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Route · 7 days · one-wayYacht charter route · Ionian

Corfu via Paxos & Antipaxos.

A 7-day yacht charter from Corfu south to Paxos and Antipaxos, then the mainland coast at Parga, Sivota and Plataria before the sail back.

The route

Day-by-day route

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Paxos
Day 1

Corfu (Gouvia Marina) → Paxos

The long 30-mile run south from Gouvia to Gaios, Paxos's snug capital tucked behind two wooded islets on a natural channel.

Distance

31 NM

Sailing

~6.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – mid-October (peak Jun – Sep, calmer winds)

Duration

7 days

Departure

Corfu

Sailing area

Ionian

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7
Paxos
1
Day 1

Corfu (Gouvia Marina) → Paxos

This is the longest leg of the week, so we usually slip the lines at Gouvia by nine. The maistro, the Ionian's afternoon northwesterly, builds after lunch and sits on the quarter as you run south, which makes the miles pass easily under sail. Gaios waits behind Panagia and Agios Nikolaos, two green islets that turn the approach into a sheltered channel rather than an open harbour. Berth stern-to along the town quay if there's room; the pastel houses and the old Venetian square are a two-minute walk from the passerelle. Paxos lives on its olive oil, and the local ladotyri, a cheese matured in oil, is worth hunting down at a quayside taverna. Arrive early. The quay is short and fills fast in July.

Things to do

Walk the Venetian square in Gaios

Dinghy to Panagia islet chapel

Buy ladotyri cheese along the quay

Sunset from the Agios Nikolaos fort

Mooring tip

The Gaios quay is stern-to with laid lines but short, so aim to be alongside by mid-afternoon before the day boats return. If it's full, Lakka's big northern bay or the quay at Loggos both make calm alternatives.

Antipaxos
2
Day 2

Paxos → Antipaxos

Barely an hour under engine or a lazy morning beat, Antipaxos is really a day trip rather than a destination in its own right. There's no harbour, so we anchor off Vrika or Voutoumi on clean sand in four to six metres and swim before the tripper boats arrive from Gaios around eleven. The water here has a pale, backlit quality that photographs rarely catch. Behind the beaches the island is one big vineyard; the Paxiots have made the amber Verdea wine here for generations, and a jug of it at the taverna above Voutoumi rounds off the swim nicely. Come early or linger late to have the bay to yourself. When the anchorage empties in the afternoon, it's a short sail back to Paxos for the night.

Things to do

Anchor and swim off Vrika beach

Walk the path to Voutoumi cove

Verdea wine at Bella Vista taverna

Snorkel the pale turquoise shallows

Mooring tip

Antipaxos is a daytime anchorage only, with good holding on sand in four to six metres off either beach. Set the hook well; the afternoon breeze can swing you, and there's nowhere to overnight, so plan to be back on Paxos by dusk.

Parga
3
Day 3

Antipaxos → Parga

The crossing to Parga is one of the prettier legs of the trip, a twelve-mile reach with the mainland mountains growing ahead. The town stacks up a steep bowl of a bay, all ochre and terracotta, crowned by the Venetian fortress the locals call the Kastro. Climb it in the late afternoon when the heat drops; the ramparts give you the whole coastline and the island chapel of Panagia sitting just offshore. Over the headland lies Valtos, a long sweep of sand that stays swimmable into the evening. If you have a spare morning, the Acheron springs and the ancient oracle of the dead are a worthwhile shore trip inland. Dinner is unfussy and fish-led here; a plate of saganaki and grilled fresh catch at a harbour table does the job.

Things to do

Climb the Kastro Venetian fortress

Swim the long sands of Valtos

Boat trip to the Acheron springs

Grilled catch at a harbour taverna

Mooring tip

Parga has no marina and the town quay is short-stay only, so most crews overnight at anchor. Valtos Bay to the west or Lichnos Bay to the east both hold well on sand in five to seven metres; pick whichever is sheltered from the afternoon breeze.

