Paleokastritsa: Boat Trip, Beach Bus or Shore Excursion?
Updated October 11, 2026 · 4 min read
The answer first. For caves and hidden coves, choose a local boat trip. For the beach at your own pace, use independent transport. Cruise passengers with limited time should favour the Paleokastritsa Beach and Old Town bus shore excursion: €38, 5 hours and 1,532 reviews. The local 2-hour cave-and-beach boat starts at €60.45.
What each option covers
The bus excursion is a half-day coach tour sold only to cruise passengers. In 5 hours it visits the village and beach of Paleokastritsa and then the old and new town of Corfu. Boats that leave from Paleokastritsa itself do the opposite: they stay on the water and skip the town.
The 2-hour speedboat trip covers sea caves and secluded swimming beaches and starts at €60.45 (4.8 stars, 615 reviews). The 3-hour cruise on a traditional wooden boat names three caves — Nausika, Blue Eye and St. Nicolas — with swim stops at Limni Beach and Kasteli, from €51. The 45-minute underwater cruise takes you 2.2 metres below the surface in an air-conditioned cabin with panoramic windows, from €18.
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus excursion: Paleokastritsa and Old Town (cruise passengers) | 5 hours | €38 | 4.2 (1,532) |
| Speedboat trip from Paleokastritsa | 2 hours | €60.45 | 4.8 (615) |
| Wooden-boat cruise to three caves | 3 hours | €51 | 4.7 (233) |
| Underwater cruise | 45 minutes | €18 | 4.3 (727) |
The honest trade-off
The bus gives you two named destinations in five hours, and the coach sets the pace, so Paleokastritsa gets only part of that time. It is also open only to cruise passengers; everyone else chooses between a boat and getting there independently.
Of the two longer boats, the wooden one is on paper both longer and cheaper (€51 against €60.45 for the speedboat). Check on the booking pages what the extra €9.45 buys — boat size, group size, stops — before assuming the faster boat is better. Compare the relevant Corfu tours and pay only for inclusions that help on this route.
