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Greece · The Ionian Islands

The Ionian Islands.

27 restaurants
15 hotels
12 things to do
6 islands

A different Greek-island chain. Off Greece's west coast, looking across at Italy — Venetian-Italian rather than Cycladic, greener (the rain that misses the Aegean lands here), softer, in many places quieter. Corfu is the headline — a UNESCO Venetian Old Town, the colonnaded Liston, a north-east coast (Kassiopi, Kalami, Agni) that the British literary set called home for half a century. Paxos is the next-door olive-grove island the yacht crowd protects. Kefalonia is the biggest and the most varied (Myrtos, Fiscardo, Robola wine). Zakynthos is the Navagio-and-blue-caves headline. Seven nights, mostly two islands, never six.

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A note from Hala

The Ionian Islands are the Greek islands that don't look or feel Greek the way the Cyclades do. Off the west coast, looking across to Italy — under 400 years of Venetian rule (vs. Ottoman elsewhere in Greece), with the colonnaded squares, the cricket pitch on Corfu's Spianada, the Italianate cuisine (sofrito, pastitsada, bourdetto), the rain that misses the Aegean (so: green, cypress-and-olive, real running springs). The Lawrence-and-Gerald-Durrell island chain; the Captain-Corelli island chain; the chain you fly into when you want a softer Greek summer.

Fly direct from London / European hubs into Corfu (CFU), Kefalonia (EFL), Zakynthos (ZTH), or Preveza (PVK, for Lefkada). Paxos and Ithaca are ferry-only — 1 hr from Corfu, 35 min from Sami (Kefalonia). The chain is spread across 250 km of sea; don't try more than two islands in a week. The right Northern-Ionian shape is Corfu (3–4 nights) + Paxos (2–3 nights); the Southern shape is Kefalonia (4 nights) + Ithaca (2).

Two islands a week, not six. Corfu + Paxos for the north; Kefalonia + Ithaca for the south.
Quick take

The Ionian rewards the slower trip. The big mistake travellers make is trying to chain four islands together — inter-island ferries are sparse, charter flights bottleneck at peak, and the islands genuinely reward two-night minimums each. Late May through June and September are the right windows — warm sea, light crowds, the restaurants still open. August is the bottle-neck month: Corfu charter flights are chaotic, Paxos sells out, every Zakynthos beach has a 10 a.m. boat queue. October closes the season — most boutique hotels shutter by Oct 31.

The Zones

Six islands worth knowing

Spread across 250 km of sea, the chain breaks naturally into a northern half (Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada) and a southern half (Kefalonia, Ithaca, Zakynthos). Pick a half. Two islands a week.

A hand-drawn view of the Liston colonnade in Corfu
I North · UNESCO Old Town · The headline
Corfu

The chain's headline. Corfu Town (Kerkyra) is UNESCO World Heritage — Venetian fortresses, the colonnaded Liston (built under the French to mimic Paris's rue de Rivoli), the cricket pitch on the Spianada, the only Greek city with a Sunday cricket match. The north-east coast (Kassiopi, Kalami, Agni) is what the British literary set called home for half a century — Lawrence and Gerald Durrell, the Rothschild villa above Agni. The right base for 3–4 nights of any Ionian trip.

Best baseVenetian UNESCO
II North · Olive groves · Yacht crowd
Paxos & Antipaxos

The 10-km-long olive-grove island the yacht crowd quietly protects. Three villages — Gaios (the harbour, the boutiques, the dining), Loggos (the prettiest), Lakka (the swimming bay). Antipaxos a 15-min boat south, with the Voutoumi and Vrika beaches that the photographs are of. 1-hr hydrofoil from Corfu. Two nights minimum; three earns the rate.

Ferry-onlyAntipaxos boat
III North · Mainland-connected · West-coast cliffs
Lefkada

The only Ionian connected to the mainland (a 50-metre swing bridge from Aktion, near Preveza airport — so technically driveable). The west coast holds the chain's most photographed beaches — Porto Katsiki (open via steep stairs), Egremni (boat-only since 2026 storm damage), Kathisma. Sivota in the south for the small-harbour scene, Vasiliki for the windsurf.

Drive-inWest-coast beaches
IV South · Biggest · Captain Corelli
Kefalonia

The biggest of the chain and the most varied — Fiscardo harbour (the Venetian fishing port the 1953 earthquake spared, now full of yachts), Myrtos beach (the white-pebble crescent in every Greek-islands brochure), the Melissani and Drogarati caves, Mount Ainos national park, and the Robola wine villages. Four nights is the right shape — fly into Kefalonia (EFL), base in Fiscardo or Lourdas.

South flagshipRobola wine
V South · Quiet · Odysseus's island
Ithaca

Odysseus's island — small, quiet, the place the Odyssey ends. Vathy is the horseshoe-harbour capital; Kioni is the prettier village two coves up; the School of Homer ruins are the Homeric pilgrimage. 35-min ferry from Sami (Kefalonia). Two nights is the shape, paired with Kefalonia.

Ferry from SamiSlow
VI South · Navagio · Charter-flight headline
Zakynthos (Zante)

The Navagio-and-blue-caves headline — and the charter-flight bottleneck. Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach is currently closed to landings (2025–26) due to rockfall risk; viewable from the cliff platform or by boat (no landing). The Blue Caves at Cape Skinari are the morning boat. Laganas Bay is a protected loggerhead-turtle zone (Marathonisi, "Turtle Island"). Skip the Laganas resort strip; base at Tragaki or Bohali instead.

Navagio view-only 2026Turtle zone
Greece with a Venetian accent

The Greek islands that aren't, quite.

While the rest of Greece spent four centuries under the Ottomans, these six islands were Venetian — then briefly French, then British, until 1864. The Aegean never saw a Venetian colonnade or a cricket bat; the Ionian got both. You land somewhere unmistakably Greek that keeps doing things no other Greek island does — cricket, pasta with Italian names, a liqueur from a fruit an Englishman planted.

