If you can, it's best to avoid Corfu in late July and most of August, when holidaying Greeks and, to a lesser extent, Italians descend en masse to supplement the more steady flow of northern Europeans. Accommodation becomes scarce during this high season, and prices soar along with the temperatures. June and early September are just as good for those concerned about fine weather in fact, recent years have seen a number of fairly unstable high summers, with rainy Augusts followed by stunning Septembers arid Octobers. In June, the sea has usually warmed up enough to make swimming a jo, in September it can be as warm as a bath. The shoulder seasons of May, September and October are the times for bargain flights and packages, and, though you may risk short spells of inclement weather, they are arguably the best times to visit. In May many spring flowers arc still in bloom, and villages and villagers alike are fresh from the winter. In late September and early October you can be blessed with fine weather, warm seas and almost no other visitors. However, bargain package deals in these low-season periods should be carefully scrutinized: sonic remote resorts close down early, leaving those without the wherewithal to rent transport with precious little choice for food and entertainment. arly May and late October mark the beginning and end of charter flights to Corfu island, although there's a mini winter season around Christmas and New Year.

Corfu is inscribed by UNESCO
as World Heritage Site

Outside these times you have to fly via Athens, but at least Corfu Town hotels are open all year and some persistent searching may unearth suitable accommodation elsewhere on the island. When the rafts of knick-knacks arc packed away until next season, even the most developed resorts regain something of their prelapsarian charm. and Corfu Town. in particular, is at its best. The only bars or tavernas will be those the Greeks themselves use, which is usually the best recommendation at any time of the year. The winter months, November especially, see spectacular storms in the Ionian, yet it is possible to spend Christmas Day on the beach. Offseason travel is also the only way to catch the two biggest festivals of the year: prelenten carnival, a Venetian tradition maintained with parades, parties and mischief: and Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated for a full week and can be an extremely moving experience. Prevailing northwesterly winds affect the whole island, commonly rising in the afternoon, occasionally developing into the refreshing maestro, which can blow for three days or more in summer These winds make Corfu ideal for yachting holidays and watersports, but can render beaches at exposed resorts hellish. The island also has some microclimates: most notably, storms that gang up on Mount Pantokrator, particularly in loss, and shoulder seasons, and douse the northeast but often miss the flatter south altogether. The climate figures given below am official avenges for Corfu, though the record wet summer of 2002 certainly washed the zero rainfall figures down the drain.