Corfu is the green northernmost island of the Ionian Sea, with olive groves and cypress-covered hills running down to coves of clear water. Corfu Town, a UNESCO-listed old town of Venetian fortresses, arcaded streets and the Liston promenade, reflects centuries of Venetian, French and British rule. The north-east coast, facing Albania across a narrow strait, has long attracted British and European families to private villas around Kassiopi, Agios Stefanos and Kalami, where Lawrence Durrell once lived. Gouvia Marina and the sheltered waters of the strait make the island a base for yacht charters to Paxos and Antipaxos. The season runs from May to October.
Corfu International Airport (CFU) is unusually close to the capital, about 2 km south of Corfu Town on a peninsula between the Chalkiopoulos lagoon and the sea. Hotels in town are minutes away, and the villas of the north-east coast are around 45 minutes to 1 hour by road; a boat transfer along the coast is often quicker in summer traffic. Flying privately means arriving directly from northern Europe without connecting in Athens, at times that suit your villa and yacht schedule. Flight times to Corfu are around 1 hour from Athens, around 2 hours from Geneva or Zürich and around 3 hours from London. The Jet Collection arranges the aircraft, handling on arrival and the car or boat that brings you to your villa.
