The Greek island of Corfu has long been a magnet for tourists. Fantastic weather, great beaches, and centuries of history all play their part when it comes to bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the isle every year. The nightlife in Corfu is also pretty legendary, what with one of the Med’s leading 18-30s destinations and oodles of other summertime party resorts on the menu…
Corfu’s nightlife scene is spread out around a number of different areas all over the island. The main city, known as Corfu Town, comes with rambunctious local brew bars but also its own strip of all-night venues to the north of the town. There’s even more action to be found on the coast in resorts such as Ipsos, Sidari, and Dasia. Then you have the heaving bars and clubs of (in)famous Kavos, which stay open until night gives way to the following day.
This guide to the nightlife in Corfu will run through 11 of the most enticing establishments the island can muster. We’ve gone for options in all of the major party hubs and a few places that you might not have even considered. There are spots for ravers and EDM buffs, but also options for those who want more chilled cocktail-sipping sessions on this most beautiful of the Ionian island chain.
Bristol Cafe
In the heart of Corfu’s Old Town is the Bristol Café, one of the most beautiful bars on the island. A great place to relax with a coffee or an early beer during the day, it’s at night that the super-stylish venue really gets going. The Bristol Cafe draws a cool crowd and it’s easy to see why. A fantastic atmosphere, a long list of fabulous cocktails, friendly staff, DJs playing great music through the night, and a gorgeously decorated interior all helps to pack them in. We’d say that the huge display of hanging lights over the bar is the dazzling jewel in the bar’s very chic crown.
It’s best to arrive early if you want to guarantee a table as the Bristol is sure to fill up the later the night goes on. If you get the chance, try to nab a seat outdoors so you can sit and watch the world go slowly by in Corfu’s beautiful old streets with a highball at your side. The cocktails here are amongst the best on the island, too, created using a unique mix of fresh fruit juices and liqueurs – who knew that kumquat and gin made such a good pairing?
Tartaya Tiki Bar
Tartaya Tiki Bar is located on a busy road known as the Disco Strip due to the number of bars and clubs that line its sides. Some of Corfu’s most popular and famous nightspots are to be found here, including heavyweights such as Why Bar and 54 Dreamy Nights (more on those later). For us, Tartaya Tiki Bar stands out as one of the best. Tartaya’s part-Tiki-part-Corfu vibe makes for a fabulous atmosphere, with a stylish Hawaiian-influenced feel and a beautiful large outdoor space adorned with palm trees creating a unique setting to say the least.
Tartaya has an extensive selection of cocktails on the drinks list. Alongside tried and tested vodka, gin, and tequila-based classics are a wide range of Tiki-inspired cocktails – think heavy on the rum and tropical fruit juices. Most sell for a pretty reasonable €10. For a true taste of Hawaii try the Zombie, a lethal concoction made with a mix of four different rums, apricot brandy, and several fruit juices. With DJs playing late into the night, Tartaya Tiki Bar can get pretty busy in the later hours. Things don’t usually wind up until close to 4am.
Fuego Beach Bar
Fuego Beach Bar can be found in Acharavi, one of the top resort areas of Corfu’s north coast is. Fuego is one of many beachside bars with terrific sea views – we’re talking meters from the lapping waves here. Perched right on top of Acharavi’s mesmerizing three-kilometer run of sand, the spot gazes out towards the Albanian coastline in the east and the wide Adriatic Sea to the north. Fuego operates as a restaurant and café during the day, serving up a great range of fantastic food and drinks. At night, the cocktails start to flow and Fuego turns into the perfect spot to enjoy a chilled-out night with an incredible sunset starting the ball rolling.
As you’d expect of a bar in such a heavenly spot, some of the most sought-after seating here is literally on the sand. Sun loungers are laid out right by where the waves roll in for those who really want to relax. Meanwhile, the deck space just behind is a comfy and cozy spot to go out of the glare of the full sun. The interior is contemporary and stylish too, with a sleek modern bar that faces the sea. Cocktails are around €14 a pop, which is in line with prices on this side of the island.
