Your guide to sustainable travel in Corfu
So this guide of sustainable travel tips for Corfu is for the responsible traveller. It’s designed to help you decide when and where to go, what eco-friendly travel activities are available when you get there and how to leave as small an environmental footprint as possible when you leave… everything to make your holidays in Corfu sustainable. You’ll learn how to support local communities and businesses, enjoy nature the right way and do your bit to keep traditions and customs alive.
The first part of our sustainable travel guide to Corfu is all about daring to think differently. And that starts with choosing when to visit. July and August are the most popular months in Greece for good reason. But this is where we show you why the best months for responsible holidays in Corfu – and we’re still talking about summer holidays – are May and June or September and October. They’re what we call the “shoulder months” either side of peak summer.
Choose to stay in the less explored areas
Another great tip in any sustainability guide to Greece (and especially Corfu) is to avoid the best-known tourist spots when it comes to choosing where to stay. The best alternative is to stay in one of villages of Corfu. It’s the perfect way to immerse yourself in the local way of life and discover Corfu’s natural beauty. You’ll also be supporting local communities (cafes, tavernas, bakeries, grocery stores etc).
There’s a good chance you’ll have already been seduced by images of Corfu’s superstar beaches. The problem is, you’re not the only one. It’s the main reason why the likes of Paleokastritsa (and its surrounding beaches), Porto Timoni and the iconic Canal d’Amour in the north are as popular as they are.
So once again, the quieter shoulder months either side of peak summer (as well as spring and early autumn) are the best times to visit. You’ll still be able to swim in the sea. And if you’re the kind of beach-goer that likes the full summer heat on your body to get in the sea, you can still enjoy the setting and a sunset picnic.
Seek out handmade souvenirs and local craftspeople
Every time you choose a handmade item over a mass-produced souvenir, you’ll be supporting a local craftsperson or artist. Not just that but you’ll be helping to keep alive generations-old traditions and rewarding small businesses with a small environmental footprint.
Visit small museums & cultural sites
There are so many cultural attractions in Corfu that it would be easy to focus only on the highlights, like the Old and New Fortresses in the Old Town and the likes of the Achilleion Palace (built in the 19th century by Empress Sissi of Austria) and Mon Repos (the neoclassical estate built by British High Commissioner Frederick Adam for his Corfiot wife). But responsible travel in Corfu is all about looking beyond the landmarks. And it’s at the smaller museums and cultural attractions that you often get to know the island a whole lot better. At the same time, you’ll be helping to preserve local history.
Hiking hits the spot every time for the sustainable traveller. If you follow the basic rules for all outdoor activities, there’s no better way to discover Corfu’s natural treasures. There are marked hiking trails all over the island, many of them part of the Corfu Trail, a local initiative covering more than 200km. So wherever you are on the island, you’ll find something to suit your mood.
Go wine tasting on a vineyard tour
Corfu has been producing wine for centuries. In fact, there were once vineyards all over the island, but they were replaced by olive groves by the Venetians, who exported the olive oil. But winemaking in Corfu is making a comeback, which means that visiting a vineyard and learning about the local grape varieties helps Corfu reconnect with an important part of its history. It also supports local winemakers and is another reason to visit in late summer and autumn, during the harvest and bottling period, or in spring when the vineyards come alive.
Learn everything about Corfiot olive oil
Thanks to the Venetians, there are an estimated four million olive trees in Corfu and numerous olive mills you can visit. Some have even kept the traditional millstone and cold press extraction techniques of old (adapted to today’s standards).
In Agios Mattheos near the west coast, the Dafnis family run the Governor Olive Oil and Corfu Olive Tours (they also have an olive oil tasting bar in Corfu town). And nearby, in Vraganiotika, is the family-run Mavroudis Olive Oil, which has an olive oil museum in a stone building that is an excellent example of a pre-industrial horse-powered olive mill.
Visiting the villages is where you learn all about Corfu’s deepest traditions and are introduced to locals going about their daily lives. Everything about the villages – the food, the handmade crafts, the architecture – feels even more authentic, precisely because it is. By supporting local craft shops and traditional kafenia (cafes), you’re helping to preserve these important elements of Greek culture and encouraging locals to stay in the villages rather than seek work elsewhere.
Go green with your sea fun
An easy sustainable activity in Corfu is to go green by the sea. There are plenty of options that have little or no impact on marine life and allow you to appreciate your surroundings even more. We’re talking stand-up paddleboard (SUP), hiring a sea bike or kayak, or going scuba diving at a certified dive centre. You might be brave enough for paragliding or paratriking? Or maybe you just want to snorkel, which you can do at every beach in Corfu (although you’ll find the clearest and most interesting water for snorkelling in the rockier north).
Learn to order like a local
Our final tip in your sustainable travel guide to Corfu is to learn as much as you can about the local food before you arrive. You’ll recognise the local dishes and learn how to order like a local in the tavernas. Also remember that tavernas and cafes in the villages source their produce from local farmers. So supporting them means supporting the wider area.
So what grabbed your interest in our sustainable travel guide to Corfu? Early or late summer? Or did we win you over with spring or autumn, especially the nature and food & drink experiences?