Land on: same country, different empire — and four hundred years leaves a mark you can still order off a menu.
The tells — six things only the Ionian does
Photo — the Spianada
Cricket on the Spianada

A cricket pitch in Greece

The only competitive cricket in the country, played on Greece’s biggest square in the middle of Corfu Town.

Because the British ran the islands, 1815–1864. →

Photo — the Liston
The Liston

A colonnade out of Paris

A colonnaded arcade built to mimic Paris’s rue de Rivoli — cafés under the arches, the city’s living room.

Because the French held Corfu under Napoleon. →

Photo — sofrito
Sofrito · pastitsada · bourdetto

“Greek” dishes, Italian names

A menu of “Greek” dishes with Italian names and Venetian roots — veal in white wine, spiced pasta, fish stew.

Because 400 years of Venice rewrote the kitchen. →

Photo — kumquat liqueur
Kumquat liqueur

A bright-orange digestif

A bright-orange liqueur from a fruit that barely grows elsewhere in Europe — sold in every Old Town shop.

Because an English botanist planted the trees in the 1850s. →

Photo — the green
The green

Cypress, olive, running springs

Cypress, olive and running springs where the Cyclades are bare rock — the islands stay green into summer.

Because the rain that misses the Aegean lands here. →

Photo — Venetian Old Town
Venetian UNESCO Old Towns

Fortresses facing Italy

Fortresses and shuttered townhouses that look across the water at Italy, not east at the Aegean.

Because this was Venice’s frontier, never the Ottomans’. →

The turn

This is why the Ionian feels like a different holiday: softer, greener, more Italian — the Greece you go to after the Cyclades, when you want the version with shade and a wine list.

It’s Greece with a Venetian accent, and the accent is the whole point.

Where you feel it most: Corfu Old Town & the Liston the Italianate tables (sofrito, pastitsada) two islands a week, not six
Where We Eat

The table.

The cooking on this side of Greece is Venetian-Italian-inflected — sofrito, pastitsada, bourdetto, the dishes that mark 400 years of Venetian rule. Twenty-five picks across the four islands worth basing on, with the heritage spots that survived (Rex since 1932, Papagiorgis since 1924, Sesoulas Bakery since 1890, Tassia since 1972). Book Etrusco, Tassia, Toula's and Prosilio a few days out. Note the seasonal closures Oct–April.

  1. I
    Etrusco

    Kato Korakiana, 20 min north of Corfu Town — chef Ettore Botrini's flagship, in a converted family home with a garden. Botrini holds a Michelin star at his Athens restaurant; Etrusco is widely cited as Corfu's most ambitious kitchen. Modern Greek-Italian tasting menu; book 2+ weeks ahead in summer.

    Kato Korakiana
    €€€€€ · book 2 wks
  2. II
    The Venetian Well

    Kremasti Square in the Old Town, around the only 17th-century well still in its original position — fine dining in a tiny cobbled square, a tasting menu that reads Italian into Corfiot ingredients, the sommelier list the city is built around. The Old Town splurge.

    Corfu Old Town
    €€€€ · book ahead
  3. III
    Pomo d'Oro

    Scaramanga Square, Corfu Old Town — chef Aristotelis Megoulas, modern Greek with serious Italian training, the room where Old-Town residents take out-of-town guests. Pasta made in-house; the seafood orzotto is the dish to get.

    Corfu Old Town
    €€€ · book
  4. IV
    Klimataria N. Bellos

    Benitses, across from the marina, south of Corfu Town — the Bellos family fish taverna since 1997, the textbook for bourdetto (the Corfiot spicy fish stew) and bianco (the white-wine fish version). Quiet, off the tourist circuit, harbour-side. Cab from Old Town, 20 min.

    Benitses
    €€ · bourdetto
  5. V
    Taverna Agni

    Agni Bay, north-east Corfu — one of three waterfront tavernas in the cove (Toula's and Nikolas the other two), this one the longest-running. The catch grilled on charcoal, the salads from the gardens above. Boat in from Kassiopi or Kalami for the right way to arrive.

    Agni Bay · NE coast
    €€ · boat-in
  6. VI
    Nautilus · Aharavi

    North coast, in the Aharavi/Roda area — chef Ekaterini Nikolakopoulou's fine-dining room, often cited alongside Etrusco as the most ambitious kitchen on the island. Tight tasting menu, modern Greek, a quieter alternative to the Etrusco booking-trial.

    Aharavi · north Corfu
    €€€€ · book ahead
  7. VII
    Rex

    Kapodistriou Street, just behind the Liston in the Corfu Old Town — operating since 1932 under the Katsaros family, the textbook for Corfiot classics done well. The sofrito (veal slow-fried in white wine with garlic), the pastitsada, the bourdetto — the dishes the island invented, by the room that has been cooking them for almost a century.

    Corfu Old Town
    €€€ · since 1932
  8. VIII
    Toula's Seaside

    Agni Bay, NE coast — the second of the three Agni-Bay waterfront tavernas, in a converted 1890 olive press, run by Toula since 1981. The lobster is the house specialty (€90, served simply with oil, lemon, steamed vegetables); the room is the slow-Sunday-lunch on the boat day.

    Agni Bay · NE coast
    €€€ · lobster · book
  9. IX
    Papagiorgis

    Nikiforou Theotoki 32, Corfu Old Town — third-generation Dafnis-family patisserie since 1924. The bitter-chocolate desserts are the work the city talks about; the house-made kumquat and wild-strawberry gelato (using a single local Corfiot dairy) is the right summer order.

    Corfu Old Town
    € · since 1924
  10. X
    Starenio Bakery

    Gilford 59, Corfu Old Town — the locals' morning institution for spanakopita (€2.50, the homemade phyllo is the giveaway) and the legendary shakerato coffee. Stand at the counter, eat one, walk on.