Sivota
4
Day 4

Parga → Sivota

Sivota is a gentle morning's sail up the coast, and the payoff is one of the sweetest anchorages on the mainland. A knot of low, pine-covered islets sits just off the village, and the shallows between them glow that improbable milky blue. We usually anchor off Bella Vraka, the sandbar you can wade across at knee depth between two of the islets, and spend the middle of the day swimming and messing about with the paddleboards. The village itself is small and low-key, a curve of quay lined with fish tavernas. Order the bourdeto if it's on, a peppery tomato stew of scorpionfish that the whole region does well. For the night, either take a stern-to berth on the village quay or tuck into one of the calmer bays a little further in.

Things to do

Wade the Bella Vraka sandbar

Anchor in the islet-sheltered lagoon

Paddleboard between the pine islets

Bourdeto fish stew on the quay

Mooring tip

You can lie stern-to on the Sivota village quay, though it fills in season, so arrive by mid-afternoon or plan to anchor. The lagoon between the islets is a swim stop rather than an overnight; choose a deeper, better-protected cove once the day boats leave.

Plataria
5
Day 5

Sivota → Plataria

After the crowds at Sivota, Plataria feels like a return to the ordinary Greece, and that's the appeal. It's a short leg north, a working fishing village a few miles short of the Igoumenitsa ferry port, with a bay that opens west toward Corfu and takes the afternoon northwesterly kindly. Not much happens here, which is the point after a busy few days. There's a small marina and a length of town quay, and the tavernas along the front are family-run and priced for locals rather than yachts. Have the fasolada, the slow-cooked bean soup that counts as Greece's everyday national dish, and watch the fishermen sort their nets. It also sets you up well for tomorrow: the sail back across to Corfu is best done in the morning calm, so an early, quiet night suits.

Things to do

Fasolada bean soup at a family taverna

Walk the quiet olive-grove hills

Watch the fishermen mend their nets

Sundowner looking west to Corfu

Mooring tip

Plataria has a small marina alongside the town quay, and both are calm in the prevailing northwesterly, but berths are limited. In July and August it pays to call ahead or arrive early for a stern-to spot.

Corfu
6
Day 6

Plataria → Corfu

Get this crossing done early. The channel back to Corfu is straightforward, but the northwesterly can kick up a short, awkward chop by afternoon, so a nine-o'clock departure keeps it comfortable. Leave the boat at Gouvia and take the short bus or taxi into Corfu Town for the last night, because the old town earns it. The two Venetian fortresses, the French-built Liston arcade with its cafe tables, and the wide green sweep of the Spianada are all a short walk apart. Corfu's kitchen is its own thing, shaped by centuries of Venetian rule: try sofrito, thin veal in a garlic and white-wine sauce, or the tomato-rich pastitsada. Finish with the local kumquat liqueur. Crews with an extra day often add the west-coast coves at Paleokastritsa, which is worth the detour if the schedule allows.

Things to do

Walk the Old Fortress ramparts

Coffee under the Liston arcades

Sofrito veal in the old town

Kumquat liqueur tasting after dinner

Mooring tip

Gouvia Marina is the base and where the boat is handed back, so book your return berth in advance. The Corfu Town quays are short-stay and exposed to wash, better for a lunch stop than a night.

Corfu
7
Day 7

Corfu → Check-out

Checkout at Gouvia is usually mid-morning, so the useful work happens the night before: top up the fuel, run the boat clean, and pack what you can. That leaves a slow last morning. If there's time before the transfer, it's worth a final walk into Corfu Town for a coffee at the old Café Liston under the arcades, where the tables spill onto the Spianada. On summer weekends you might catch a cricket match on the green, a leftover from the island's spell under British rule and a properly odd thing to watch in the Ionian. The covered market is the place for a jar of Greek thyme honey to carry home. Then it's back to the marina, the paperwork, and the handover. The northern Ionian tends to pull crews back for a second season.

Things to do

Espresso at Café Liston

Watch cricket on the Spianada green

Buy thyme honey at the market

Fuel, clean and pack for handover

Mooring tip

This is a Gouvia Marina handover, so sort the fuel top-up and the cleaning slot the evening before rather than the morning. Confirm your checkout time with the base and leave a margin for the fuel-dock queue in high season.

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