We had only 6-7 hours in Corfu. With our Party of 10 being made up of 6 teenagers, we knew that we couldn’t just continue to “explore the local” town for each of our ports. The kids needed exercise, fresh air and some adventure. Little did I realize what we truly were in for – the fresh air and adventure were good but man the exercise was a bit much for us 50 year olds!
Doing my normal research, I found breathtaking pictures of various beaches in Corfu. Most of them were not near the port we would be arriving at. One particular beach caught my eye – we like unique experiences and this one looked like it could fit the bill. Porto Timoni, situated on the northwest side of the island, was an hour away from our port in Corfu. Based on the pictures alone, I knew we needed to go. Now we just needed to get there.
We considered renting a car (or really two to accommodate our Party of 10) but our wise husbands talked us out of driving on the windy roads without a true understanding of where we were going. Plus the cars were primarily stick shift and that did not appeal to the drivers in the family. When you travel with this many people, you need alignment from all of the adults! From an expense perspective, it ended up being cheaper to hire a driver for the day and we could all be in one car.
After careful research and reading of reviews, we again decided on a local small business called Blue Tours. I worked with Vicky at Blue Tours and she was so helpful in designing a custom tour for us. Turns out not many people ask to go to Porto Timoni because of the trek to get there and the adventure that awaits. Many people just go to beaches closer to the port. On the day of our arrival, Vicky was waiting for us along with our driver Theodore and his Mercedes Sprinter Van. While we only asked for a driver and not a tour guide, Theodore gave us a wonderful history lesson about the island and pointed out several places to visit while he drove us an hour away. He walked us to the start of the path down to Porto Timoni, discussed a meeting time, exchanged numbers and waved goodbye as we started our trek.
The trek (it’s not really just a walk) down the side of the cliffs is beautiful. At some points you need to stop to look up and see the beautiful scenery because when trekking down you really have to look where you are going. We had someone fall very early down the hill (luckily all was ok). It took us about double the time advertised to get down because we were being so careful and because a few of us stopped ½ way down to get the full experience on an overlook. All-in-all it took about 45 minutes.
Once we had arrived at the bottom, we chose one of the two beaches to settle in. Corfu is far more north than the other places we had visited in Greece. So if we thought the water was cold in Mykonos and Zakynthos, it was even colder here. With the hot trek down the hill, we were ready to get in the water. But it did take a bit to get used to it and I personally am not sure I actually ever did. The water was crystal clear again, although not as blue as Zakynthos (no limestone here). We did try both beaches and swam on both sides. I preferred the sandy beach on the right as the one on the left was more rocky and hurt my feet (I didn’t bring water shoes but should have).
Most of the people we met at Porto Timoni were not from a cruise ship but were rather staying on the island or were locals. So we had found a more local place to beach instead of the typical tourist location near the port. Checked the box for our adventure.
After about 2 hours, we packed up and made the trek back up. Without needing to stop for pictures, we did make the trek up in less time. There were a lot more people coming down the hill when we were going up so we were happy to have arrived early before the crowds. We arrived at the top and stopped for a drink at the Porto Timoni Restaurant overlooking the bay.
We reconnected with our driver Theodore and everyone immediately fell asleep on the drive back. Before going back to the port however, we had arranged to have Theodore drop us off for a bit of shopping in the town of Corfu. While the husbands sat down at a local outdoor restaurant for a drink, the rest of us (Party of 8) went in search of gelato and souvenirs. As luck would have it, we found plenty of both. Theodore picked us up again and took us safely back at the ship in plenty of time before we sailed away.
All in all, we loved Corfu and it was one of our favorite stops on this cruise. As for Porto Timoni itself, it was the adventure we were looking for but if you are just looking for a beach without adventure I wouldn’t venture there just for the hike or view. If you do make the trek, bring lots of water for the trek down and back up as well as make sure to wear the right shoes. We saw several people with just flip flops and I can’t imagine that was good by the end of the hike. I know we have plenty more to see from this beautiful island and its adventurous beaches. We will be back.
