Waking up to another glorious morning, I had an irresistible urge to slip into the sea for a quick swim before the day got going. So I called my friend Pipis and we started weighing up our options for the perfect spot to swim in Corfu Town on a lazy Sunday morning. Finding a place to swim right in the town isn’t always as easy as it sounds — Corfu Town doesn’t have many beaches, but if you know where to look, there are some excellent little swimming spots hiding in plain sight.

Here are my favourites, roughly in the order you’d come across them walking out from the Old Fortress.

Faliraki

Until a few years ago everyone called this “Alekos’ beach.” Who was Alekos? The owner of the one and only canteen that used to stand here. As teenagers we’d come almost every day — not just to swim, but to play football, billiards and arcade games with an ice cream or a cold drink in hand. Honestly, I probably spent more time at Alekos’ canteen than in the water! Alekos and his canteen are long gone now, but three bars have taken their place and can sort you out with anything from a coffee to the traditional ouzo with meze, right in the heart of town. The water is clear, and there are showers and toilets. One thing to keep in mind: when a ship passes, its wake sends waves for a minute or two that can push you against the rocks or the diving platform — the real risk is low, just time your jump.

Getting there: a short walk from the Old Fortress on the north side, and easy to combine with a stroll around the Old Town.

Kontra Fossa

Faliraki sits just outside the Old Fortress; head north and on the other side you’ll find Kontra Fossa. The two are joined by the canal (the contrafossa) that was dug when the Fortress was built, to cut it off from the rest of the island for defence. Kontra Fossa itself is little more than a quiet, small, pebbly inlet at the foot of the Fortress. There are no cafés or beach bars, so bring your own coffee, snacks and water — then enjoy the sea and sun in peace, with the fort rising imposingly overhead. Perfect if you want to escape the crowds.

Inside the Old Fortress

If you walk into the Old Fortress and start exploring, it won’t take long to stumble on one of my favourite quick-swim spots: the little beach on the east side, inside the walls. Right next to the Corfu Town Sailing Club there’s a small, quiet place to swim looking straight out at Vidos Island. The Sailing Club’s bar is about fifty metres away if you need a drink. Pair the swim with a wander around the fortress itself — see our Corfu Town guide for the full tour.

Anemomilos

A couple of kilometres from the historic centre stands the old windmill (anemomilos) that once ground the essentials for the locals. This isn’t a special or impressive beach — in fact it’s not really a beach at all. The windmill sits on a mole with clear blue water, easy to reach on foot or by car, with parking right by the road. It’s ideal when you don’t have a whole day to give the beach and all you want is a fast dip in the sea, sun on your face, and a sand-free car for the drive home.

Mon Repos

If you’ve made it to Anemomilos but you’d rather not swim off the road — or you simply want a proper beach to lie down and sunbathe — no worries. Walk another fifty metres or so to Mon Repos beach. It’s sandy, with crystal-clear water and just about every colour of nature’s palette in one frame: blue sea, yellow sand, and the brown trunks and green leaves of the forest that presses right up to the shore. Great for playing around, diving off the platform, or simply relaxing and soaking up the setting. It’s the most beach-like of the town options and my pick when I want to actually stay a while.

A few practical notes

Most of these spots are rocky or pebbly rather than long sandy stretches, so a pair of water shoes makes life easier. Mornings and late afternoons are the calmest and least crowded, and everything here is close enough that you can easily hop between two or three in a single outing. If you’re after bigger, sandier beaches, they’re only a short drive away — browse all our Corfu beach guides for those.

So, with all these options on the table and the big question of which one was best for that perfect Sunday morning, Pipis and I agreed to meet at the Liston a few minutes later. And then — being pure Corfiots, and a little bit crazy — we somehow never actually went for that swim. But that’s a whole other story…