    Corfu Old Town
    € · morning
  11. XI
    La Grotta

    Paleokastritsa — the cliffside-cove bar reached by ~140 steps down from the road into a hidden cove. Day swim + cliff-jumping, sunset cocktails at night, drinks-and-light-snacks only. Not a meal but the most atmospheric drink in Corfu.

    Paleokastritsa cove
    €€ · drinks · swim
  1. I
    Erimitis

    The clifftop bar-and-restaurant on the wild Erimitis cliffs of north-west Paxos — sunset over the Ionian, a glass of Robola in hand, an under-the-stars dinner after. The reason the rest of the island stops at 7 p.m. on the night you go.

    Erimitis cliffs · NW Paxos
    €€€ · sunset · book
  2. II
    Carnayo

    150 m from Gaios main square — a Gaios garden restaurant with a small, daily-changing menu of Paxos cooking elevated half a notch. Olive-oil seriousness, local-fish first, an unfussy wine list. The Gaios dinner of the trip.

    Gaios
    €€€ · garden
  3. III
    Vassilis

    Loggos harbour — the family-run waterfront taverna that the Loggos regulars book. Grilled fish, the local strapatsada (eggs and tomato), olive oil from the family grove. The Loggos lunch.

    Loggos harbour
    €€ · waterfront
  1. I
    Tassia · Fiscardo

    The Fiscardo institution since 1972 — Tassia Dendrinou's harbourfront kitchen, the Kefalonian fish-stew the photographers come for, an excellent Robola-led wine list. Yacht crews book ahead; do the same.

    Fiscardo harbour
    €€€ · since 1972
  2. II
    Tselenti's · Fiscardo

    Plateia Kavadia, in a Tselentis-family building since 1893 — the more Italian-leaning Fiscardo classic, pasta-and-seafood, slow harbour-side lunches. The Fiscardo lunch that pairs with Tassia for dinner.

    Fiscardo · Plateia Kavadia
    €€€ · Italianate
  3. III
    Vasso's · Fiscardo

    The third Fiscardo harbour-front classic — the easiest walk-in of the three, the wider mezze platter, the long-lunch room.

    Fiscardo harbour
    €€ · mezze
  4. IV
    Trehantiri · Ithaca

    Behind the central square in Vathy, Ithaca — open 40+ years, the local-and-yacht-crowd's quiet favourite, the goat kleftiko (slow-baked in paper) is the dish. The right Ithaca dinner if you're spending the two nights the island earns.

    Vathy · Ithaca
    €€ · kleftiko
  5. V
    Sirines · Ithaca

    Vathy — chef Nikos Kostopoulos's modern-Greek and seafood room, the more design-led Ithaca dinner alongside Trehantiri. Seasonal · May 1 – October 15.

    Vathy · Ithaca
    €€€ · May–Oct
  6. VI
    Sesoulas Bakery

    Argostoli, Kefalonia — the Patsi family bakery since 1890, now in its fourth generation. The famous mandoles (red candied almonds) are still made with the original baking-pan method post-WWII, and the tsoureki (Easter bread) is the textbook. Morning stop on the Robola wine drive.

    Argostoli · Kefalonia
    € · since 1890
  7. VII
    Kastro Café

    At the St. George's Castle grounds near Peratata, central Kefalonia — Spiros and his English wife Nicky's hilltop café, ranked the second-best restaurant on the island on TripAdvisor (out of 528). The homemade cheesecake is the dish; the view across to Argostoli is the rest of the booking.

    St. George's Castle
    €€ · view · brunch
  8. VIII
    Picnic

    Magganos village, 2 miles outside Fiscardo on the road to Assos and Myrtos — mother-and-daughter run, the modern Anglo-twist brunch the Fiscardo yacht crowd quietly drives up for. The Sunday Eggs Benedict is the order; they also pack proper beach hampers to take away.

    Magganos · 2 mi from Fiscardo
    €€ · brunch · hampers
  9. IX
    Il Borgo

    Travliata, 15 minutes south of Argostoli below St. George's Castle — chef Angeliki Spyratou took over in 2014, the vine-shaded terrace looks across to Zakynthos, and the Kefalonian wine list (Robola-heavy) is the deepest on the island. Pair with a Kastro-Café afternoon for a full hilltop day.

    Travliata · 15 min south of Argostoli
    €€€ · wine · view
  1. I
    Prosilio · Zakynthos Town

    By Solomos Square in Zante Town — chef Krystallia Karageorgou's modern-Greek fine-dining room (FNL / Toques d'Or recognition), the most considered kitchen on the island and the reason to base in town for at least a night.

    Zakynthos Town
    €€€€ · book ahead
  2. II
    The Heart Rock · Bohali

    The hilltop terrace at Bohali above Zakynthos Town — view dinner, fresh fish, the sunset that frames the bay and the Peloponnese in the distance. View first, food second, that's the right order.

    Bohali · above Zante Town
    €€€ · sunset
  3. III
    Captain's Corner · Sivota

    Sivota harbour on Lefkada's south coast — the long-running waterfront fish taverna in the chain's most-photographed small-harbour bay. Pick the catch off the ice; eat it slowly. The Lefkada dinner if you're basing south of the bridge.

    Sivota · Lefkada
    €€ · harbour fish
  4. IV
    Porto Limnionas Tavern

    Above the fjord-like inlet at Aghios Leon on Zakynthos's west coast — a pine-shaded terrace looking down into the cove, grilled fish, sardines, squid. The lunch that justifies the cross-island drive from Tragaki or Tsilivi.

    Aghios Leon · west Zakynthos
    €€ · cove view
Where We Sleep

The stay.

