiful farm tracks, occasional roads, and occasionally paths. The trail is generally well marked, but it was helpful to check the app every now and then. (I use Outdooractive and saved all the stages beforehand.)
A special feature of this trip was the hospitality and openness of the Greek people. We often heard stories, received gifts, and were taken to Easter rituals, for example. This made the trip very special.
Regarding the dangers: We did indeed see a very venomous horned viper, just a short distance ahead of us on the path in the sun. It moved away quite leisurely. A walking stick is certainly useful for tapping off any traces on overgrown and unclear paths.
We didn't have any unpleasant encounters with dogs. Many barked, but they were behind secure fences.
So much for our report, along with the recommendation: a final few days in Kassiopi and, if you're lucky, a return boat trip to the capital. (Excursion boats to Corfu also only take passengers one way.)
Regards
Almuth