Full-day private cruise · Marina Gouvia, Corfu
Two islands, one day, one boat.
South across open water to Paxos — the caves cut into its west cliffs, a harbour to tie up in, and then the shallow, pale water off Antipaxos. Eight hours, up to seven guests, €1,450 for the boat rather than per person.
Two islands south of Corfu
The crossing is the price of admission.
Your private skippered cruise runs on a Technohull GT7, a fast, open RIB with a solid deep-V hull and an inflatable collar. The hull gives stability and a smooth ride in chop; your skipper sets the pace for the sea conditions. Its pace makes this full-day island route possible from Gouvia, with the forecast deciding whether to go.
The boat is noisy, and long runs with the engines up are tiring. You are on an open deck, with wind and movement during the crossing. If you want frequent breaks between runs, consider a four- to six-hour northeast cruise with regular stops. Tell us about your group before choosing.
Paxos lies south of Corfu, and reaching it means a genuine open-water crossing rather than a run along a sheltered shore. That is worth saying plainly rather than burying it: this is a long day with an open crossing at each end, and the sea has more say in how it goes. We watch the forecast, we pick the morning, and if the conditions are wrong we would rather move your day than give you a poor one.
What the crossing buys you is an island that looks nothing like Corfu. The west side of Paxos is a wall of white limestone, undercut into arches and hollows and dropping straight into deep water. The east side is the opposite — olive groves down to the shoreline, two small harbours, and a shallow channel between Paxos and its much smaller neighbour, Antipaxos.
One day gives you both. The cliffs, a harbour to walk around and eat in if you want to, and then Antipaxos, where the seabed is pale rock and sand and the water turns a far lighter colour than the deep blue you crossed to get there. Which of them you take first, and how long you stay, is agreed with you and settled by the wind on the day.
- 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
An open run, and what it is for.
Unlike the northeast coast, where you are swimming almost before you have settled, this day starts with a proper passage. You leave the shelter of Corfu behind and cross open water. We do not publish a crossing time, because it depends on the sea state and on where you have asked to go first, and a figure on a web page would only be a guess dressed up as a fact.
We would rather you treated that passage as part of the day than as something to be endured before the day begins. There is a forward sunpad if you want the wind and the sun, rear seating beneath the central canopy if you do not, cold drinks and fruit in the fridge, and an onboard WC and freshwater shower so that a long day stays a comfortable one. Your skipper handles the boat, the navigation and the weather throughout, and speaks English, German and Greek.
Antipaxos
Why the water changes colour.
Antipaxos is small and mostly given over to vineyards. What people cross for is the water along its east side, where a pale sand and rock seabed shelves gently instead of dropping away, and the colour lightens accordingly. It is the clearest reading of the difference a seabed makes that you will get in a single day, because you will have spent the morning over deep blue off the Paxos cliffs.
Snorkelling equipment, a stand-up paddleboard and a sea scooter are aboard as standard and included, so a swimming stop can be brief or the whole afternoon. How long you stay is your call. Your skipper suggests bays that suit the wind, and you decide how long to stay.
Where the day goes
Where the day can take you.
These are the places the two islands are known for. Which of them you actually reach, and in what order, is agreed with you on the day — the swell and the wind decide what is comfortable, and we will not promise you a specific stop in advance.
Arches and hollows the sea has worked into the soft limestone of the west coast. Whether we can go inside any particular one depends entirely on the swell that morning.
The main harbour of Paxos, tucked behind a wooded islet. Somewhere to walk, and the usual choice if you want lunch ashore — that is yours to pick and pay for.
A rounded bay at the north end of the island, sheltered by its headlands, with pale shallow water inside and a small village behind it.
The beach people cross the channel for. The water off it sits over light sand and rock, which is what gives it that colour.
- The Paxos sea caves
- Gaios
- Lakka
- Voutoumi (Antipaxos)
Your day, in order
How the day actually runs.
Not a timetable — the shape of it. This route is offered as a full eight hours only, and the order changes with the sea and with what your group wants out of the day.
Meeting at Marina Gouvia
You meet your skipper at the pontoon and leave aboard what you do not need to carry. Because this is a full day with a passage at each end, we usually agree an early start when you book, and we confirm it against the forecast rather than hoping.