Three flavours of stay across the chain: Old-Town boutiques inside Venetian buildings (Bella Venezia, Cavalieri in Corfu), all-inclusive ultra-luxury (Ikos Odisia, Lesante Blu), and the small-island stay with the personality of the owner stamped on it (Erimitis Paxos, Emelisse Kefalonia). Thirteen picks across three tiers — most of them seasonal, mostly closed Nov–April.

Considered & Comfortable · from €170
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A 19th-century neoclassical townhouse in the Corfu Old Town, three minutes' walk from the Liston — 31 rooms, garden breakfast, the kind of small Old-Town hotel that gives you the city instead of charging for it. The right base for the Old-Town first nights of a trip.

What it's known for
Corfu Old Town
19th-c. neoclassical townhouse
31 rooms
Garden breakfast
AddressN. Zampeli 4, Corfu 49131 (official site)
Rate range€170–300/night (page tier band)
Best forOld-Town first nights · couples · culture-led trips
NearThe Liston (3-min walk) · Pomo d’Oro & The Venetian Well under 8 min
Good to know
"Superior" rooms face the garden — quieter and lighter than the front
The hotel runs no restaurant
Pomo d’Oro and Venetian Well are both within 8 minutes’ walk
Insider"Superior" rooms face the garden — quieter and lighter than the front. The hotel runs no restaurant; eat at Pomo d'Oro or Venetian Well, both inside 8 minutes' walk.
Book direct ↗
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A 17th-century Venetian palazzo directly on the Liston — the rooftop bar is the city's casual-with-a-view drink, the rooms are simple but the location is unbeatable. The historic Old-Town address.

What it's known for
On the Liston
17th-c. Venetian palazzo
Rooftop bar
Old-Town address
AddressKapodistriou 4, Corfu Old Town 49100 (official site)
Rate range€170–300/night (page tier band)
Best forThe historic Old-Town address · rooftop drinks · short stays
NearThe Liston (on it) · Spianada · Old Fortress
Good to know
"Liston View" rooms hear the cafés below; light sleepers want the rear "Mountain View" rooms
The rooftop is open to non-guests — arrive at 7 p.m. for a railing seat
Insider"Liston View" rooms hear the cafés below; light sleepers want the rear "Mountain View" rooms instead. The rooftop is open to non-guests; arrive at 7 p.m. for a railing seat.
Book direct ↗
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A 35-room small hotel on the Sivota harbour in southern Lefkada — the kind of family-run stay that books the boat for Captain's Corner dinner without being asked. The right base for Lefkada's south-coast loop (Porto Katsiki, Egremni by boat, Vasiliki).

What it's known for
Sivota harbour
Lefkada south coast
35 rooms
Family-run
AddressSivota, Lefkada (official site not verified — see note)
Rate range€170–300/night (page tier band)
Best forLefkada south-coast loop · family-run base · harbour stays
NearSivota harbour · Porto Katsiki · Vasiliki
Good to know
For more design, Vivid Blue Serenity Resort is 2 km up the hill at a higher rate
Stratos is the unfussy daily option
InsiderFor more design, look at Vivid Blue Serenity Resort 2 km up the hill; the rate is meaningfully higher and the harbour walks longer. Stratos is the unfussy daily option.
Boutique & Design · from €320
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On the former Onassis-era Miramare estate on the Corfu south coast — adults-only, Marriott Luxury Collection, bungalows in mature gardens with the kind of staff who learn your name on day one. The right adults-only Corfu base if you want the design tier without the Ikos resort scale.

What it's known for
Corfu south coast
Adults-only
Marriott Luxury Collection
Onassis-era Miramare estate
AddressMiramare Beach, Moraitika, Corfu 49100 (Marriott listing)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forAdults-only Corfu design tier without resort scale
NearMoraitika beach · Corfu Old Town (25-min cab)
Good to know
Beachfront bungalow categories are the booking — the property is built around the strand
25-min cab into Corfu Old Town for dinners
InsiderBeachfront bungalow categories are the booking — the garden-set rooms are good but the property is built around the strand. 25-min cab into Corfu Old Town for dinners.
Book direct ↗
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A small boutique on Corfu's north-east coast at San Stefano (Sinies) — eight rooms, restaurant directly on the beach, the right small-hotel pick for the Durrell-stretch of the island. Walk to Kassiopi for the Old-Port dinners.

What it's known for
NE Corfu (Durrell coast)
8 rooms
Beachfront restaurant
Small boutique
AddressSan Stefano (Sinies), NE Corfu (official site not verified — see note)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forThe Durrell-coast small-hotel stay · couples
NearKassiopi (walk) · Agni Bay · Kalami
Good to know
Eight rooms means it books out 4+ months ahead in season
The on-site restaurant is the easy night-one dinner; the rest of the week, taxi-boat to Agni or up to Kassiopi
InsiderEight rooms means it books out 4+ months ahead in season. The on-site restaurant is the easy night-one dinner; the rest of the week, taxi-boat across to Agni or up to Kassiopi.
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Paxos's small design-boutique on the Lakka side of the island — under 20 keys, run by the same family behind the Erimitis cliff-top bar/restaurant on the west coast. The right Paxos stay if you want design and quiet rather than Gaios harbour bustle.

What it's known for
Paxos (Lakka side)
Under 20 keys
Design-led
Same family as Erimitis Restaurant
AddressLakka, Paxos (official site not verified — see note)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forDesign-and-quiet Paxos stay over Gaios bustle
NearLakka swimming bay (5-min walk) · Erimitis Restaurant (west coast)
Good to know
Books out 6 months ahead in August
Cab to Erimitis Restaurant is included in your stay if you ask
Lakka is a 5-minute walk for the swimming bay
InsiderBooks out 6 months ahead in August. Cab to Erimitis Restaurant is included in your stay if you ask. Lakka is a 5-minute walk for the swimming bay.
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Adults-only wellness boutique on the Kefalonian south coast at Lourdata — yoga pavilion, plant-based menu option, the bay below for the morning swim. The right Kefalonia base if you want quiet and a hotel programme rather than the Fiscardo yacht scene.