NAOK Azur
Opening up to offer 180-degree views of the bobbing yachts in old Corfu Town harbor, the NAOK Azur is a classic Mediterranean lounge that offers chill-hop nights in a stylo setting. Feel free to arrive early – the joint welcomes its first diners and lunchers and lazers at 9am in the morning. That should get you there in time to snatch one of the Ionian-view seating booths and grab one of the fantastic in-house single-origin coffees (all 100% Arabica we might add).
As the day progresses, the action switches to the Azur Lounge Bar. That spreads over a couple of breezy wooden decks with floating bars rammed right into the middle. Specialty cocktails and a particularly fantastic selection of curated martinis are the social lubricant, while in-house DJ shows take place most weekend nights to provide the backing track. Things don’t really get swinging until midnight but it’s never a sweaty dance hub a la Kavos. The vibe here is more refined; more sip to the sound of the lapping waves.
La Grotta Bar
La Grotta is another bar situated on Corfu’s stunning coast. This time, though, it’s on the rugged western side around stunning Palaiokastritsa. In fact, it’s the location that makes La Grotta so special. The joint is built into the caves and cliffs, with the bar and several outdoor decking areas overlooking the incredible turquoise waters of the surrounding bays.
A whopping 140 stairs lead down to La Grotta, but it’s worth conquering them to end up in one of the most scenic drinking holes anywhere in Europe. (Remember, though, it’s also 140 steps back up at the end of the night!). There are diving boards and jumping-off spots dotted around the jetty for those tempted to head into the crystal-clear water.
If that sounds like too much effort, you can sit back, relax, and watch others jump in whilst glugging a cocktail or a cold beer. Because of its incredibly picturesque position, this place does get busy, especially at sunset, which happens squarely in front of the horizon. At night, the bar and the cliffs are beautifully lit up and DJs play selections of hip hop, chart, Lo-Fi, and EDM.
Maria’s Famous Karaoke Fun Pub
Forget all those uber-slick beach lounges and the elegant Club Med drinking dives with their mixology-made high balls – something very different awaits down on the Kavos Strip. Cue Maria’s Famous Karaoke Fun Pub. A no-nonsense, down-to-earth nightlife option for those who like to meet and mingle with other travelers, it’s solely focused on one thing and one thing only: Fun.
Most of that comes courtesy of the nightly karaoke offering. You’ll be invited to get up on stage and sing your heart out to everything from Bruce Springsteen to Whitney Houston. Or you can just sit and watch others of varying levels of inebriation do the same!
The spot sits just one block back from Kavos Beach at the south end of The Strip. The whole front is left open to tempt passers-by to join in with the singing. Inside, it’s all very simple, with a couple of tables ringing the karaoke set and strange Donald Duck paraphernalia on the walls.
Cheers Bar
Another of the legendary names that you’ll find along the forever-bustling Kavos Strip, Cheers Bar is nothing short of an institution on the island. It’s owned by a mega football aficionado, which explains the stacks of Premier League and La Liga shirts, posters, prints, scarves, and flags that adorn the walls from top to bottom. As you’d expect, the place also plays most major footie tournaments, so it’s a top option for nightlife in Corfu if there’s a game that you’d like to catch while drinking.
A sports bar at heart, Cheers is a casual and chilled watering hole that mimics the sort of hearty pubs you get back in the UK. There’s not an overload of room within, so be ready to chat and meet the regulars while you party. Drinks wise, don’t come expecting smoked rum punches and premier G&Ts. Here, it’s mainly about the ciders, the beers, stouts, and vodka mixers.
7 Sins Cocktail Bar
If you haven’t already guessed, cocktails are a pretty big deal in Corfu. No bar worth its salt can expect to survive for long without an extensive menu of mixed drinks and 7 Sins Cocktail Bar is one of the very best in a very crowded field. A little off the bean path, it’s located near the beach town of Barbeti just a little north of Ipsos. What awaits is an ultra-chic bar with a retro-vintage look, fusing a sort of Mexicana cantina feel and Day of the Dead vibes with the noir elegance of interwar speakeasies.
7 Sins is usually bustling with a good crowd of local drinkers. Inside is cozy and the changer plays a great selection of music – expect lots of chillout, indie, hipster folk, and electronica. Perhaps the only drawback with 7 Sins is trying to decide which cocktail to try next. We recommend the signature Oregroni – made from kumquat Aperitivo, Greek gin, sweet Vermouth and bitters – as a great place to start.
