The Best Beach
Clubs in Corfu

Corfu wears its green hills and Venetian town lightly, and its beach scene follows suit. This is an island of beach bars with good food and easy sunbeds rather than the marble and minimum spend theatre of the Cyclades. You linger over a long lunch, swim off the rocks, and stay for the light going gold over the Ionian. The chic stretch is Glyfada on the west coast, where the most stylish venues sit on a blue flag bay, while the wild dunes of the south and the dramatic coves of Paleokastritsa hold their own quieter pleasures.

We keep exact prices and minimum spends as to be confirmed, because they move with the season and the seat and we would rather you heard the real figure from the venue. Send an enquiry with your date and party size and they will confirm what a bed or a table costs and what it covers. Every place below is a real, established venue, described by the kind of day it gives you and the food you should order while you are there.

The Corfu season runs from roughly May to October, and the clubs are at their best in June and September when the island is warm but the crowds and the prices ease. July and August are the busiest, when the Glyfada beds fill and you want a reservation for the best of them. Lunch is the headline meal here rather than a sunset ritual, so plan to arrive late morning, eat slowly, and let the afternoon drift.

Booking a bed in Corfu is gentler than almost anywhere glamorous in this guide, which is part of the island's charm. At Glyfada in high summer the front beds at the smarter venues go first, so a reservation a few days ahead secures the good ones, and a weekday is always easier than a weekend. Away from Glyfada you can often simply turn up, order lunch, and a sunbed comes with the table. Always ask whether there is a minimum spend or a bed fee and what it includes, because the answer changes from venue to venue.

The food is the reason to choose one place over another here, so let your appetite lead. Order the catch of the day where the kitchen faces the water, take the long lunch rather than dipping in and out, and treat the afternoon swim as the punctuation between courses. Smart but easy dress suits the west coast venues, a booking under your name smooths the welcome, and a little patience with island timing is part of the deal. Send your date and party size through the form below and the venue will confirm availability and any spend for the day you want.

Corfu sits on the west of the Ionian, greener and softer than the Aegean islands, with a season that leans on warm seas from late spring to early autumn. The west coast around Glyfada and Pelekas holds the chic sands, the south around Issos is wild and quiet, and Paleokastritsa in the northwest is all dramatic coves. A hire car helps, as the best beaches are spread around the coast and the bus network is slow.

Conditions here are typical rather than guaranteed, and we make no promise about swimming safety, so read the flags and the local advice on the day. Most beach venues run from late morning to sunset, a few carry on into the evening, and reservations are wise at the smart Glyfada spots in peak season. Bring cash for the smaller bars, as card machines are not universal away from the main resorts.