Paleokastritsa Beaches

The beaches in the Palaiokastritsa area are undoubtedly the most beautiful in all of Corfu. One of the reasons is that they are surrounded by high cliffs that separate them from the rest of the mainland. The only way to visit them is by boat. If you want to see the best Corfu has to offer, your journey will lead you first to the port of Alipa.

During the summer months it is a good idea to book your boat in advance online. We had a boat from Mariolis boat rental. You can also book a boat via WhatsApp, just write them a message. The price for a full day rental was 120€ and about 20€ for petrol. We arrived at the marina around 9:00, where they were waiting for us and after a short 15-minute briefing we were able to go out to sea. The company provided us with a map of the area with the names of the surrounding beaches, showed us how to anchor, and pointed out places where anchoring was problematic and how to solve the problem.

Blue Eye Cave

Our first stop was the incredible Blue Eye Cave, just a few minutes from the harbor. This absolutely gorgeous cave is famous for its crystal-clear blue water that resembles an eye, hence its name. The best part is that you can dock your boat right near the entrance and then swim right in. The rocks in the cave are just perfect for standing on and looking around.

Blue Eye Cave

Around the cave you will find many fish of different sizes and colors. We were also lucky enough to see a beautiful starfish perched on a rock next to the cave entrance.

Underwater world Blue Eye Cave

In addition to its natural charm, the Blue Eye Cave is shrouded in mythological history. According to legend, it was in these caves that Nausicaa, daughter of the Fae king Alkinous, discovered and cared for the shipwrecked Odysseus, as described in Homer's Odyssey.

Blue Eye Cave

Kastelli Beach

Our journey continued north to Kastelli Beach, located directly below Angelokastro Castle. Along the way, we had a view of the entire coastline, including numerous nature caves.

Coast towards Kastelli beach

Kastelli Beach is one of those beaches where you need to be careful when anchoring. You have to bring the boat into the turquoise zone and be careful to drop the anchor in the sand, not between the rocks. On our first attempt, we hit a rock, which meant the anchor couldn't release itself and we had to dive in and release it by hand. Fortunately, the depth was not great and we were able to solve the problem without help.

Kastelli Beach

You anchor the boat about 30 meters from the shore and you have to swim to the beach. That's why we always travel with a buoy in which we put our electronics, water and at least one towel so that we have the basics to take to the beach.

Anchoring at Kastelli Beach

The water is crystal clear and refreshing and as you swim to the beach you can see the whole surrounding area in its full glory, so you won't even know you're in shallow water already.

Kastelli Beach

The beach is made up of a mixture of small pebbles and sand. You don't necessarily need water shoes, but it's better to have them in case you step on a sharper pebble in the sea. Apart from us, there was no one else on the beach. We passed a family that was there before us. It was 10:30 and other than us there was nothing but beautiful nature all around. The beach was completely clean, with no sign of people in terms of trash and other things.

After about three-quarters of an hour, we decided to move on. The kids decided to sunbathe on the boat, I enjoyed the views and Martin was at the helm . We travelled closer to the coast so we could see the caves more up close.

Sunbathing on the boat

Chomi Beach

We bypassed the harbor and headed to the most beautiful beach in all of Corfu, Chomi Beach, also known as Paradise Beach.

Chomi Beach limestone formations

At the time of our visit, it was not allowed to go up to the beach due to the risk of rockslide. It was controlled by the Coast Guard. We could anchor, go swimming and even approach the shore, but stay in the water. Walking on the sand near the reef was forbidden. The vertical cliffs behind the beach change color depending on the time of day and make a fascinating backdrop. If you decide to continue further south, come back in the afternoon and see the color change for yourself.

Chomi Beach treacherous reefs

But you didn't even have to go to the beach. Everything you need is on the boat and the view of the beach is truly fascinating. The limestone formations, especially at the northern end of the beach, resemble tree rings, while the massive cliff along the beach clearly shows who is the boss here.

Chomi Beach limestone formations

While we admired the view of Chomi Beach, we ate the sandwiches we had made that morning and continued a little further south.

Chomi Beach 2 hours later

Stelari Beach

Slightly further south is Stelari Beach, the smaller sister of Chomi Beach. Since Chomi was closed, Stelari was a bit busier. Stelari, however, consists of two beaches.

Micro Stelari Beach

One of them is the micro Stelari, which, as the name suggests, is very small but charming. It can only fit a few people. The beach is made up of white sand with a mixture of small pebbles, which creates a typical contrast to the other beaches in the area.

Micro Stelari Beach

Its bigger sister was quite busy at the time of our visit and tourists were brought here by organized tours. There were even sun loungers and umbrellas available for hire, which made for a comfortable experience, but took away the wild atmosphere that other beaches in the area have. Stelari looks very similar to Chomi, except it doesn't have the rock formations at the northern tip and the reef is greener and less perpendicular.

Stelari Beach

After a short time, we decided to continue to the beaches around the port of Alipa. On the way back we passed Chomi again and the rocks were starting to take on a slight yellowish tinge, as well as the interesting rocks at the end of it.

Ilidoros Beach

Another beach, Ilidoros, gave a different impression. Instead of rocks, it is surrounded by green hills, and around the shore there are again many caves. This beach is also sand and pebble and offers tranquility and a minimum of visitors. The boat anchors here fairly close to shore, about 10 meters so you don't even have to swim much.

Ilidoros Beach

Ilidoros Beach

Unknown Beach

And so, we decided to move on. Just a few metres away was a beach with no name, waiting for us. It looked exactly like Chomi Beach, but in miniature. The beach was absolutely amazing. There was more sand than pebbles, and even though there were other people already there, it still felt like our own little slice of heaven.

It was slowly approaching 17:00 and therefore the time when we had to return the boat. With heavy hearts, we still headed towards Liapades Beach, which is already accessible by car and offers full services, including hotels. The reason we approached it was because of the pine trees surrounding it.

Liapades Beach

Last minutes to the finish line the kids try steering the boat under close supervision. The younger one was careful and did it perfectly, the older one decided to try our nerves and move us around a bit. We arrived safely at the final destination. At the harbour we had a well-deserved frappe, the kids had ice cream and we headed towards our accommodation.

For us, it was definitely the best day of the whole holiday, not only because we managed to escape the crowds, but also because of the strong feeling of freedom and merging with nature. The kids enjoyed it too and are already looking forward to the next adventure at sea.