What it's known for
Kefalonia south coast
Adults-only
Wellness programme
Yoga pavilion
AddressLourdata (Lourdas Beach), Kefalonia (official site)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forQuiet, programme-led Kefalonia over the Fiscardo scene
NearLourdata bay (morning swim) · south-coast beaches
Good to know
F Zeen's sister property is on Crete; the Kefalonia rate is lower for the same brand standard
Book the morning yoga; skip the breath-work add-ons unless they're your thing
InsiderF Zeen's sister property is on Crete; the Kefalonia rate is lower for the same brand standard. Book the morning yoga; skip the breath-work add-ons unless they're your thing.
Book direct ↗
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A small adults-only sea-view hotel above Petani Bay on Kefalonia's quieter west coast — directly above one of the island's prettiest beaches. The right pick if you want a single-base Kefalonia stay with a hotel-pool morning and a beach afternoon.

What it's known for
West Kefalonia (Paliki)
Adults-only
Sea-view suites
Above Petani Beach
AddressVovikes, Paliki, Kefalonia (official site; 700 m from Petani Beach)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forSingle-base Kefalonia stay · pool-morning, beach-afternoon
NearPetani Beach (700 m) · Fiscardo (45-min cross-island drive)
Good to know
The "Sea View" rooms genuinely have it — standard rooms face the hill
Fiscardo is a 45-minute cross-island drive; book a car for Tassia or Tselenti's
InsiderThe "Sea View" rooms genuinely have it — the standard rooms face the hill. Fiscardo is a 45-minute cross-island drive; book a car if you want to dine at Tassia or Tselenti's.
Book direct ↗
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An adults-only all-suite hotel at Tsilivi (north of Zante Town) — calmer than the Laganas strip, modern Cycladic-aesthetic rooms, a good pool, the right mid-tier Zakynthos base for travellers who don't want the Lesante or Domes Aulus splurge.

What it's known for
Tsilivi, Zakynthos
Adults-only (12+)
All-suite
Member of Design Hotels
AddressTsilivi, Zakynthos (official site)
Rate range€320–550/night (page tier band)
Best forMid-tier Zakynthos base over the Laganas/splurge extremes
NearTsilivi · Zante Town (15-min cab for Prosilio)
Good to know
No on-site fine dining — Prosilio in Zante Town is the 15-minute cab
The "Pool View" suites are the upgrade that earns it
InsiderNo on-site fine dining — Prosilio in Zante Town is the 15-minute cab. The "Pool View" suites are the upgrade that earns it.
Book direct ↗
Top-tier & Architectural · from €650
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Banyan Tree group's first European resort, opened June 2021 on a coastal hillside south of Corfu Town at Benitses — colonnaded pavilions cascading down to a private beach, the Asian-spa standard the brand is built on, a serious wellness programme. The right Corfu top-tier if you want one address for a full week.

What it's known for
Benitses, Corfu
Banyan Tree group (since 2021)
Asian-spa standard
Private beach
Address11th Km Kerkyras–Lefkimis National Road, 49084 Benitses (official site)
Rate range€650+/night (page tier band)
Best forOne Corfu address for a full week · spa-led stays
NearBenitses · Corfu Old Town (€20, 20-min cab)
Good to know
The Pool Villa categories are the upgrade
Cab to Corfu Old Town is €20, 20 minutes — easy for a Pomo d'Oro dinner
InsiderThe Pool Villa categories are the upgrade. Cab to Corfu Old Town is €20, 20 minutes — easy enough for a Pomo d'Oro dinner you book ahead.
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The Ikos group's newest Corfu property (opened 2023) on Dassia bay — adults-mostly, all-inclusive ultra-luxury done at the top of the category. Multiple restaurants, Michelin-direction dining included in the rate, a Rolls-Royce-equipped concierge fleet. The Ikos brand is the all-inclusive Greeks are quietly proud of.

What it's known for
Dassia, Corfu east coast
Opened 2023
All-inclusive ultra-luxury
Michelin-direction dining included
AddressDassia, Corfu (official site; 20 min from CFU airport)
Rate range€650+/night (page tier band)
Best forTop-of-category all-inclusive · a full week on one property
NearDassia bay · Corfu Old Town (cab)
Good to know
The "Deluxe Junior Suite" tier is the right value point
The Rolls-Royce off-property programme is included in the rate; book it on arrival
InsiderThe "Deluxe Junior Suite" tier is the right value point — the entry-tier rooms exist but the property is built to be enjoyed from the upgraded categories. The Rolls-Royce off-property programme is included in the rate; book it on arrival.
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Kefalonia's top-tier flagship — a cluster of stone-and-pine villas and rooms set into a private cove just outside Fiscardo, with the Ionian directly below. SLH-tier, the kind of property where the staff still walk you to your villa on arrival. The right Kefalonia top-end stay.

What it's known for
Fiscardo, Kefalonia
Private cove
Stone-and-pine villas
SLH-tier
AddressEmblisi Bay, 280 84 Fiskardo, Kefalonia (official site)
Rate range€650+/night (page tier band)
Best forKefalonia top-end stay · the Fiscardo high
NearFiscardo (10-min drive: Tassia, Tselenti's, Vasso's)
Good to know
"Sea View Villa with Plunge Pool" is the booking
The hotel restaurant is good but Fiscardo is a 10-minute drive; book the dinners ahead
Insider"Sea View Villa with Plunge Pool" is the booking. The hotel restaurant is good but Fiscardo (Tassia, Tselenti's, Vasso's) is a 10-minute drive; book the dinners ahead.
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A Leading Hotels of the World adults-only property at Tragaki on Zakynthos's east coast — sea-view suites with private pools, the most considered design tier on the island and the right answer to the Laganas resort strip. Pair with Prosilio dinner one night for the trip's high.