South, into open water
Out of the marina and down the coast until Corfu is behind you. This is an open-water passage. Sit forward for the wind or aft under the canopy for the shade, and let the boat do the work.
Along the Paxos cliffs
The west coast, the caves and the arches, and a swimming stop in deep water beneath them if conditions allow. Snorkelling gear, the paddleboard and the sea scooter come out here.
An hour or two in a harbour
Gaios or Lakka, depending on the wind and on what you fancy. Time to walk, swim off the quay side of the day, or sit down to a proper lunch. A restaurant meal is not included in the price — you choose it and pay for it on the day.
Antipaxos, then north
The pale water off Antipaxos, usually the final long swim of the day, and then the run back up to Corfu. A rinse under the freshwater shower on the way, and you are dropped at the 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, full day only
€1,650, currently €1,450. Two islands and an open crossing do not fit into less, so we do not offer this route in a shorter length.
This is an open crossing
Not a coastal cruise. The sea has a real say in the day, which is why we choose the morning on the forecast and will not publish a crossing time we cannot stand behind.
Departing Marina Gouvia
You start and finish at the same pontoon. There is parking at the marina. Transfers to and from your hotel are not included, although we are happy to help you arrange one.
Up to seven guests
Up to seven guests are welcome; six fit comfortably on a crossing this long. The price is the total for the boat and does not change with the number of guests.
Aboard and included
Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks, kept cold in the refrigerator. Lunch in a harbour taverna is a separate thing and is not part of the price.
If the weather is wrong
If conditions are unsuitable your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded. This route crosses open water, so we watch the forecast closely and tell you straight if the day will not be good.
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. €1,450 is the total for your group of up to seven guests, and it does not climb per head. A couple pays the same as a party of seven for the same eight hours; you simply have the boat to yourselves with more space in it. That is the main difference between a private cruise and a ticketed day-boat excursion to Paxos, where every extra person costs more.
Do we drive the boat, or share it with other people?
Neither. Your skipper is aboard for the whole cruise and handles the boat, the anchoring and the navigation — you need no licence and no experience. The boat is reserved for your group alone, with no other guests aboard and no fixed timetable to keep to. Your skipper speaks English, German and Greek.
What is included in the price, and what is not?
Included: 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 central canopy; music and Wi-Fi aboard. Not included: restaurant meals ashore on Paxos, transfers to and from the marina, and any special arrangements — those are agreed separately before you book. There are no hidden fees on top.
Can we do Paxos in less than a full day?
No. The crossing takes a meaningful part of the day at both ends, and a shorter version would mean arriving, turning round and leaving. If you have only half a day available, consider the northeast Corfu coast — the crossing there is short and you spend almost all of the time in the water.
How rough is the crossing?
It depends entirely on the day, which is why we choose the morning on the forecast rather than committing to it months ahead. Open water behaves differently from the sheltered northeast bays, and we would rather tell you that now than have you discover it. If the forecast is unsuitable we reschedule your cruise or refund it in full.
Will we definitely get inside the sea caves?
We cannot promise it, and we would not want to. Going into a cave depends on the swell, and a cave that is calm and open in the morning can be unapproachable by the afternoon. Your skipper makes that judgement on the water. What we can say is that the west coast of Paxos is worth seeing from just outside the caves as well as from within them.
Is lunch on Paxos included?
No. Restaurant meals are not part of the price. There is normally time to tie up at Gaios or Lakka and sit down to a proper lunch if that is what you want, and your skipper can point you at the sensible options, but you choose the place and settle the bill yourselves. If you would rather stay on the water and eat what is aboard, that works too.
Is this suitable for children, or for anyone who gets seasick?
It can be, but it is the wrong day to guess about. This route and the Diapontia islands involve long stretches of open water, and a settled sea and a difficult one feel very different to a small child or to someone prone to seasickness. Tell us who is coming and their ages when you enquire and we will be straightforward with you about whether this route or the sheltered northeast coast makes more sense. 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.
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. No payment is taken at the enquiry stage, so asking about a date costs you nothing.
We can help you work out the details of your day before you decide.