Why You Should Visit Kalami bay in Corfu Greece

Tucked into a horseshoe bay of brilliant blue, the village of Kalami in Corfu is so low-key you could miss it altogether. This secluded little bay on the quiet north-east coast is surrounded by lush green hills and edged with sparkling brilliant blue sea. Visit for the day or gather family and friends in a hillside villa to enjoy beach-side tavernas, hidden bays and breathtaking island views. And discover Kalami’s romantic literary connections too…

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Disclosure: I visited Villa Bliss in Kalami, Corfu as a guest of Ionian Villas on the understanding that all opinions expressed in this blog post are entirely my own

I’d visited Corfu a couple of times before so I jumped at the invitation from Ionian Villas to stay in Kalami bay. This popular Greek Ionian island is busy in summer but its north-east coastline is still enticingly low-key. I knew a little about Kalami Bay’s history too so, along with my son Ed, we headed out in May to explore.

Kalami in Corfu Greece

Corfu is popular for a reason. It’s a lush mountainous island, rich with history as well as gorgeous beaches, and a quick and convenient escape from the UK. With a flying time of just 3 hours Corfu is the most easily accessible Greek island from London.

Once you arrive at the airport in Corfu Town you can relax, you’re on holiday. And it’s just a further hour by car to reach the peaceful and pretty north-east coastline.

The capital of the Greek Ionian Islands, Corfu has been a high profile holiday spot for decades. But Kalami Bay is one of its quieter corners. It may get busier in high season but it’s still worlds away from Corfu’s mass tourism hot spots like Kavos.

Why visit Kalami bay

So here’s why I like Kalami. Although it’s only an hour away from the airport, this little bay still has authentic Greek island character without the hustle of a resort town.

No, the road there isn’t particularly quick, it takes an hour to cover 29 km, but this is Greece: it’s part of the experience. And you’ll pass wild orchids growing on the roadside as well as beautiful coastal views.

Once at the bay you find a shallow pebbly arc of beach that leads down into safe clear water for swimming and snorkelling. Beachside tavernas serve fresh fish and a boat from the jetty can take you to explore the pie-crust coastline.

Up on the hillside above Kalami are spectacular views: the sparkling Ionian sea, olive terraces and cypresses spiking the skyline. Two more little bays with forested headlands flank Kalami whilst, straight ahead, lies the Albanian coastline, just across the water.

The Durrells and Kalami bay

Corfu’s beauty has been famous for decades, ever since Gerald Durrell wrote his magical autobiography, My Family and Other Animals. If you’ve watched the TV series, The Durrells, you’ll know about his fun and rather eccentric family.

His brother Lawrence lived in Kalami in the 1930s when he was newly married. He and his wife Nancy made their home in The White House which still stands proud at the water’s edge. We could see it from the terraces of our luxury villa in Kalami, Villa Bliss.

This was well before tourism arrived on the island and, by Lawrence’s account, they led a blissful bohemian existence of writing, painting, sailing and sunbathing. And actually, you could still do pretty much the same thing now!

Where is Kalami bay?

The Ionian islands lie alongside the west coast of Greece. Unlike the more arid Aegean islands to the east of the mainland, the Ionians are famous for their verdant hilly landscapes, ancient olive groves, hidden coves and harbours and mild Mediterranean climate. They’re a favourite of sailors, walkers and holidaymakers looking for a low-key getaway.

Kalami bay, on Corfu’s north-east coast, bags some of the the island’s best coastal scenery, along with peace and quiet away from the busiest resorts. Once jokingly nicknamed Kensington-on-Sea it’s attracted some famous names over the years. Like nearby Paxos or secretive Meganisi you can find under-the-radar luxury without the crowds in this part of Corfu.

Things to do in Kalami Corfu

Kalami is a very small village, in fact it’s really a hamlet. It has a couple of mini-markets, a gift shop or two and an ATM, along with a few restaurants, tavernas and bars. Development here is low-scale: we noticed one hotel, but the majority of accommodation is in private apartments and villas.

Ideally you need a car to explore the surrounding area. Like many bays in the Ionian islands, Kalami lies at the bottom of a steep hill. We walked up and down it a few times – but we were glad to have a car too! Roads are generally quiet but windy and often steep, whilst pavements are few and far between.

Kalami Beach

This little pebbly beach is safe for swimming and snorkelling or you might be just as happy snoozing on a sun lounger. You can hire beach beds and sun umbrellas on the beach and there’s a watersports centre too for waterskiing, wakeboarding and paddleboarding. Bring water shoes like these for comfortable paddling.

If you’d rather relax then Kalami is a perfect location to settle at a beachside table with a generous helping of tzatziki or fresh grilled squid and a beer or cocktail.

Despite it’s small size you can eat very well in Kalami. The White House is now a fine dining restaurant (and a lovely place for coffee by the quay in the mornings). For a contemporary vibe, Callao Corfu is an all–day beach bar-restaurant with pizza and poke bowls as well as inventive local-inspired cocktails.

For Corfiot cooking, the beachfront has a couple of traditional family businesses like Thomas’s Place which serves really excellent fresh calamari, or Kalami Beach Taverna. There are several other restaurants and bars to choose from too.

Visit Agni Bay

Kalami is flanked by two more pretty bays that are worth a visit. We drove to Agni one morning but you can also follow a footpath round the headland from The White House at the end of Kalami beach.