What it's known for
Tragaki, Zakynthos
Leading Hotels of the World
Adults-only
Sea-view suites with private pools
AddressTragaki, Zakynthos 29100 (official site)
Rate range€650+/night (page tier band)
Best forThe most considered Zakynthos design tier · the trip's high
NearTragaki east coast · Zante Town (Prosilio)
Good to know
Sister property Lesante Cape at Akrotiri is the family-friendly alternative
Book whichever has the suite category you want
InsiderSister property Lesante Cape at Akrotiri is the family-friendly alternative — the brand is the same standard, the rate is similar, the cape is more dramatic. Book whichever has the suite category you want.
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Grecotel's flagship Corfu property — 30 acres on its own peninsula at Kommeno, four Blue Flag beaches, gardens that have been planted for fifty years, the kind of established luxury-resort scale most of the chain lacks. Reopens for the 2026 season on April 24. The mid-tier-luxury alternative to Ikos that doesn't trade on novelty.

What it's known for
Kommeno Peninsula, Corfu
30-acre private peninsula
Four Blue Flag beaches
Grecotel flagship
AddressKommeno Peninsula, Corfu (official site)
Rate range€650+/night top band (from €280 shoulder-season — see note)
Best forEstablished resort scale · gardens · families and couples
NearKommeno Peninsula · Corfu Old Town (cab)
Good to know
Rate from €280 is the shoulder-season opening lead-in; high-season July–August runs significantly higher
The "Bungalow with Private Pool" categories are the upgrade that matters
InsiderRate from €280 is the shoulder-season opening lead-in; high-season July-August runs significantly higher. The "Bungalow with Private Pool" categories are the upgrade that matters; the standard rooms exist but the property is designed to be enjoyed from the upper tiers.
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Adults-only (15+) cluster-style boutique at Mousata, above Trapezaki Beach on Kefalonia's south coast — 21 suites, each with its own private plunge pool, terraced down the hillside. The right Kefalonia top-tier alternative to Emelisse if you want the south side of the island and don't need the Fiscardo yacht scene.

What it's known for
Mousata, south Kefalonia
Adults-only (15+)
21 plunge-pool suites
Above Trapezaki Beach
AddressMousata, Kefalonia (official site; above Trapezaki Beach)
Rate range€650+/night (page tier band)
Best forSouth-Kefalonia top-tier alternative to Emelisse
NearTrapezaki Beach · Argostoli (Sesoulas, Il Borgo, Kastro Café)
Good to know
All suites have plunge pools — no rate category is short-changed on that
The Argostoli dinner scene is the natural shape of the stay
InsiderAll suites have plunge pools — no rate category is short-changed on that. The Argostoli dinner scene (Sesoulas in the morning, Il Borgo or Kastro Café for lunch, Trapezaki Bay-side for sunset) is the natural shape of the stay.
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What We Do

The moves.

Twelve things, four categories. The Corfu Old Town and the Durrell-coast walk are the cultural mornings. The Paxos and Antipaxos boat day is the headline. Kefalonia's caves and the Robola wine villages are the inland day. Zakynthos is mostly view-and-boat at this point.

01 Free

Corfu Old Town walk

Corfu Town

The UNESCO World Heritage Old Town in one slow morning — the Liston (the French-era colonnaded arcade), the Spianada (the largest square in Greece, with the only cricket pitch in the country), the Old Fortress (Venetian, with the long view back to the city), the lanes of the Kambielo behind it. End at Pomo d'Oro for lunch.

Free · half-day
02 Free

Achilleion Palace

Gastouri · south Corfu

Empress Sisi of Austria's 1890 cliff-top neoclassical pile 10 km south of Corfu Town — gardens of marble statues (the dying Achilles is the lead), the long view down to Kanoni and the Pontikonisi islet. 90 minutes; pair with a Benitses bourdetto lunch at Klimataria afterwards.

€10 · 90 min
03 Free

Old Perithia & Mt. Pantokrator

North Corfu · mountain interior

The abandoned Venetian-era mountain village on Pantokrator's flank in north Corfu — slowly being restored, with two small tavernas (Foros and To Liotrivi) and the eerie atmosphere of a 14th-century settlement that the modern world left alone. Drive up; lunch is the point. Add the Pantokrator summit for the long-view top of Corfu.

Free · half-day
01 Book ahead

Paxos + Antipaxos boat day

From Gaios · Paxos

From Gaios harbour on Paxos: a small-boat day around the blue caves on the Paxos west coast, then south to Antipaxos for a long lunch swim at Voutoumi or Vrika. Half-day with a hired RIB, full day with a small caïque charter. The defining Paxos move.

€80–250 · book day-of
02 Free

Melissani & Drogarati Caves

Kefalonia · Sami area

The two Kefalonia caves in one easy morning. Melissani is an open-roofed underground lake — you boat across in a rowed skiff, the noon sun turns the water electric-blue. Drogarati is the dry stalactite chamber up the road, used as a small concert venue. Pair with a Robola-wine lunch afterwards.

€8 each · pre-11
03 Free

Zakynthos blue caves + Navagio view

Cape Skinari · Zakynthos

From Cape Skinari at the north tip of Zakynthos — a small-boat tour through the blue caves (water-light interior arches, swim-stops), then around to the Navagio Shipwreck for the view from the sea. The beach itself is closed to landings in 2026 due to rockfall risk; boats can approach ~40 m but cannot drop you ashore. Cliff-top viewing platform is open.

€25–40 · no landing 2026
01 Free

Myrtos Beach · Kefalonia

Kefalonia · west coast

The white-pebble crescent in every Greek-islands brochure — the long view down from the Assos road is the photograph; the swim itself involves a serious downhill drive and a sharp-pebble entry. Go for the photograph and a 30-minute swim, then lunch up at Assos (the village two coves over).

