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There are scheduled flights to Corfu from Athens several times a
day on Olympic or Aegean; the trip takes an hour or less. There are
also flights from Thessaloniki on Aegean all year round.
From March to November, no-frills airlines easyJet, bmiBaby and Ryanair
offer at least daily direct services from several UK airports (in
addition to the usual charter or package-company airlines like
ThomsonFly and Thomas Cook; 3 hours flight time). There are three daily
KTEL buses between Corfu and Athens and four daily buses between
Igoumenítsa and Athens. There is also at least a daily bus (maybe 2)
between Corfu and Thessaloniki. See Athens-based KTEL schedules
There are ferries (both normal and “fast”) almost every hour to
and from Igoumenítsa on the mainland, 75 minutes away at the slowest.
Most people coming by car or train from Europe get to Corfu by coming
from Brindisi, Bari, Ancona, or Venice in Italy to Igoumounitsa. The ferries used to stop in Corfu but now few if any do. The trip from Brindisi to Igoumounitsa
is about 8 hours 30 minutes, from Bari an hour longer. Ancona is a bit
over 15 hours away, while starting at Venice can mean around 30 hours of
travel. Competition between several different ferry companies keeps boat
standards high and prices keen; the best shipping lines are reckoned to
be Superfast, ANEK, Minoan and Blue Star. These same boats continue on
to Pátra , which takes 6 hours, and then return the same way. If you are going by deck or with just a seat then you can
buy your ticket when you get to Italy. But if you want a cabin or have a
car then it is best to book in advance through a reliable Greek Travel
Agency in Athens
when they book your hotels for you. You can buy tickets leaving Corfu
from any of the agencies crowding the town’s New Port, about 1km west of
the centre . The Old Port at Spiliá is now only used by short-hop
excursion boats, eg those going to Vídos islet opposite. Even the
day-trip boats to Albania use the New Port because it now has the only
customs and immigration facilities. For a really good ferry booking site try www.ferryhopper.com
You can even drive to Corfu
from Athens, by renting a car through Swift Car Rentals
in Athens who will even drive you out of the city, to the highway.
Athens to Igoumounítsa is about a 6 hour drive going via the north
Peloponnesian motorway to Pátra, and then along the new Ionian Highway
through western Greece (crossing the western mouth of the Corinth Gulf
by ferry costs half of what the bridge toll is, and is far more
scenic/relaxing). Some might choose a more leisurely northern route with
an overnight stop in Delphi and even Meteora, continuing through Ioánnina to Igoumenítsa . If you are fearful of
driving in Greece , there is always George the Famous Taxi Driver who will charge somewhere around 350 euros or so which seems like a
lot but if you are four people who can split the cost this is a very
comfortable way to go if you want to see the countryside along the way
which is quite spectacular. He can also just take you from the airport
in Athens to the bus station.
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