Evening and tailored cruises · Marina Gouvia, Corfu
An evening on the water. Or a few hours entirely your own.
Two hours at the end of the day, with the town and the fortresses going gold from the water. Or two to four hours built around whatever you actually feel like doing. Up to seven guests, and the price is for the boat. Your skipper is aboard throughout, on a Technohull GT7 RIB: an open boat with a solid hull and an inflatable collar.
Three ways to take a short cruise
The short cruises, and what separates them.
Not every day on the water needs to be a day. Some of the most rewarding hours on the water are short ones: a two-hour cruise timed to the evening, or a stretch of time in the middle of the afternoon that exists purely because somebody wanted a swim, a look at the town from the sea, or somewhere quiet to talk.
The sunset cruise has a shape already. It runs for two hours, it is timed to the evening, and it works the water around Corfu Town — the Venetian fortresses on the waterfront, the wooded island of Vidos across the harbour, Pontikonisi sitting off the Kanoni shore. You do not need to plan anything. You arrive, you go out, the light does the work.
A custom outing has no shape until you give it one. Two hours or four, at whatever point in the day suits you, going wherever the time allows. A swim and nothing else. A slow run up the coast with the music on. A photographer aboard. An anniversary that did not want a restaurant. Tell us what the hours are for and we will build them around that.
- 4.9 · 51 Google reviews
- Up to 7 guests, always private
- Skipper, fuel & taxes included
- Marina Gouvia, Corfu
- Free cancellation up to 5 days
The sunset cruise
Two hours at the end of the day.
Late in the day the wind usually drops, the water flattens, and the coast that looked bleached at noon starts to hold colour. The stone of the Old Fortress warms. The town lifts away from the waterline the way it only does from the sea. Boats come in rather than go out, and the whole stretch of water quietens down. Two hours is enough to be properly in it and short enough that dinner afterwards is still an option.
We do not publish a departure time, because there is not an honest one to publish: the evening moves by an hour or more between May and October, and the right moment to leave moves with it. Your time is agreed when you book, set against the evening rather than against a timetable. What is aboard is what is aboard on any cruise — wine, soft drinks, fruit and snacks in the refrigerator, shade beneath the canopy if you want it, music, and a skipper who handles everything else.
The custom outing
Two hours or four, shaped around you.
A custom cruise is the same boat and the same skipper with the itinerary left blank. Two hours is a swim and a stretch of coast: out of Gouvia, anchor somewhere the water is good, and back. Four hours is a genuine half day — far enough to reach quieter water, long enough to swim more than once, and enough margin that nobody is watching the clock on the way home.
People use these hours for very different things. A family who want one relaxed afternoon between long excursions. A couple who want the boat to themselves and no fixed route at all. Guests who want the snorkelling gear, the paddleboard and the sea scooter and nothing else on the agenda. The useful thing to send us is not a route but a sentence about who is coming and what would make the time worth it. The route follows from that, and is agreed with you before you leave the pontoon.
Where the day goes
The water these hours work in.
A short cruise stays close to home, which is the point — no long crossing, all of the time spent somewhere worth being. These are the landmarks within easy reach of Marina Gouvia. On a custom outing, they are a starting suggestion rather than a route.
The Venetian fortresses and the sea walls, seen the way the town was built to be seen. Very close to Gouvia, and the natural centre of a two-hour cruise.
The small wooded islet off the Kanoni shore, with its chapel among the cypresses. We look at it from the water; there is no landing.
The wooded island lying across the harbour mouth from the town. Quiet water on its far side, and a short enough run to suit two hours.
- Corfu Old Town from the water
- Pontikonisi
- Vidos
Your day, in order
How a short cruise runs.
Two hours or four, the shape is much the same. What changes is how far you go and how long you stay there.
Meeting at Marina Gouvia
You meet your skipper at the pontoon at the time agreed when you booked. For the sunset cruise that time is set against the evening and confirmed with you, not taken from a published timetable.