Free · car
02 Free

Porto Katsiki · Lefkada

Lefkada · west coast

Lefkada's most photographed beach — pale-cliff backdrop, turquoise water, a 100-step staircase down. Open and accessible; arrive before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m. or you'll join the day-bus crowd. Egremni, the famous neighbour, is currently boat-only (Feb 2026 storm damage to the stairs).

Free · pre-11 a.m.
03 Free

Agni Bay swim + lunch

Corfu · NE coast

Corfu NE coast — three tavernas around a pebble cove, easy water, the boat-taxi from Kalami or Kassiopi for the right arrival. Swim, long lunch at Taverna Agni or Toula's, walk the headland back to your starting cove. The defining day on the Corfu Durrell coast.

Free · boat-in
01 Free

Robola wine villages · Kefalonia

Omala · central Kefalonia

Kefalonia's PDO white grape, grown on the limestone slopes around Omala and the Robola Cooperative cellar — tour the co-op, taste through the producer list (Sclavos, Gentilini, Petrakopoulos), have lunch at one of the village tavernas afterward. A real Kefalonian afternoon, not a hotel pool one.

€10 · book a tasting
02 Free

The Durrell coast walk

Corfu · NE coast

The 4-km walk along the Corfu NE-coast headlands from Kalami (Lawrence Durrell's White House, now a taverna and rentable holiday home) up to Kouloura (the small horseshoe-harbour photograph everyone takes from above). Mid-morning, before the heat; lunch at Kouloura's single taverna.

Free · 90 min
03 Free

Ithaca · Vathy harbour + School of Homer

Ithaca

The Odyssey-pilgrimage half day on Ithaca — walk the horseshoe Vathy harbour, visit the small Archaeological Museum, then a 30-minute drive north to the so-called School of Homer ruins (a Mycenaean-era complex on the Stavros plateau, the most likely site of "Odysseus's palace"). Pair with Trehantiri for lunch.

Free · half-day
7-Day Plan

Seven nights, the Northern Ionian.

Four nights on Corfu (Old Town + Durrell coast), three on Paxos (Gaios harbour + Antipaxos boat day), back to Corfu to fly home. The most coherent Ionian week for first-time travellers. The alternative "Southern" week — Kefalonia (4) + Ithaca (2) + fly out — is in Worth Knowing.

12:00p.m.
LunchEat

Land at Corfu (CFU)

direct from London / European hubs, or 50-min connection from Athens. Collect a rental car at the airport.

13:30p.m.
LunchEat

Check in to Bella Venezia or Cavalieri

in the Corfu Old Town — drop bags, find your feet.

15:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

First walk: the Liston + Spianada

easy intro to the Old Town. Coffee on the Liston.

18:00p.m.
SunsetDrink

Sunset on the Old Fortress walls

€6 entry; the long view back to the city is the photograph.

21:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Dinner at Pomo d'Oro

easy first dinner on Scaramanga Square. Book.

09:30a.m.
MorningMove

Old Town walk

the Kambielo lanes, the New Fortress, the Antivouniotissa Museum (icon collection in a 15th-c. church). 2 hours, end at the Liston.

13:00p.m.
LunchEat

Lunch on the Liston

Aegli or any of the colonnade cafés. Coffee, salad, a glass of Vertzami (the Lefkadan red).

16:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Slow afternoon

boutique-shopping on Kapodistriou (the local kumquat-liqueur shops, the Ionian-art galleries), drinks rooftop at Cavalieri.

21:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Dinner at The Venetian Well

book it. The tasting menu, the sommelier list, the cobbled-square setting.

10:00a.m.
MorningMove

Drive to the NE coast

45 minutes to Kalami (Lawrence Durrell's White House).

11:00a.m.
LunchEat

Walk the Durrell coast

Kalami → Kouloura → Agni headland, 4 km, two hours, no shade after 11.

13:30p.m.
LunchEat

Lunch at Taverna Agni or Toula's

book ahead; boat in if you've moored the rental car at Kalami.

15:30p.m.
AfternoonSee

Swim at Agni

the cove is gentle, water shoes for the pebbles.

18:00p.m.
SunsetDrink

Drive back to Corfu Town

via Kassiopi for a sunset drink.

21:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Light dinner in town

Klimataria N. Bellos in Benitses if you want to do bourdetto tonight (30 min drive), or any of the Old-Town tavernas.

10:00a.m.
MorningMove

Drive to Achilleion Palace

15 minutes south. Empress Sisi's neoclassical gardens; 90 minutes.

13:00p.m.
LunchEat

Lunch at Klimataria Bellos (Benitses)

the bourdetto / bianco lunch you'd put off Day 3. Book.

16:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Slow afternoon

beach at Glyfada or Issos (south coast), or pool back at the hotel.

21:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Dinner at Etrusco

booked 2 weeks ago. 20-min cab to Kato Korakiana. Tasting menu; do not rush.

08:30a.m.
MorningMove

Return rental car, transfer to Corfu port

the Paxos hydrofoil departs from the Corfu Old Port.

09:30a.m.
MorningMove

Hydrofoil to Paxos

60–80 minutes to Gaios harbour. Book this in advance; high-season sailings sell out.

11:30a.m.
LunchEat

Check in: Erimitis Boutique or your Lakka/Gaios pick

.

13:30p.m.
LunchEat

Lunch at Vassilis (Loggos)

boat-taxi from Gaios is the right way to arrive.

17:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Walk Loggos harbour

afternoon coffee, sea-bath.

21:30p.m.
DinnerEat

Dinner at Carnayo (Gaios)

book ahead.

10:00a.m.
MorningMove

Hire a RIB or caïque from Gaios

half-day (RIB, €120–180) or full-day (caïque with skipper, €350–600). Pre-book in season.