Agni has two tavernas and it’s worth knowing that you can catch a taxi boat ride in the evening from Kalami Bay to Taverna Agni for supper. The bay was very quiet when we arrived. We stopped for a coffee and chatted to a couple who’d walked over from Nissaki, further south. So that’s where we went next.

The cliffside route is narrow but well maintained, and along the way you’ll spot glittering glimpses of the emerald sea around the Blue Caves and shrine of St Arsenius.

We followed the path to a large hotel on Nissaki beach and from there we walked to Kaminaki beach and the well-recommended Thalassa seafood restaurant. It was a lovely walk and took about 45 mins from Agni.

Visit Kouloura

Heading north out of Kalami village, at the junction with the main road, you can take the right hand turning down to the fishing port of Kouloura. This sheltered loop of harbour is full of little wooden boats and apart from one or two private houses there’s just a small chapel and a fish taverna here.

Close by is a strip of gravelly beach called Houhoulio, which is calm and good for swimming. It doesn’t have any facilities but it’s surrounded by forest which gives some natural shade.

See the Kouloura Viewpoint

Walk or drive along the main road north of Kamali to the Kouloura viewpoint. This is the narrowest part of the sea channel between Corfu and Albania and you feel like you could almost swim across!

Beaches near Kalami

If you know the English countryside you’ll get a sense of the Devon and Cornish coast in this part of Corfu. Verdant little footpaths wind along the coast from bay to bay, with exhilarating cliff top views and paths that loop down to seaside villages. One of the best things to do in Kalami is go for a walk.

We first walked south from Kalami from the next door bay of Agni to Kaminaki. You can find the path to Agni by the White House restaurant.

The next day we headed north, setting off from Houhoulio beach beside Kouloura harbour. We followed the coast path that’s well-signed but less manicured than the route to Kaminaki. It dropped down to a second deserted little beach with wave-polished branches like sculptures on the shingle.

The path took us around the headland with sparkling views towards Albania. Steep steps down through the undergrowth led to a tiny cove where we could see a little boat at anchor. It felt timeless, the kind of walk the Durrells would have enjoyed nearly 100 years ago.

Then the broad sweep of Kerasia beach appeared in front of us. The local cherry (kerasia) harvest used to be shipped from here to Corfu Town. In the taverna at the end of the beach a Greek family were finishing an expansive lunch and we stopped for a drink before heading back home.

Visit Kassiopi

The seaside village of Kassiopi is a 20 minute drive north of Kalami. This is an altogether bigger and more touristy spot with beaches, restaurants and some nightlife. We walked down to the harbour past boutiques with plate glass windows, jewellers and gift shops.

But the village still has character with proper Greek bakeries and the remains of a Byzantine fortress standing on the hillside. You can join boat tours from here, including a day trip to Albania.

Follow in the footsteps of the Durrells

I love Kalami’s literary associations with the Durrell family, so we duly visited The White House restaurant which has a display of memorabilia from Lawrence Durrell’s time there. He wrote Prospero’s Cell based on his life on Corfu in the 1930s and describes his ‘white house set like a dice on a rock’. You can follow a Durrell walking trail around Kalami, to highlight areas that Gerald and Lawrence knew well.

But you can also find one or two on your own. In Prospero’s Cell Lawrence mentions the place where he and Nancy sunbathed on the rocks below the shrine of St Arsenius. They dropped cherries into the water and dived for them ‘clear down two fathoms to the sandy floor’. You can only access that part of the coast by boat but you’ll spot the turquoise waters from the footpath to Nissaki beach.

Rent this Luxury villa in Kalami with infinity pool

We stayed in Villa Bliss, a luxury Corfu villa – you can read more about it here. Poised on the hillside above Kalami Bay this stylish 4-bedroom villa has a heatable infinity pool and tiers of terraces, all with wonderful panoramic views of the coastline.

It’s a serene and calming space with everything you need for a truly relaxing break. Famous names have stayed here – and I can understand why. Find out more at Ionian Villas.

About Ionian Villas

This family-run specialist villa company has decades of experience in the Ionian islands.  Based in the UK, the Watrous family of Ionian Villas have an in-depth knowledge and love of the islands.  They offer a great range of villas and carefully select each house and apartment on their books.

Ionian Villas will tailor-make your itinerary to allow flexibility in arrival dates or island-hopping trips. You can be perfectly independent or rely on them for meet and greet services, transfers, car hire, boat tours or villa chefs. Contact them here, mention Map&Family and let them help you plan your next trip to the Ionian islands.

Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the relevant websites for the most up to date information eg. accommodation details, tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc.

What to Read Next about the Greek Ionian islands

I’ve visited several of the beautiful and unspoilt Ionian islands of Greece – each has their own character.

• Meganisi is a quick ferry ride from Lefkada and a hidden paradise of little coves
• Paxos is a secluded island getaway that’s still easy to access in less than an hour from Corfu Town.
• We loved this Paxos villa for 4 with 5-star views.
• Tiny Antipaxos has white sand beaches and turquoise sea. Visit for the day or escape to a villa there.
• Vasiliki on the island of Lefkada is a coastal village that’s a magnet for watersports lovers. And it’s a great base for exploring the island too.
• Beach buffs will love the spectacular beaches of Lefkada.
• In the stylish harbour village of Fiskardo in Kefalonia we recommend a modern villa with lovely views .
• Or book this secluded Italianate catered villa in an olive grove in Kefalonia, convenient for the island’s south coast beaches.

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