10 Best Snorkelling Spots in Corfu
Corfu isn't the Red Sea, and nobody comes here for coral. But the island's rocky coves have some of the clearest water in the Ionian, and if you swim slowly along the rocks with a mask on you'll see more than you'd expect: shoals of silvery bream, little black damselfish, wrasse in green and orange, sea urchins wedged into every crack, and now and then an octopus that changes colour while you watch.
The good snorkelling is where the shore is rock and pebble rather than sand, which on Corfu means two stretches of coast: the northeast, from Nissaki up to Kassiopi, and the west around Paleokastritsa. We've picked ten coves and grouped them by coast, so this is not a ranking. Sandy beaches like Glyfada are lovely for swimming, but the waves keep stirring up the sand and there's little to look at underwater.
Three things apply everywhere. Go in the morning, before the wind gets up and the rental boats start buzzing about. Wear water shoes, because the sea urchins live exactly where you climb in and out. And if you're going to swim away from the beach, tow a bright swim buoy so boats can see you.
1. Nissaki
Northeast Corfu · 4.4 Google (1,230 reviews)
Nissaki is a village on the slopes above the northeast coast, and its beach is a small pebble cove at the bottom of a steep lane, with a taverna right on the water. The mountain drops straight into the sea here, so the water is deep a few metres out and very clear.
Swim along the rocks on either side instead of straight out. The boulders are patched with black sponges and full of small fish, and octopus hide in the gaps between them. The cove faces east towards Albania, so it's usually flat when the west coast is choppy.
Good to know: There are only a few parking spaces along the lane. If they're taken, Kaminaki and Agni, the next coves up the coast road, are just as good underwater.
Nissaki: crowds, parking & wind today →2. Agios Arsenios
There's no beach at all here: just a tiny stone chapel on the rocks of the headland between Agni and Nissaki. It's said to date from before 1600, built where an icon of Saint Arsenios kept turning up between the rocks, and the village association of Gimari rebuilt its roof in 1986.
You swim straight off the flat rocks below the chapel into deep water. With no sand to stir up, it stays clear even the day after a wind. The rock walls go down a long way, so this one is for confident swimmers.
Good to know: Most people come in a small rented boat from Kalami, Agni or Nissaki (no licence needed). There's also a coastal path south from Kalami, starting by the White House, but the boat is quicker and a lot cooler.
Agios Arsenios: crowds, parking & wind today →3. Kalami
Northeast Corfu · 4.4 Google (163 reviews)
Kalami is the bay where Lawrence Durrell lived in the 1930s, in the White House on its southern side, which is now a taverna. The beach is pebble and shelves steeply, so you're out of your depth within a few strokes. That's good for snorkelling but worth knowing if you have small children with you.
Skip the middle of the bay and follow the rocky edges, especially the stretch past the White House, where the fish gather along the rocks. On a still morning the visibility is excellent.
Good to know: Kalami gets busy and the paid car park fills up in summer. Rent a boat here for an hour or two and you can reach Agios Arsenios and Kouloura without moving the car.
Kalami: crowds, parking & wind today →4. Kouloura
Kouloura is barely a beach: a strip of pebbles next to a tiny horseshoe harbour with fishing boats, cypress trees and a taverna, just north of Kalami. Hardly anyone stops here to swim, so you often have the rocks to yourself.
Look along the rocks on the side away from the harbour, where the water is calm and clear and the bream and wrasse go about their business. Keep well away from the harbour mouth, where boats come and go.
Good to know: Park on the narrow road above. Stay for lunch at the taverna afterwards; the view across the strait to Albania is half the reason to come.
Kouloura: crowds, parking & wind today →5. Kerasia
Northeast Corfu · 4.5 Google (1,158 reviews)
Kerasia is a quiet pebble cove further north, at the end of a narrow road through olive groves and cypresses. There's a taverna and not much else, no village and no hotels.
Both ends of the bay are rocky and both are worth exploring. The pebbles keep the water clear, and octopus are often seen along the edges if you go slowly and look into the cracks.
Good to know: The last stretch of road is narrow and unpaved and there's little room to park. You can also walk the coastal path from Agios Stefanos Sinion in 20 to 25 minutes.
Kerasia: crowds, parking & wind today →6. Agios Stefanos (Sinies)
Not to be confused with Agios Stefanos on the northwest coast, this one is a horseshoe bay with a fishing harbour, waterfront tavernas and a small pebble beach, looking across the strait to Albania.
The best snorkelling is along the rocks at the mouth of the bay, on either side. Inside the bay the water is shallow and calm, which makes it a good place for children to try a mask for the first time.
Good to know: A lot of small boats are rented here and they come in and out all day. Stay close to the shore, out of the boat lane, and use a buoy.
Agios Stefanos (Sinies): crowds, parking & wind today →7. Bataria (Kassiopi)
Northeast Corfu · 4.7 Google (1,586 reviews)
From Kassiopi harbour a path runs round the headland below the castle, and Bataria is the first cove on it, less than ten minutes' walk away. The water over the white pebbles is the kind of turquoise that makes people stop on the path and take photos.
The whole headland is rock, broken into small coves and inlets, and you can follow it underwater for as long as you like. The visibility is often superb and the rocks are busy with small fish. Pipitos, the little cove on the other side of the headland, is worth a look too.
Good to know: The big pebbles are hard on bare feet, so bring water shoes. Forgot your mask? Kassiopi is a proper resort town and the shops on the harbour sell them.
Bataria (Kassiopi): crowds, parking & wind today →8. Liapades
West Corfu · 4.3 Google (2,635 reviews)
Liapades is the next bay south of Paleokastritsa: a sheltered beach between cliffs, with sunbeds and a taverna, calmer and a good deal less crowded than its famous neighbour.
Swim out along the cliffs on either side, where there are small sea caves at the waterline. Liapades is also the place to rent a licence-free boat and head south to the coves you can only reach by sea, such as Stelari, Limni and Paradise, which have some of the clearest water on the island.
Good to know: Parking is paid and limited. The west coast catches the afternoon wind, so plan to be in the water before lunch.
Liapades: crowds, parking & wind today →9. Agia Triada (Paleokastritsa)
West Corfu · 4.3 Google (1,013 reviews)
Paleokastritsa is a cluster of small bays below the monastery, and Agia Triada is the pebble one where the snorkellers go. The water is very clear and surprisingly cold, even in August, and the rocky sides of the bay are full of fish.
Boats leave from Paleokastritsa for the sea caves in the cliffs, among them the Nausicaa cave, named after the princess who, in Homer, found Odysseus washed up on this coast, and the Blue Eye, where the water glows an unreal blue. The tours stop for a swim, so take your mask along.
Good to know: The sunbeds are expensive, but there's a free section where you can lay out your own towel.
Agia Triada (Paleokastritsa): crowds, parking & wind today →10. Stelari
West Corfu · 4.7 Google (334 reviews)
Stelari is the largest of the coves south of Liapades that you can only reach by sea: pebbles and a little sand below high cliffs, with no road, no buildings and water in a turquoise that looks edited in photos.
There's nothing between the cliffs and the open sea, so on a calm day the visibility is the best on this list. Swim along the foot of the cliffs and you'll find fish around the fallen boulders, with the light fading from turquoise to deep blue as the bottom drops away.
Good to know: Taxi boats from Paleokastritsa usually sell Stelari together with Paradise Beach, roughly €15–25 per person return. Bring water and shade, and agree the pick-up time before the boat leaves.
Stelari: crowds, parking & wind today →