jeairas

We're taking a motorcycle trip through Europe next year and are planning out our stops along the way. We'll be taking a ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Corfu and plan on spending about 2 full days driving around Corfu. I know 2 days isn't that much time but wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions on any "must see" things or places. Maybe a secluded beach somewhere or great place to camp (we're camping for the most part).

Thanks!

clausar

Corfu is one the greenest Greek islands ( like most of the Ioanian islands) and totally different from the Cyclades ( Mykonos, Santorini etc).
A big must see is the city of Corfu ( or Kerkira in Greek), where you will see the strong Venetian influence in architecture but also the French and British influence.
You can visit the old and new fortress of the city, the Mon Repos, the Museum of Asian Art and the Archeological Museum.
There is also Achilion Palace, 10 km outside of Corfu city, a palace build for Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, aka as Princess Sissy. Kanoni is a must see spot for the wonderful view, overlooking the Pontikonissi ( Mice islands....)
For swimming i would recommend Paleokastritsa, with clear water with wonderful green-blue colour. Be aware the water there is pretty cold, even in the high season......
Another great beach is Glyfada on the West, with nice sandy beaches.
Do not visit Cavos, which is famous for cheap entertainment and drunk tourists !!!!!
In the north you can visit the Canal d'amour where people use to swim if there are no waves, this place has some very nice rocky formations forming a tiny fjord....
I am sorry i cannot help with camping, as i never used it...

Should you ferry to the Mainland ( Igoumenitsa) from Corfu, try to visit Syvota ( only 24 km away from Igoumenitsa) one of the most beautiful areas of Greece. It's a small village on the sea, with 4-5 small islands that you can visit for swimming, lots of small sandy beaches everywhere, and many nearby places to see. ( like Parga, Acheron river springs and many more)

jeairas

Thank you so much for that great info! I'm very excited about this trip!

jeairas

Do you know anything about the route between Corfu (well, the mainland of Greece) and Croatia?

clausar

Starting in Croatia, you would have to drive all the way down to Sarande in Albania, and ferry to Corfu.
Have only been to Sarande, driving from the Greek border, and the street was a disaster.... very very narrow, often there was space for just one car, and Albanians were driving like crazy and very fast... would never do it again..
I have no clue how the roads coming from the North are...

Second choice would be to enter Greece from it's northern borders to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and follow the Egnatia odos, a modern highway to Igoumenitsa, and then ferry to Corfu.

Of course best connection would be to take a ferry from Dubrovnik, but last time i checked, there was no connection at all between Croatia and Greece....
You may want to recheck that, as it may have changed in the meantime.

jeairas

My plan was to take a ferry from Corfu to Igoumenitsa, then drive to Dubrovnik via the following towns/areas:

Igoumenitsa-Tepelenë-Patos-Lushnje-Tirana-Shkodër-Bar-Budva-Tivat-Dubrovnik


Do you think those roads are too bad/risky to ride on a motorcycle?

clausar

I am afraid i have no idea about this route.
Greeks usually avoid to drive to Albania for various reasons, but Albanian immigrants working in Greece, are using the main south-north road that ends in Epirus.
Here is what i've found in Wikitravel...

"The road between Ioannina, Greece and Tirana (E853/SH4) is of sufficient quality until Tepelenë. Between Tepelene and Fier there are several sections under construction and you should proceed with extreme caution (2011). The road is narrow in some places, so travel with caution. This is the main North-South route between Montenegro and Greece"

jeairas

Thank you for that info Clausar! I'll keep researching before deciding to take that route!