Top Things To Do In Pretty Paleokastritsa Corfu

Paleokastritsa, or Palaiokastritsa is a coastal village on the west side of Corfu renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty with rugged cliffs and lush greenery soaring over crystal-clear turquoise waters offering many things to see and do. It’s one of the most beautiful coastlines in Corfu, loaded with several pristine beaches, cool cliffs, sea caves, and grottoes. A place well worth a few days to explore its beauty, although many visit as a day trip.

It gets its unusual name, Paleokastritsa, which is Palaiokastritsa in Greek, as the area here was once known as Paleokastro, after an old historic castle (Paleokastro literally means old castle).

This post covers the top things to do in pretty Paleokastritsa, how to get here, where to stay, and the best time to visit.

Grotta Beach & La Grotta Beach Bar

Grotta Beach is a very scenic, but rocky cove nestled between high cliffs near a peninsula in Paleokastrista. It started as a popular place for cliff jumping and swimming, but was expanded to include a restaurant and bar named La Grotta, a jetty, and a diving board with decks around it for eating, drinking cocktails, people watching, and envying the courageous cliff divers!

It’s a very chill little area with music always playing and friendly staff. It’s open daily from 10 AM to 8 PM, so you can also come here for some chill music and a cocktail in the evening.

I loved this area and visited more than once while I was here. It’s the kind of place where everyone is smiling and happy. Of course, how can you not smile with this view? Plus, the way it’s situated, you can easily find shade if you don’t want too much sun. Or you can find a place to sun, a place to sit, a place to swim, and there are boat tours of the bay leaving from here hourly during peak season (more on that below).

There are over 100 steps (they say 142) to get down to La Grotta from the street, which means there’s that many to get back up. But if you have the ability, I highly recommend it! And if you want to visit without the steps, just have a boat drop you at the jetty. There are several boat taxi services in the area.

Agios Spiridon, or Paleokastritsa Beach

One of the most beautiful, and popular, beaches in Paleokastrista is Agios Spiridon Beach. It’s named after Saint Spiridon, the patron Saint of Corfu (whose remains are in Saint Spiridon Church in Corfu Town). Most people, however, call this beach Paleokatrista Beach.

The beach and part of the sea here is surrounded by mountains and rugged cliffs topped with greenery, which makes it unique and simply stunning! For the ultimate view of this beach, walk, or drive, up to the Monastery of Paleokastrista.

Agios Spiridon Beach has sunbeds and umbrellas for rent and several restaurants on the beach for food and drink. As it’s the most popular beach and has easy access, it can get very busy during peak season. It’s best to get here early to get a sunbed. It’s also best to have water shoes as the beach is pebbled and rocky.

Agios Petros Beach

Agios Petros is a small beach on the opposite side of the peninsula Agios Spiridon is on, just behind the parking area. It is also very scenic, with cliffs on both sides and sea caves to explore. This beach also has sunbeds and umbrellas for rent and the beach and sea is pebbled/rocky.

Ampelaki Beach

Ampelaki Beach sits next to Agios Petros, a little further inland of the peninsula. You can see part of it to the left in the photo above. It’s a little bit larger than Agios Petros and also has stunning cliffs.

Like the other two beaches above, Ampelaki also has sunbeds and umbrellas for rent and there are rocks in the beach and the water so water shoes are a good idea.

The photo below shows Ampelaki Beach (center right) from the top of the hill near Paleokastrista Monastery.

Paleokastrista Bay Boat Tour

A boat tour around the bay is one of the best things to do in Paleokastrista, with several boat operators around town offering them. It’s a great way to discover which places you want to explore in more detail, then rent a boat on your own. I booked my guided tour at the jetty at La Grotta. It cruised by most of the caves and beaches listed below.

On the guided tours, most people also get dropped off to swim at Paradise Beach for an hour, then get picked up by the next boat tour. In September 2023, the cost of the basic tour was 20€, the tour with a one hour stop at Paradise Beach was 30€.

Hire Your Own Boat And Explore

The absolute best thing to do in Paleokatrista, however, is to hire your own boat and explore the beaches and coves here. The guided tour above will give you a taste, but there’s actually many more places to visit than the ones listed below. Plus, most are best accessed by the sea!

And believe it or not, in Greece you do not need a license to skipper your own boat if it is under 30hp. They will help you with a short lesson if you’re new (or make sure they do).

Blue Eye Cave

The Blue Eye Cave is near the tip of the peninsula where La Grotta is. The cave here is actually a small little area, but it really does look like a blue eye with the brilliant blue water near the rocks.

This spot is a really small, but worth a quick stop for a photo.

Cave Of Love

Next we explored the Cave of Love. This cave has a small triangular opening in the face of the cliff with a small, secluded beach inside.

There’s also a small rocky beach next to the Cave Of Love. Both would be fun to explore with a partner.

Liapades Beach

Liapades Beach is a stunning beach surrounded by cliffs and coves. It’s located in Liapades, which is south of Paleokatrista, and is the main beach there. This pebbled beach is organized with sun beds and umbrellas as well as taverns and restaurants.

Glyko Beach

Glyko Beach is another small, rocky beach that’s best accessed by boat, often with few people there. This beach, and the next few, are also located in Liapades, just south of Paleokastrista.

Limni Beach

Limni Beach is a two sided beach that is just a strip of sand between the mainland and a giant rocky outcrop in the sea.

We drove by both sides of this beach area in the boat on our tour and it looked cute.

It’s best to get here by boat, as by car you need to park fairly far away and trek up and down a steep hill.

Marmera Beach (Marble)

Marmera Beach, which means Marble Beach. This beach can only be accessed by boat.

