Planning Your Time

Corfu is often explored in a day; many people pass through quickly as part of a cruise of the Greek islands. Two days allows enough time to visit Corfu Town and its nearby famous sites. With four days you can spend time exploring the island's other historic sites and natural attractions and make day trips to outlying villages. Six days allows you time to get a closer look at the museums, churches, and forts and perhaps even take a day trip to Albania. To really get off the beaten path, take the coast road northeast from Corfu Town and around Daphnila Bay to Agni and from there into the most mountainous part of the island, or head west from Corfu Town into the mountains and ancient olive groves to stay near Kato Korakiana, home to Etrusco, the best restaurant on Corfu, and many would say Greece itself.

Kefalonia may be the largest of the Ionian Islands, but that rather makes it the tallest pixie. As long as you have a car, the island's big sights are all easily visited in a day or two, whether you want to set your towel on Myrtos beach, stroll the peaceful harbour of Fiskardo, slake your thirst in its famous vineyards, or float the viridescent waters of Melissani Cave (a kind of Greek cenote). But that's not really the point; idyllic beaches, isolated villages, and goat-invaded clifftop roads require time to soak in. Three or four days lets you explore the untouched Peliki Peninsula, wander mountaintops, explore Venetian fortresses, and still get your beach time in.

For Zakynthos, read Kefalonia. Away from the resorts of the south, the pace of life is not fast here and there aren't so many sights that you'll be overwhelmed. Two days is enough to soak up the shimmering Blue Caves or the white sands of Shipwreck Cove (Navagio), take a turtle-spotting tour, and stroll from the likeable Zakynthos Town up to its castle. Stay a little longer and cultural tours of the wooded hills, hidden coves, and quiet villages of the northern coast await, as well as plenty of time on the half-wild beaches of the Vasilikos Peninsula.