Nautilus Yachting > Yacht Charter > Greece Yacht Charter > Corfu
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Known as the "Jewel of the Ionian", Corfu is the gateway to an idyllic sailing holiday in the Northern Ionian.
One of our top destinations for boat charters in the Mediterranean, Corfu is an incredibly convenient base for your sailing holiday, with daily flights from the UK and just a 15 minute transfer from the airport to the marina. Before or after your yacht charter, be sure to visit the beautifully preserved Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site bursting with cultural charm.
The area is well known for its reliable winds during the summer season and offers some fantastic longer sails south to the islands or Paxos and Anti-Paxos where you will find numerous breath-taking bays such as Emerald Bay - the name says it all! Over on the west coast of mainland Greece, come and discover for yourself why Syvota has been called the "Caribbean of Greece"! A yacht charter is the ideal way to explore the many islets and pristine beaches found in the region.
This sailing area is less crowded than the Southern Ionian and a bareboat yacht rental from Corfu is a fantastic option for couples and families with older children looking for a Greek sailing holiday exploring the lesser known areas of the Ionian. Alternatively, for a sociable holiday with the assistance of a professional lead crew with fantastic knowledge of the local area, why not have a look at the Corfu Flotilla.
Yacht Charters from:
7 nights / 2 cabins
Steady winds Force 3-5, average distances of 17nm/day Find out more...
A short sail south takes you to Corfu Town (5nm). Stroll round the historic town and enjoy dinner in one of the traditional tavernas.
A fishing village on the mainland. Enjoy generous servings of fresh prawns and ice cold beer while watching the sun set over Corfu.
Part of a group of tiny islands scattered with sandy beaches. Spend the afternoon swimming, and later enjoy dinner in the lively village of Mourtos.
A pretty harbour in a bay on the northern tip of Paxos surrounded by pine and olive groves.
The waters of Emerald Bay truly live up to the name. Overnight at Mongonisi, a sheltered bay or Gaios, the main harbour on Paxos.
A picturesque harbour on the south coast of Corfu island.
Weather conditions in the Ionian are very favourable for a relaxed sailing holiday. There are good sailing breezes from late morning through the afternoon, with winds from the northwest Force 3-5 subsiding around sunset. The winds tend to be stronger at the start and end of the season. Summer temperatures reach 28-31ºC.
We have rated this destination a 'Level 1' (levels info) and you will need an ICC qualification for bareboat charters from Corfu.
You can see all of the bases we offer in Greece along with the level ratings here so that you can find the most suitable destination for you. If you are at all unsure about a destination then please get in touch and our sales team will be more than happy to make their recommendations for you.
EasyJet have flights from Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol to Corfu. Thomson have flights from most UK airports on Mondays.
The transfer time to Gouvia Marina is approximately 15 minutes.
For more information on things to see and do in stunning Corfu on your yacht charter please click HERE
The best time to take a sailing holiday in Greece is between April and October, with peak season being June, July, and August.
High Season
The Meltemi winds are strongest in July and August, making a more exhilarating sailing challenge for the more experienced sailors. These months also fall within the UK school summer holidays, the perfect time for a family holiday, with lots of opportunities for the children to make new friends. Why not try one of our family-friendly flotilla holidays?
For easier sailing aim for the end of the summer when the winds are less intense making for more relaxed sailing conditions.
Shoulder Season
April and October benefit from smaller crowds as well as cheaper flights, great yacht availability and reduced costs.
Spring
April - June are the perfect months for those looking for a quieter yacht charter. The winds are milder, the weather is warm and the islands are in full bloom. With the reduced crowds it allows you to enjoy them to the fullest!Autumn Sailing in Greece
Choose the autumn months to avoid the tourist crowds, enjoy the calmer winds and take in the natural beauty of the islands at a leisurely pace.
May & September
The weather is warm but not too hot with average temperatures around 25ºC (77ºF) and the crowds are lower than the peak summer season.
Late May & June
The crowds are still relatively low but the temperatures have started to rise (average 28ºC / 85ºF) and the waters begin to get warm enough for swimming.
July to September
This is when the waters are at their warmest and it is also the peak tourist time due to the school summer holidays. This is a great time for a sociable family holiday - why not try one of our family-friendly flotilla holidays?
October
This is the end of the main sailing season and a good opportunity to take advantage of lower prices and lighter crowds. The weather is on average 21 - 23ºC and the waters are still warm enough to enjoy a spot of swimming.
In general, the best sailing conditions are from April to October when you can enjoy warm waters, clear skies and reliable winds.
The Ionian is great for year-round sailing however the best conditions are late spring to early autumn. The Ionian has hot, dry summers with calmer winds but stronger gusts can occur in the afternoons.