Iliodoros

Iliodoros has a small cove area with fascinating rock patterns and a beach area.

Paradise Cave

There’s a little cove area just before Paradise Beach called Paradise Cave. This stunning spot has fascinating rock patterns and a cozy little beach area.

Paradise Beach

One of the most popular beaches to get to by boat is Paradise Beach. It also sits on the coast south of Paleokastrista. Set below massive cliffs, this narrow, but long beach is a stop on most guided boat tours. The water, like most of the sea here, is crystal clear and stunning.

The tours usually drop you off here for an hour to explore the beach and enjoy the water, then the next boat picks you up. Keep in mind that even though this beach is large, it is not an organized beach, meaning there are no facilities, minimal (or no) sun beds or umbrellas, and no food or water. This means it’s best to bring everything you want with you. Make sure to include sunscreen as there is also no shade here.

My photo does not do this stunning beach justice at all, but it really is mesmerizing. It literally looks like a strip of sand below the face of this massive cliff…yet it is. There is a lookout viewpoint from the cliffs across from it that would be incredible to hike to for the view…

Oceanis Viewpoint

There’s a lovely viewpoint of the bay at the ruins of the old Hotel Oceanis. It’s located on the main street by the sea, partway between La Grotta and Agios Spiridon.

It’s also cool to walk through the ruins of the hotel and look at the graffiti. Be careful if you do though, as there’s glass on the floor in places.

Day Trip To Porto Timoni

Porto Timoni is a beautiful double sided beach area just north of Agios Georgios (which is north of Paleokatrista) on a peninsula. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to visit, but it looks stunning and would make an excellent day trip from Paleokastrista.

To get here you can drive, or take a boat or taxi. The best part (at least in my opinion) would be to hike up the hill and see the beach from above. If you agree, a car or taxi is probably the best choice. The drive is about 45-minutes, depending on your exact start and stop point. If your plan is to swim, arriving by boat is the better option.

Paleokastritsa Monastery

Paleokastritsa Monastery, perched on the hilltop overlooking the sea and Agios Spiridon Beach is a centuries old monastery offering a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the area while providing stunning views. A walk, or drive, up here cannot be missed.

It’s devoted to the Virgin Mary and formally known as Most Holy Theotokos of Paleokastritsa.

The monastery dates back to the 13th century, but most of the current complex dates to the 18th century. It has a small museum with Byzantine icons and other relics as well as a traditional olive oil press. Most people, however, visit for the views on the hilltop here.

The sign posted on the front says it is open to the public from 7 AM to 1 PM and from 3 PM to 8 PM from April 1st to October 31st. It also reminds people to dress respectfully for the monastery.

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Where To Stay In Paleokastritsa

There are a variety of places to stay in Paleokastrista, and thankfully, most are in the affordable range! I’ve noted a selection below that get exceptional reviews, as well as a shoestring and a splurge option.

Shoestring 

• Camping Paleokastrista is a campground with 2 person tents that gets very high reviews. This would not be my first choice, but it honestly looks decent in real life. They offer a variety of activities like horsbackriding, snorkeling, walking tours, bar crawls, and more. They also have a seasonal pool, a BBQ area, and a salon services. It’s a bit of a walk to the beaches, but there is a green bus stop right out front that goes to Spriridon Beach.

Affordable

• I stayed at River Studios, which is a bit of a walk to the beaches, but I booked st the last minute and everything was booked up already. The units were very clean and the staff was nice. There was a kitchenette and a balcony with views of the hills. It’s close to the Camping bus stop above.
• Zefiros Traditional Hotel is a small family-run hotel located near Agios Spiridon Beach. They offer rooms with sea views and partial sea views and breakfast is included. It’s located near one of the stops for the green bus from Corfu Town and they offer rental cars.
• Corfu Valley View sits a 3-minute walk west of La Grotta on a small hill with beautiful sea views. Some rooms have sea views and balconies. There is also a restaurant and bar at the hotel. It’s located about a 13-minute walk to Liapades Beach.
• Tango Studios offers studios with beamed ceilings and a kitchenette. It’s just a 1-minute walk from La Grotta yet sits up on the hill for awesome sea views from your balcony. 
• Tango Apartment On The Beach offers self-catering accommodation near Alipa Beach, which is located in the bay between La Grotta and Spiridon Beach. The rooms have full sea views and balconies and get excellent reviews.

Splurge

• Paleo Villas sit up on a hill overlooking Paleokastrista and offer beautiful views of the sea and the infinity pool. The villas have a balcony and a kitchen.

If none of these places are available, or you want to see more, look at all the accommodation in Paleokastrista.

How To Get To Paleokastritsa

Paleokastrista is located about a 30-minute drive northwest of Corfu Town on the west coast of Corfu. If you do not have a car, there’s a green bus that follows the route here many times a day from the Green Bus Terminal in Corfu Town.

If you’re coming from Sidari, on the northern coast of Corfu, it’s about a 45-minute drive. Unfortunately, as of this writing there is no bus from Sidari to Paleokastrista. To get between the two by bus, you need to take the bus from Sidari to Corfu, then Corfu to Paleokastrista.

Best Time To Visit Paleokastritsa

The best time to visit in April to an October, when the weather is warmest. The best time for swimming is June to October as the water will be a little warmer. November is rainy season, and December, January, and February get cold.

Want More Of Greece?

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Santorini Island

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Zakynthos

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Other

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For an overview of all the best places in Greece, as well as how to get around, safety, tips, and more, see my Greece Travel Guide.

If you’ve enjoyed my post on the best things to do in Paleokastritsa, leave me a comment below.

Safe Travels!

Julie