Out of the marina
Clear water comes quickly from Gouvia. Within a few minutes of leaving the breakwater you are along the coast, and on a short cruise almost none of your time is spent travelling to get somewhere.
The part you came for
On the sunset cruise: the town from the water, the fortresses, Vidos and Pontikonisi, and a slow turn through the light. On a custom outing: whatever you asked for — a swim, the snorkelling gear, the paddleboard, the sea scooter, or simply an anchorage and two hours of nothing.
Further, and longer
The four-hour outing buys distance and unhurried time rather than a different kind of day. Quieter water further along the coast, more than one swimming stop, and no need to turn for home the moment you have settled.
Back to the same pontoon
A rinse under the freshwater shower if you have swum, and back into Gouvia where you started. Short cruises finish in good time, so an evening ashore afterwards is entirely possible.
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 these cruises.
Two hours, or four
The sunset cruise runs for two hours. A custom outing is either two or four. Four hours is the one to take if you want to swim properly rather than briefly.
Timing agreed when you book
The evening moves considerably through the season, so we do not publish a fixed departure time. Yours is set against the light on your date and confirmed with you in writing.
Departing Marina Gouvia
You start and finish at the same pontoon, 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 — €350 for two hours, €550 for four. It is not a per-person fare, and two guests pay the same as seven.
Aboard and included
Water, soft drinks, wine, fruit and snacks, kept cold in the refrigerator. Restaurant meals are not included, and special arrangements are agreed separately before you book.
If conditions are unsuitable
Your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded. Free cancellation applies up to five days before the date, and 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. €350 is the total for a two-hour cruise and €550 the total for four hours, for a group of up to seven guests. It does not rise per head — two of you pay what seven would pay, with a great deal more room. That is the difference between a private cruise and a seat on a ticketed one.
Do we drive the boat, or share it with other people?
Neither. Your skipper is aboard throughout and handles the boat, the anchoring and the navigation, so no licence or experience is needed. The boat is reserved for your group alone — no other guests, and no timetable that belongs to somebody else.
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 not included and are agreed with you before you book.
What time does the sunset cruise leave?
It is timed to the evening rather than to a clock we publish. The hour that works in May is not the hour that works in August or October, so we set your departure against the light on your date and confirm it with you when you book. If you are planning dinner afterwards, tell us and we will factor that in.
What is the difference between the sunset cruise and a custom outing?
The sunset cruise already has an idea behind it: two hours, timed to the evening, working the water around Corfu Town and its fortresses. A custom outing has no fixed idea at all — it is two or four hours at whatever time of day suits you, going wherever you would like within the time. Same boat, same skipper, same inclusions. Only the planning differs.
What can we do in four hours that we cannot in two?
Swim properly, mainly. Two hours is a coastal run with a short stop in it. Four hours lets you reach quieter water further along the coast, stay at an anchorage long enough to use the snorkelling gear, the paddleboard and the sea scooter, and come home without hurrying. If swimming is the reason you are booking, take the four.
Can we swim on an evening cruise?
Yes, if you want to, and the gear and the freshwater shower are aboard either way. Bear in mind that the evening is the part of the day when the light goes rather than the water warms, and that two hours is not long. Some guests swim, many prefer to stay dry and watch the coast. Either is fine, and we will read the conditions on the day rather than promise anything in advance.
Can we mark an occasion aboard?
Often, yes, and people do — birthdays, anniversaries, a last evening of a holiday. Anything beyond what is normally aboard counts as a special arrangement: it is not included in the price and it needs to be agreed with us before you book, not raised at the pontoon. Tell us what you have in mind and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
What happens if the weather is wrong, or we need to cancel?
If conditions are unsuitable, your cruise is rescheduled or fully refunded. Free cancellation applies up to five days before the date. Short cruises are often easier to move than full days, so a change of weather rarely costs you the experience altogether.
We can help you work out the details of your day before you decide.