The Meltemi winds provide reliable sailing in the summer months perfect for more experienced sailors looking for a more challenging charter.
Typically the rainy season is from November to March and sailing conditions are not always ideal.
The cost of your yacht charter depends on several factors:
The type and size of the yacht you book will dictate the price. A 1 week charter on a 2 - 3 cabin monohull starts around £900 in low season whereas 1 week on a luxury catamaran with a skipper in high season could be upwards of £10,000. These are the 2 extremes of the scale for a 1 week charter and we offer plenty of choices in between.
1 week is a popular choice amongst our sailors and makes the perfect getaway however, a longer charter will give you more time to explore all the Greek islands have to offer. We have a range of 1 and 2 week flotillas, as well as custom bareboat bookings which can be tailored to your timescale.
Lower-priced yacht charters are available in the off-season of April, May, September and October with prices starting to rise in June before peaking in July and August.
Don't have any sailing experience? No problem! We offer several skippered and crewed options so you can enjoy the yachting lifestyle without the stress. From a simple skippered yacht to fully crewed options, we can arrange a charter to suit your needs.
Flotilla yacht charters are more expensive than a bareboat charter, but for the extra cost, you are getting the assistance of a lead boat with an experienced crew who are ready to help if you need assistance on your voyage. The flotilla lead crew also arrange social activities and lead you on a carefully curated itinerary. Flotillas are great if you enjoy the social aspects of sailing and are perfect for families, especially during school holidays. Children enjoy making new friends, while adults can unwind and connect with like-minded sailors.
If you are experienced and prefer to discover the islands at your own pace then a bareboat charter is the perfect choice for a relaxing holiday in The Med.
For bareboat charters and flotilla holidays in Greece, you will need ICC qualification.
The port authorities in Greece are now insisting on one of the following practical certificates:
If you hold an RYA Day Skipper or ASA104 it will no longer be accepted and you need to obtain either an ICC or IPC from the corresponding issuing body (RYA or ASA).
If your RYA Coastal/Yachtmaster or ASA105/106 certificate is more than 10 years old and does not have a photo ID, then you need to apply for an ICC or IPC.
If you are a member of the RYA or ASA, you may qualify for a discount or free certificate, otherwise, you will have to pay. The approximate cost is £50. Please use these links - RYA application for the ICC or ASA application for the IPC.
A 1 - 2 week charter will give you the optimum time to explore all Greece has to offer, from the beautiful secluded beaches and coves to the rich culture of its historic towns. Fancy exploring at a more relaxed pace? Our knowledgeable team can assist you with a custom charter.
We have various 1 and 2 week sailing itineraries for both bareboat and flotilla sailing holidays in Greece that have been personally tried and tested by our team.
The mooring fees in Greece are very minimal, you will find it is one of the cheaper Mediterranean destinations in terms of mooring costs. On average, a town quay mooring in Greece (based on a 40ft monohull) would be €20/night.
There are fewer "full-service marinas" compared with somewhere like Croatia, but these would usually be between €50-70/night.
There is also the ability to free anchor in a lot of places too, which keeps the cost of your mooring fees down considerably.
Our most popular sailing destination in Greece is the South Ionian due to its easy sailing conditions and endless bays to visit; this collection of islands (Lefkas, Kefalonia, Ithaka, Meganisi, Kalamos & Kastos) is perfect for beginners and families but has a charm that keeps our guests returning year after year.
You can also set sail in the Ionian from well-connected Corfu which has great options for sail-and-stay to combine your holiday with one of the island's highly-rated resorts. When on a yacht charter from Corfu, you can also explore Corfu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as picture-perfect Paxos.
Flying on what felt like the very first flight from Gatwick airport, our three-hour Easyjet flight to Greece meant that we arrived in Corfu just before lunch, giving us the entire afternoon to get prepped and ready for the week. Stepping out of the airport into what felt like UK rain and drizzle we were not sure how the week was going to fair.
A swift 20 minute journey later we arrived at Gouvia Marina, which certainly brightened the mood. The Marina is a short distance from Corfu town but easily one of the biggest marinas I have seen in a while. A sea of over 1000 masts, a supermarket, a pool, plus restaurants and bars, all easily accessible from the yacht. Gouvia is certainly somewhere you could lose a few hours waiting for your yacht to be readied, which we did happily. A little before 5pm we met Helen, our trusted skipper for the week, and stepped aboard our SO449 that would be our home on the water for a week.
Looking to get as involved as possible, I joined Helen for a catch up on the week's plans. The weather forecast for the next few days looked to involve strong winds and swell. Rather than have a full on battle for our first day, we instead decided to head to Benitses, a small town only 10nm away with a very new and well-protected marina.
