Private cruise · Marina Gouvia, Corfu
Northwest Corfu, where the island turns to rock.
Round the top of Corfu to the side that faces the open Ionian: twin bays at Porto Timoni, the white cliffs at Cape Drastis, the carved sandstone at Canal d’Amour. A full day, and the boat is yours. Your skipper is aboard throughout, on a Technohull GT7 RIB: an open boat with a solid hull and an inflatable collar.
Canal d’Amour & Porto Timoni
The dramatic side of the island.
Most visitors know Corfu’s east coast: green, sheltered, the mountains coming gently down to a string of small bays. The northwest is a different island altogether. Here the land stops abruptly. Pale cliffs drop straight into deep water, the sea has cut arches and channels out of the soft sandstone at Sidari, and headlands like Cape Drastis stand off the coast in stacks and fins of rock.
It is a coast built for looking at from the water, which is also the only comfortable way to see places along this coast. Porto Timoni’s twin bays sit below a steep footpath that puts most people off in August heat. The rock formations at Canal d’Amour make more sense from sea level than from the crowded shoreline above them. Paleokastritsa’s bays fold one behind the next and reveal themselves in order only if you are afloat.
This is a full single-length day with a lot of distance in it — north past the Riviera coast, around the northern tip of the island, then south along the west side. The journey is not an interval before the good part. On this route it is a large part of the point.
- 4.9 · 51 Google reviews
- Up to 7 guests, always private
- Skipper, fuel & taxes included
- Marina Gouvia, Corfu
- Free cancellation up to 5 days
Getting there
Around the top of the island.
The route leaves Marina Gouvia and runs north along the coast you can see from the road, past the bays of the Riviera and up toward the northern tip. Somewhere around the corner the character changes: the water opens out, the green gives way to rock and the horizon is suddenly the Ionian rather than the Albanian mountains.
A Technohull GT7 is well suited to this kind of day. Its deep-V hull is described in the boat’s own specification as holding a settled ride in more demanding conditions, and its size lets it work close in beneath the cliffs. What we cannot do is publish a crossing time. The sea state decides that, and the honest answer is that it varies.
Eight hours aboard
A long day that stays a pleasure.
The northwest is more exposed than the east coast, and the day is longer, so the things that make a boat liveable count for a lot on this one. There is shade beneath the central canopy and an open sunpad forward for whoever wants the opposite. There is an onboard WC and a freshwater shower, which stops being a footnote by the middle of a hot afternoon. The refrigerator keeps the water, wine and fruit cold from the marina to the last swim.
Snorkelling equipment, a paddleboard and a sea scooter are aboard as standard. Beneath these cliffs the water is deeper and clearer than in the sheltered eastern bays, and it is worth putting a mask on even if you had not planned to. Your skipper speaks English, German and Greek, handles the boat and the anchoring, and will tell you honestly which stops are comfortable on the day and which to leave for another time.
Where the day goes
What this coast is known for.
Four places that give the northwest its reputation. Which of them you reach, and in what order, is agreed with you on the day — this side of the island is open to the weather, and the forecast has a say that it does not have in the eastern bays.
Soft sandstone cut by the sea into channels, arches and small coves. From the water you see the shapes whole, rather than in sections from the path above.
Pale stacks and fins of rock standing off the northern corner of the island. A striking few minutes of the route, and a photograph that only works from a boat.
A run of small bays beneath wooded headlands, with a monastery on the point above. The usual turning point of the day and the most likely place to go ashore.
Two beaches back to back on a narrow isthmus below Afionas. Reaching it on foot means a steep walk down and a steeper one back up. We arrive on the other side of that problem.
- Porto Timoni
- Canal d'Amour
- Cape Drastis
- Palaiokastritsa
Your day, in order
How the day actually runs.
A shape rather than a timetable. The order changes with the wind, and so does how long you spend in any one place.
Meeting at Marina Gouvia
You meet your skipper at the pontoon, leave what you do not need aboard, and go through the day before casting off — what you most want to see, how much swimming you want, whether anyone would rather stay out of the sun.
North, and around the corner
Up the east coast past the Riviera bays and around the northern tip of the island. This is a long continuous run, and the point at which Corfu stops looking green and starts looking like rock.
The formations, and swimming beneath them
Cape Drastis, the sandstone at Canal d’Amour, the twin bays at Porto Timoni. We anchor where the sea allows on the day. The water here is deeper and cooler than in the east — good for snorkelling, and the sea scooter and paddleboard come out if you want them.
Something ashore at Paleokastritsa
There is normally time to stop at Paleokastritsa for lunch or a walk. Meals ashore are yours to choose and pay for; they are not part of the price. If the sea makes a landing awkward, we will say so rather than push it.
Back to Gouvia
The return runs back around the top of the island, usually with one more swim on the way and a rinse under the freshwater shower before the marina. You finish at the same pontoon you started from.
This is the shape of the day, not a timetable. Sea conditions, the season and what your group feels like doing on the day all change the detail — which is the point of having the boat to yourselves.
Practical details
Practical details for this cruise.
Eight hours, one length
This route is offered as a full day only. The distance around the top of the island does not compress sensibly into a half day, and a shortened version would be mostly travelling.