11:00a.m.
LunchEat

Blue caves of the Paxos west coast

swim-stops, photograph, slow.

13:30p.m.
LunchEat

Lunch swim at Voutoumi or Vrika (Antipaxos)

the small taverna on the headland for the food; the water for the rest.

17:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Back to Gaios

shower, nap.

20:00p.m.
DinnerEat

Sunset at Erimitis

drive to the west-coast cliffs; one drink before dinner.

21:30p.m.
DinnerEat

Dinner at Erimitis

under the stars. Booked ahead.

08:30a.m.
MorningMove

Slow morning swim

Lakka or Mongonissi.

11:30a.m.
LunchEat

Hydrofoil back to Corfu

60–80 minutes to the Old Port.

14:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Lunch in Corfu Town

before the airport.

17:00p.m.
AfternoonSee

Fly home from CFU

direct routes back to most European hubs.

Only in the Ionian

The Ionian table.

Four hundred years of Venetian rule shows up at the table. Order these and you've eaten the Ionian.

  1. I
    Sofrito

    The defining Corfiot dish — thinly sliced beef slow-braised in white wine, garlic, and parsley until it falls apart. Served with mashed potatoes or rice. Venetian-via-Genoese in origin; the Old-Town tavernas do the textbook (Pomo d'Oro, Venetian Well).

    Corfu
    €€ · book the room
  2. II
    Pastitsada

    The Corfiot pasta-and-spiced-meat — rooster or beef slow-cooked in a tomato-cinnamon-clove-bay sauce, served over thick bucatini-style pasta. Cousin of Venetian pastissada de caval. Order it on a cool evening; share.

    Corfu
    €€ · share
  3. III
    Bourdetto (or bianco)

    The Corfiot fish stew in two versions — bourdetto is spicy (paprika, hot peppers, tomato), bianco is white-wine-based and gentler. Scorpion fish is traditional; any white fish works. Klimataria Bellos in Benitses is the reference.

    Corfu · Benitses
    €€ · fish stew
  4. IV
    Robola of Kefalonia (PDO)

    The native white grape of Kefalonia — grown on the limestone slopes around Omala, PDO, citrus-and-mineral, the bottle on every Fiscardo dinner table. Visit the Robola Cooperative cellar for the Sclavos, Gentilini, Petrakopoulos producers in one tasting.

    Kefalonia · Omala
    €€ · the bottle
  5. V
    Corfu kumquat liqueur (PGI)

    Corfu grows kumquats — a fruit that barely grows elsewhere in Europe — introduced by an English botanist in the 1850s, and the bright-orange digestif made from them is the island's unique drink. Mavromatis is the historic distillery. Buy a bottle from the Old Town shops.

    Corfu
    € · take a bottle
  6. VI
    Vertzami · the Lefkadan red

    Lefkada's native red grape — dark, structured, deeply coloured (the name means "deep" in old Lefkadan). Under-known outside Greece, the contrarian-but-earned wine pick over the obvious Robola or Mavrodaphne. Pair with anything off the grill.

    Lefkada
    €€ · indigenous
Worth knowing

A few things.

Six things that change the trip.

Two islands a week, not six

The Ionian chain is spread across 250 km of sea and the inter-island ferries are sparse. The right shape is Corfu + Paxos (the Northern week) or Kefalonia + Ithaca (the Southern week). Trying to chain Corfu → Lefkada → Kefalonia → Zakynthos in a week is the classic mistake.

Navagio Beach is closed for landings in 2026

The famous shipwreck beach on Zakynthos is view-only for the 2025–26 seasons due to ongoing rockfall risk. Boats can approach within ~40 m of shore but cannot land. The cliff-top viewing platform is open (and a second viewpoint opened in 2025). Don't book a boat that promises a beach landing.

Egremni stairs damaged Feb 2026

Lefkada's other postcard beach reopened with new stairs in 2021 after the 2015 earthquake, but Feb 2026 heavy-rain rockfall damaged the lower section again. As of now, boat from Vasiliki is the reliable access; the staircase may or may not be repaired by mid-summer. Porto Katsiki next door is open.

Sleep on Paxos, don't day-trip from Corfu

The hour-long hydrofoil from Corfu makes Paxos a popular day trip, and that's the wrong move — Paxos is the island that empties at 6 p.m. when the day boats leave. Two nights minimum; three is the right shape. The yacht-and-boutique crowd has already done the work; copy the pattern.

Robola, not just retsina

The Ionian has a serious indigenous wine story most travellers miss. Robola (Kefalonia, PDO) is the white to order anywhere in the chain. Vertzami (Lefkada) is the under-known native red. The Kefalonia Robola Cooperative tasting is the afternoon to plan.

Skip Kavos, Laganas, and the charter strips

Corfu has Kavos (south-east), Zakynthos has Laganas (south coast) — both are British-charter party strips with prices and atmosphere to match. Stay at the opposite end of the island. On Corfu, the NE coast (Kassiopi, Agni, Kalami) or Old Town. On Zakynthos, Tragaki or Bohali.

More Greece The rest of the country, in any order.

Five more ways into Greece.

→ IslandsThe Cyclades → CapitalAthens & the Riviera → IslandsCrete → MainlandThe Peloponnese → IslandsThe Dodecanese
← All of Greece
Upon Request

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Tell us when you're going to the Ionian, for how long, the kind of trip you want — the Northern week (Corfu + Paxos), the Southern week (Kefalonia + Ithaca), the Zakynthos-only Lesante Blu base, or a single-island deep dive on Corfu. We'll send a custom itinerary in 72 hours: hotels, restaurants (Etrusco and Tassia booked), the right airport, the ferry-or-charter routing, the right beaches given Navagio's 2026 closure. Unlimited revisions until it's right.

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