Our apartment is minutes from the Old Town, which means guests asking about "sunset drinks" really have two questions hiding inside one. The first is: should I drive out to a proper beach bar on the coast? The second is: can I just walk from the apartment to somewhere civilised with a view? The answer to both is yes — it depends on what kind of evening you want.
Here's how we split the recommendations.
If You Want the Famous Beach Bars
For the picture-postcard Ionian sunset with a cocktail in hand, the west coast is where you need to be. Allow 45 minutes' driving each way from Corfu Town, and plan to make a proper evening of it — dinner first, then the bar.
La Grotta
Paleokastritsa — 45 minutes by car
Built into a rock cove, with tables on tiered platforms above the water. The walk down from the road involves steep steps, and the bar doesn't take bookings, so the timing matters — arrive by 7 pm in summer. Swim afterwards in the floodlit bay; some guests bring towels specifically for this.
7th Heaven Café
Lakones village — 50 minutes, mountain road
A village café rather than a beach bar, but the clifftop view over Paleokastritsa's six bays is the most photographed panorama on Corfu. If you're driving out this far, pair it with dinner at a Lakones taverna — the whole hillside is set up for slow evenings.
Akron Beach Bar
Barbati — 25 minutes by car, east coast
The easier east-coast option when you don't want the full west-coast commitment. Polished cocktail list, a proper kitchen, and a wooden deck above the white-pebble beach. You miss the sunset (the view faces Albania), but the evening light on the channel is its own kind of beautiful.
If You'd Rather Walk from Our Door
Corfu Town's own drinking scene is, honestly, more characterful than any beach bar — just different in kind. Instead of an Ionian sunset from a cocktail lounger, it's a drink at a table on an arched arcade with the Old Fortress lit up behind you.
The Liston Arcades
Old Town — 10 minutes' walk
The French-built arcaded boulevard that faces the Spianada park. A dozen bars with outdoor tables along the arcade; order a kumquat liqueur (local) or an Aperol spritz, and stay put as the park fills up after sunset. Not a view of the sea, but a properly Corfiot evening.
Cavalieri Rooftop
Old Town — 12 minutes' walk
The rooftop bar of the Cavalieri hotel, looking out over the red roofs of the Old Town to the Old Fortress and the sea. Arrive by 7:30 pm in summer to get a table on the outer edge. One cocktail here is worth the hour you might have spent driving.
Faliraki Sea Terrace
Below the Old Fortress — 15 minutes' walk
A small sea-level café-bar tucked below the Old Fortress walls, with wooden decks out over the water. Less theatrical than Cavalieri but more intimate — the right place for two people and a quiet bottle rather than a group evening.
Our Tip
If it's your only sunset on the island, don't be seduced by the Instagram photos of La Grotta. The simplest version of the evening — walking from the apartment to Faliraki, one drink, then dinner nearby — is the one most guests remember most fondly at the end of the trip.
Practical Notes
Taxis: the drive to the west-coast bars is straightforward but returns after 11 pm can be slow in August; book a car with the driver's number rather than hoping to flag one at the gate. Our apartment-side taxi rank in Corfu Town is reliable until 1 am.
Drink-driving: Greek enforcement is strict and checkpoints are common during high season. Please plan the ride home before you order the first drink.
Season: the beach bars run late May to early October. Faliraki and Cavalieri in town run longer — early April through late October.
★ A Hire Car for the Day-Out
If you want the flexibility to visit Paleokastritsa or Barbati on your own schedule, Herbie Cars delivers the car to the apartment and picks it up the same way. Pair a west-coast beach afternoon with a La Grotta sunset and you have one of the best days on the island.
Reserve a carRead Next
For where to swim before the drinks — west-coast beaches guide, or the east-coast companion. For a different kind of evening, try one of the traditional restaurants we send guests to.