Helen safely took us out of the marina and thankfully the very British-style drizzle we were encountering seemed to stay over Corfu Town and we sailed into a great big blue sky and 25-plus degrees of heat. Now in open water, I happily had the opportunity to take the helm and sail us towards Benitses before our Helen took over the complicated mooring, spinning the boat on a sixpence and mooring us safely for the evening.
What goes down, must come up.
We had a very relaxed start to the day with a few pastries from a nice little bakery in the village but the relaxation did not last long! Last night's planning suggested a casual four hour sail across to the mainland so after a quick briefing from our skipper we set passage out of the marina and headed towards Plataria - a simple sail!
In reality, we had 20kts of wind on the nose, six feet of swell and what seemed like colossal waves for an amateur crew. Sailing on our second reef for over 30nm meant some real sailing today! We ended up with a six hour sail, speeds of up to 8 knots and the kind of weather usually found in the Dodecanese rather than the Ionian. For most, this was a pleasant surprise, however some of the crew did not take well to some fantastic sailing conditions!
Once we got through it, the calm waters of Plataria felt like a million miles away from the day's adventures. We enjoyed a well-deserved meal in Olgas Tarverna sharing stories of how brave we were on today's sail and thanking all the Gods for having a professional skipper to lead the way!
A new day, a new beginning. With yesterday's marathon behind us, we opted to have a very relaxing day today. After a quick conversation with our skipper, we updated the plans and created a new itinerary of a short sail followed by a day of rest.
The plan was that today's sailing would be more "Ionian" and a casual hour or two at sea. To get over the high jinx of yesterday's sailing our skipper encouraged my son onto the helm and he took to it like a duck to water. With just a quick informal lesson on how to helm, yesterday's seasickness went out of the window and he confidently took us to Syvota, a real gem of a town.
Syvota itself has restaurants, shops and tavernas lining the town key as well as secluded beaches, all within walking distance. Syvota felt like a place where you could easily spend a week's holiday.
We spent the day enjoying Syvota, exploring the beaches, 'testing' the tavernas in the town and living the high life. One side of the town has a long beach and due to the time of year, we had the beach all to ourselves.
In the late afternoon we wandered back to town and watched the yachts come in. Sitting with a gelato and watching everything from the shore, you can appreciate how much work the skipper does getting the boat in safely at the end of the day.
In the evening we strolled over the hill to Syvota Mourtas and enjoyed some fine dining in a five-star restaurant before retiring to the boat for the night.
Waving goodbye to a town that I could happily return to at a later date, we carried on our sailing adventures. Following the calm sleep on anchor in Plataria on Monday night, we spoke to Helen and requested another night swinging on anchor. Knowing the area well, she recommended a small creek slightly off the beaten track. We restocked the galley ready for our night under the stars and set off for the quiet bay.
Igoumenitsa Creek had a precarious entrance but under the watchful eye of Helen, we pootled into a stunning little inlet. The advantages of sailing in October became very apparent as we dropped the anchor and noticed we were the only boat in the anchorage giving us plenty of space to swim and zip about in the tender.
As sunset approached we sat in the serenity of what felt like our own private bay, listening out for the sound of fish jumping out of the water catching flies. With this being our final night, we cooked a huge feast of almost everything we had on board and tried our hardest to finish all the gin and wine we had bought, before going to sleep under a cloudless sky.
Our final day and our journey back "home". After the strange weather from the opening day, our final day was the polar opposite. It was late October and we were motoring back to Corfu in 27-degree heat, not a breath of wind and water as smooth as glass!
We started the week as three fresh-faced sailors, but on this return leg our confidence had grown enough for us all to take turns on the helm. We enjoyed a final lunch on the water before heading into the marina where we happily reminisced about our week, whilst scrolling through a few hundred photos and videos!
We had a fabulous week on the water with amazing food, lots of laughs and a massive sense of achievement - leaving everyone in the group thinking "when are we doing this again?"
If you have your next bareboat yacht charter or flotilla holiday booked, your thoughts may now be turning to what to pack! Whether you are heading to the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean or jetting off to sail in the warm breezes of the Caribbean, we have a few suggestions for you for useful items to pack for your next sailing holiday.
We took a look at the destinations which are currently top of the list and have been surprised by a few of the entries! Tried and tested favourites for your yacht charters stand alongside a few newcomers, keeping things interesting and allowing a few lesser-known sailing areas to have their place in the limelight.
For those of you who jetted off at the beginning of the summer or for those who wanted to ‘wait and see’, September and October offer fantastic sailing conditions in many areas and a chance to explore without the intense heat and crowds of summer.
Call our knowledgeable sailing specialists for the latest advice and recommendations on the sailing areas most suited to you.
Arrange a call back from one of our specialists (Mon-Fri: 0900-1730).
