North East Corfu – Exploring The Hidden Coast
North East Corfu is one of the best places to stay when visiting this beautiful island. Corfu is steeped in history, with lots to do and plenty to see you can’t really go far wrong wherever you stay. It was October and we were attempting to escape the changing British seasons, the nights were getting darker and the cold was setting in, so what’s the solution……go on holiday. We wanted somewhere that was going to be relaxing but still with plenty to see and North East Corfu didn’t disappoint.
North East Corfu is an untrampled gem, with green olive trees littering the hillsides and hidden coves offering drinks from their shoreline tavernas. You may associate Corfu with a livelier sort of holiday which is certainly is however staying in North East Corfu has opened my eyes to what a relaxing quiet retreat it can be. Stretching from Nissaki all the way round to Kassiopi, the image is clear relaxation is the key, you will find villas and holiday houses mainly with some more upmarket hotels like the Nissaki Beach Hotel which is adults only.
We stayed in the Nissaki Beach hotel which is affiliated with Thomson (TUI) and an adult only hotel, click the TUI link above to see all the latest deals and holidays available. The location of Nissaki is convenient due to everything being up the coast from it. Nissaki is probably one of the larger areas of North East Corfu being home to a small supermarket and a few of Tavernas. There are also companies advertising scuba diving, boat rental and cruises if this is something your interested in. There’s a great coastal path leading from Nissaki up towards Kassiopi, you can stop and visit each of the little bays along the way.
The next bay along from Nissaki is Agni this is where we hired a speedboat and explored the coast from the sea, if this sounds like something you would like to do have a read of our “How to hire a speedboat in Corfu” post. Agni is a small bay and has two Tavernas and a couple of villas set into the hillsides. One tip that I suggest is to visit the small chapel built into the cliffs between Nissaki and Agni, if you follow the path from Nissaki beach hotel towards Agni, take a hidden path down towards the sea and you should stumble upon the church of St Arsenious, this is a beautiful spot to take some photographs.
Just up the coast from Nissaki and neighbouring Agni is Kalami a hot spot on the Corfu site seeing list due to the Durrells family home being located here. The Durrells were an eccentric family that moved to Corfu from the United Kingdom in 1935. Gerald Durrells modern classic “My Family and Other Animals” has been adapted into a TV drama series making Kalami a must-see destination for British tourists. Despite the attraction for British tourists to visit the area Kalami has remained very low key with private and rent-able villas being the only accommodation available.
The bays along North East Corfu are usually in most places close together and certainly in walking distance. The next bay up from Kalami is Kouloura which is a well sheltered bay great for snorkelling although they all are great for snorkelling. This area is a bit more exclusive so villas are likely to be private although accommodation is being built all the time. There’s a great Taverna in Kouloura and being a small fishing harbour, you will see plenty of locals mooring their boats on the jetty.
Just a little further up the coast is Kerasia, a much smaller bay with beautiful picturesque scenery. This area is another one with few accommodation spots, however villas can be rented and are usually booked up quick as the quaint charm of this area is very appealing for those wishing to escape reality. A small Taverna sits at the waters edge but if you’re looking for grocery’s you may have to take a short walk to neighbouring Kalami. One interesting attraction of this bay is that neighbouring the bay is the Rothschild Estate, not only famous for being their family home but also the accommodation of choice for the royals.
Continue up the coast you come to an area slightly larger than the other bays but equally as tranquil. Agios Stephanos North East Corfu is not to be confused with Agios Stephanos in the North West, you can see how it would be easy, given the exact same names. Agios Stephanos North East Corfu is a more up market bay and offers luxury villas and some great Tavernas for eating out. You will often find yachts anchored down in this bay due to its upmarket feel however its still a beautiful area to visit even if you don’t have your own yacht. We anchored down in this bay while the sun settled to its highest point, we could certainly have fallen asleep at this point, being such a tranquil bay like something out of Robinson Crusoe.
Areas to stay become further apart from this point until you come to a place called Avlaki which closely neighbours Kassiopi, Avlaki is slightly busier with a long beach to sunbathe on and plenty of great walks in the trees that surround it. There are some beachfront villas here and a couple of great Tavernas, in addition a sailing club offers lessons and activities out on the water, as it’s the north it’s a bit windier so perfect for sailing.
As mentioned previously Avlaki neighbours Kassiopi and Kassiopi is the biggest resort on North East Corfu. Kassiopi has plenty of accommodation and places to eat as well as activities including water sports and walking trails. The area is set within some amazing scenery from glorious sea views over to Albania to a picture-perfect image of Mount Pantokrator in the background. If you go walking around here try to find your way to one of the hidden beaches or check out our article as mentioned before regarding hiring a speedboat, as this is an amazing way to see the coastline and find all those hidden gems. I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe or follow us on our various social medias.
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