Departing Marina Gouvia
You start and finish at the same pontoon on the east coast, a short drive north of Corfu Town. There is parking at the marina. Transfers are not included.
Up to seven guests
The price is the total for the boat, plus your skipper aboard. Two of you or seven of you, the figure does not change — you simply have more room.
An open coast
The northwest faces the open Ionian and is exposed to the weather. We watch the forecast for this route particularly closely and will move your day rather than run it in the wrong sea.
Food and drink aboard
Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks are aboard and included, kept cold in the refrigerator. A restaurant meal ashore is not included and is decided on the day.
If conditions are unsuitable
Your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded. Free cancellation applies up to five days before the date. No payment is taken when you enquire.
Your skipper
Christos Batralis has over 5,000 hours at the wheel and speaks English, German and Greek.
Included in your private price
More than the boat.
Everything below is part of the group price. You are not assembling a day out of extras.
Your skipper, Christos
Handles the boat and the navigation all day. Experienced, and speaks English and German as well as Greek.
Fuel and all taxes
Included in the price you see. There is no fuel surcharge and no hidden extra at the dock.
Drinks and refreshments
Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks are aboard and included.
Snorkelling equipment
Masks and snorkels for up to seven, ready at every swimming stop.
A stand-up paddleboard
Aboard as standard, for the quieter bays where you want to explore.
A sea scooter
Carried aboard. Use follows the conditions and your skipper’s guidance.
Onboard WC and freshwater shower
A full day on the water stays comfortable, and you can rinse the salt off before heading back.
Shade beneath the canopy
A central canopy over the helm and the seating behind it, and an open sunpad forward for whoever wants the sun.
A refrigerator aboard
Drinks and fruit stay cold from Gouvia to the last stop.
Music
Music aboard throughout the day.
Wi-Fi aboard
Useful for the photographs you will want to send before you are back on land.
A route agreed with you
Your stops and their order are planned with you, not fixed by a timetable.
Not included: towels (bring your own), restaurant meals, transfers and any special arrangements — these are agreed with you separately before booking. Stops and their order follow your agreed route, the available time and the conditions on the day.
Choosing between boat options
Why a private day, rather than a seat on someone else’s boat.
One boat, one group, one total price — and a route agreed with you rather than set by a timetable. A shared excursion sells individual seats; your private cruise reserves the boat for your group and lets you plan the route with your skipper.
Before you enquire
Questions people ask before booking
Is the price per person or for the whole boat?
For the whole boat. It is the total for your group of up to seven guests and it does not rise per head. A couple pays what a group of seven pays for the same day; the only difference is how much space you have. This is the main practical difference between a private cruise and a ticketed excursion.
Do we drive the boat, or share it with other people?
Neither. Your skipper is aboard for the whole day and handles the boat, the anchoring and the navigation, so you need no licence and no experience. The boat is reserved for your group alone — there are no other guests aboard and no fixed timetable to keep.
What is included in the price?
Your skipper, fuel and all taxes; water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks; snorkelling equipment, a stand-up paddleboard and a sea scooter; the onboard WC, freshwater shower and refrigerator; shade beneath the canopy; music and Wi-Fi aboard. Restaurant meals, transfers to and from the marina and any special arrangements are separate, and are agreed with you before you book.
What does the Northwest Corfu cruise cost?
€1,500 for the whole boat, reduced from €1,700. That is the total for your group of up to seven guests, with your skipper, fuel and all taxes included — the same figure for two of you as for seven, on every date in the season. No payment is taken when you enquire.
How is this different from the northeast cruise?
In character, almost completely. The northeast is green, sheltered and close — you are swimming soon after leaving the marina. The northwest is rock, cliff and open water, with a long run around the top of the island before the scenery starts. Choose the northeast for more swimming time and less travelling; choose the northwest for the landscape, and accept that a good part of the day is spent getting to it.
Can we choose where we stop?
Yes, and we would rather you did. The places on this page are what the coast is known for, but your stops and their order are agreed with you and adjusted for the sea as it actually is on the day. We do not guarantee a specific stop in advance. On this coast in particular, conditions decide what is comfortable and what is not worth doing.
Is this cruise suitable for children?
The boat carries up to seven guests. This route has long legs and open water, which suits some children and not others. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will give you a straight answer — for a young family the northeast coast offers short runs and frequent stops, and we will say so. For children aged two to six, plan the day around time ashore — a walk, lunch at a taverna — rather than eight hours straight on the boat, or consider a shorter northeast cruise. There are child life jackets for every age and no minimum age.
Is lunch included, and where would we eat?
Meals ashore are not included. There is normally time to tie up at Paleokastritsa, where you can eat by the water, and you choose and pay for that yourself. If you would rather not stop, we stay out and the drinks, fruit and snacks aboard carry you through the day.
What if someone gets seasick?
Tell us when you enquire, because it changes which cruise we would suggest. This route runs around the top of the island with long open legs, and the water below Cape Drastis and Porto Timoni is open rather than sheltered. If anyone in the group is prone to it, the northeast coast is the gentler day. Your skipper can shorten or change the route while you are out, and unsuitable conditions mean the cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded.
What happens if we need to cancel?
Free cancellation up to five days before your cruise. If conditions on the day are unsuitable, your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded — we would rather move your day than give you a poor one.
We can help you work out the details of your day before you decide.