Renting a Boat in Corfu Without a Licence: 10 Coves to Explore
The best day many people have on Corfu is the one they spend at the wheel of a little motorboat. You don't need any experience. Boats with engines of up to 30 hp can be rented without a licence, and the rental company gives you a short briefing, a map of where you're allowed to go and a phone number to call. Then you putter along the coast, stop wherever the water looks good, and have lunch at a taverna you could never park at.
You must be 18 to rent, and you'll be asked for ID. On the booking sites a licence-free boat for five or six people costs roughly €150–250 a day in summer, less for half a day, and fuel is almost always extra; one owner reckons on about €60 for a full day's cruising. The main rental bays are Kalami, Agni, Nissaki, Kassiopi and Agios Stefanos on the northeast coast, and Paleokastritsa, Liapades and Ermones in the west.
Before you leave the jetty, ask three things: how far you may go, what time the boat must be back, and what to do if the wind gets up. Go early, because the sea is calmest in the morning. On the west coast the northwest maistro usually builds after midday and can make the trip back bumpy, while the northeast is sheltered on most days, which makes it the better place for a first time. Slow right down near beaches and swimmers, and drop the anchor on sand rather than on the seagrass.
Here are ten coves that are worth the trip, five on each coast.
1. Agni
Northeast Corfu · 4.4 Google (214 reviews)
Agni is where boats go for lunch. It's a small pebble bay south of Kalami with three tavernas on the water, and on a summer day the little jetty is lined with rental boats bumping gently against each other.
You can drive here, but the lane is narrow and parking is tight, so arriving by sea is the easier way in as well as the nicer one.
Good to know: Book a table for around 13:00 in high season and tell them you're coming by boat; they'll help you tie up.
Agni: crowds, parking & wind today →2. Agios Arsenios
A tiny stone chapel on the rocks of the headland between Agni and Nissaki, said to date from before 1600. There's no beach, just flat rocks to swim from into deep, clear water.
It's a short ride from Agni or Kalami and one of the most photographed stops on this coast. On foot it's a long coastal path; by boat it's ten minutes.
Good to know: Anchor a little off the rocks and swim in. Bring a mask: the rock walls go down a long way.
Agios Arsenios: crowds, parking & wind today →3. Kerasia
Northeast Corfu · 4.5 Google (1,158 reviews)
Kerasia is a quiet pebble cove with a taverna, olive groves and cypresses behind it, between Kalami and Agios Stefanos. The road in is narrow and partly unpaved, which keeps the numbers down.
By boat it's a few minutes from Agios Stefanos, and the rocky ends of the bay are good for snorkelling. You may see octopus along the edges.
Good to know: Pair it with Kouloura, the tiny harbour just south, for a coffee on the way back.
Kerasia: crowds, parking & wind today →4. Akoli
Northeast Corfu · 4.6 Google (407 reviews)
Akoli is in Erimitis, the wild, wooded northeast corner of Corfu with no buildings on the shore. Walkers reach it in about 25 minutes from Avlaki; boats from Kassiopi or Agios Stefanos can pull up on the pebbles.
Behind the beach is a small lake. Further along the coast are Vromolimni and Vrachli, which is far easier by boat than down its rope-assisted path.
Good to know: Day-trip boats start arriving around 11:00. Be there by 10:00 and you'll have it nearly to yourself.
Akoli: crowds, parking & wind today →5. Porto Timoni
Northwest Corfu · 4.4 Google (5,698 reviews)
Porto Timoni is the famous double beach below Afionas on the northwest coast: two bays back to back on either side of a narrow neck of land. On foot it's a 30 to 40 minute rocky descent with no shade, and a harder climb back.
In summer, boat taxis run from Agios Georgios Pagon, so you can skip the hike altogether, or walk down and take the boat back.
Good to know: The northwest coast takes the maistro head-on. Go in the morning and check the wind before you book.
Porto Timoni: crowds, parking & wind today →6. Rovinia
West Corfu · 4.6 Google (3,164 reviews)
Rovinia is a white-pebble cove under cliffs just south of Liapades, with deep turquoise water and sea caves along its right-hand side. It's a 15-minute walk through the olives, or a few minutes by boat from Liapades beach.
By late morning in July and August it fills up from both directions, so it's a good first stop rather than a lunch stop.
Good to know: Swim along the right-hand side to look into the caves, but watch out for other boats coming in.
Rovinia: crowds, parking & wind today →7. Limni (Liapades)
West Corfu · 4.6 Google (891 reviews)
Limni is a strip of pebbles joining a wooded hill to the coast, with a bay on each side, like a small Porto Timoni. On foot it's a rough 45-minute trail; by boat from Liapades it's a short ride south along the cliffs.
Whichever way the wind blows, one side is usually calm, so pick the sheltered bay to anchor in.
Good to know: There are no facilities and the phone signal is weak. Bring water and everything else you need.
Limni (Liapades): crowds, parking & wind today →8. Chomi (Paradise)
West Corfu · 4.8 Google (524 reviews)
Locals call it Chomi; everyone else calls it Paradise Beach. It's a fine-pebble cove hidden in a slot between towering cliffs, invisible from the sea until you're right in front of it.
There's no path at all, so the only ways in are a rented boat from Liapades or a taxi boat from Paleokastritsa harbour (roughly €15–25 per person return, usually sold together with Stelari).
Good to know: The slot is narrow, so come in slowly and leave room for the taxi boats to drop off their passengers.
Chomi (Paradise): crowds, parking & wind today →9. Stelari
West Corfu · 4.7 Google (334 reviews)
Stelari is the largest of the boat-only coves south of Liapades: pebbles and a little sand under high cliffs, with water in a shade of turquoise that looks edited in photos.
With nothing between the cliffs and the open sea, the visibility is superb on a calm day. Mikro Stelari, its little neighbour, is just round the rocks if this one is busy.
Good to know: Some rental companies only allow the coves furthest south with a skipper, so check where you're allowed to go before you leave.
Stelari: crowds, parking & wind today →10. Gyali
West Corfu · 4.8 Google (839 reviews)
Gyali means 'glass' in Greek, and the water lives up to it. The cove hides below high cliffs near Giannades, with nothing built anywhere near it, and the footpath down is steep and only for experienced walkers.
From Ermones it's a 10 to 15 minute ride north by boat. Some Paleokastritsa and Liapades boat tours stop here too.
Good to know: There's nothing to buy and little shade, so bring an umbrella that you can wedge between the pebbles.
Gyali: crowds, parking & wind today →