Montecristo
If you want to ramp things up a bit and experience the heavier side of the nightlife in Corfu, head out to Montecristo in Ipsos. One of the most famous nightclubs on the whole island, Montecristo doesn’t even open until 1am. It pulls in a host of international and local DJ acts, which pump out a solid mix of house, techno, and old-school 90s tunes in the club’s two rooms, usually pushing through until the very early morning. The club is also well-known for its foam parties, if that’s your sort of thing.
Open every night of the week, Montecristo has a flat €10 entry fee. Steep, yep, but that includes a free cocktail. Once inside, the atmosphere is pretty electrifying, what with a young and international crowd mixing on the duo of dancefloors. Drinks are reasonably priced and there’s also a cool outdoor space if you need to take a break from the music. Alternatively, grab a wristband and you can take a timeout on the beach over the road. You’ll get free re-entry when you head back over.
54 Dreamy Nights
Probably the most famous nightclub on the island, 54 Dreamy Nights is a Corfu institution, commonly touted as one of the best clubs in Greece. That reputation is well deserved, as 54 Dreamy Nights is easily the largest club on Corfu. It comes rigged up with a colossal sound system that blasts out a wide range of Greek and international music, including techno, pop, house and more. Along with a dazzling lightshow and an incredibly stylish bar area, 54 Dreamy Nights is still the king of Corfu’s most happening dance venues.
Like Montecristo, 54 Dreamy Nights also hosts a diverse group of local and international DJs and also attracts a young crowd from all over Europe. One of the quirks is the retractable roof, which means you can dance the night away under the stars – weather permitting (and it usually is). Considering that this place is open until 8am, it’s likely that the stars will be long gone by the time you’re ready to call it a day, though! You’ll probably leave 100% ready for breakfast.
Unlimit Cocktail Bar
Just around the corner from aforementioned La Grotta on the rock-ribbed cliffs above gorgeous Palaiokastritsa, Unlimit Cocktail Bar is another joint that can lay claim to some of the best mixed drinks Corfu can muster.
Their specialty is surely fruit-infused cocktails, which they cook up using zingy limes and juicy watermelons straight out of the local farms. Seriously, this spot made us one of the most tropical-tasting Pina Coladas we’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping (read: glugging down in 10 seconds!).
Something should be said of the setting, too. A mix of plant-print fabrics, wooden beams, and draped Moroccan hangings, the place manages to mix the bohemian and the Berber. It’s certainly best visited in the peak of the summer, since the whole bar is open to the elements and you get some lovely views over a nearby cove from some of the tables.
The best nightlife in Corfu – our conclusion
This guide offers 11 options for hitting the top nightlife spots in Corfu. There’s a good mix of places, from heady clubs with 18-30s clientele to chilled cocktail joints that gaze down at the shimmering beaches of the west coast. Overall, we’d say the best places to party in Corfu are in Kavos (which is actually one of the main party resorts in the whole country) and Corfu Town. Other places, like the north coast and Palaiokastritsa, are mainly for chilled evenings of refined drinks and sunset viewing.
Is Corfu good for nightlife?
The nightlife in Corfu is world famous and easily amongst the best in Greece, if not Europe. The island is filled with some of the best bars and clubs you could wish to drink or dance away the night in. From chic beachside bars, hangover-from-hell-inducing cocktail joints, or mega nightclubs pounding out banging beats, Corfu has everything for the perfect night out.
Is there a strip in Corfu?
Yep – it’s in Kavos. The town on the far southern side of Corfu is one of the main party destinations in the whole of Greece. Its central street is riddled with bars, including sports pubs that play the footie and pumping mega clubs that start late and don’t finish until well into the next day. Corfu Town also has a sort of strip, in the form of Disco Strip on its northern edge.
Where in Corfu has the best nightlife?
Corfu has so many different nightlife areas. It all really depends on what kind of night out you’re after. Corfu Town’s Disco Strip is great for a night on the cocktails and party tunes, though there’s plenty of great bars and clubs on the coast, in areas such as Ipsos, Sidari, and Dassia. If you want to hang out with the young crowd and enjoy a night of absolute debauchery then head straight for Kavos.
