Mathraki
3.1/5The smallest Diapontia island — a mile of empty sand and nesting turtles
3.1on its own→4.0with the Diapontia islandsPlakes harbour, the long Mathraki beach and Kato Mathraki.
Part of the Diapontia islands
One boat out of Corfu, three islands, almost no other visitors — the access penalty that drags each island down on its own disappears once you treat them as a single trip.
Base4.2Corfu4 daysMathraki is the smallest and least-visited of the Diapontia islands off northwest Corfu — a single green ridge with a couple of tiny hamlets and barely a few hundred residents. Its defining feature is Mathraki beach, a long unbroken sweep of pine-backed sand where loggerhead turtles come ashore to nest. There is almost no development: a taverna or two, a few rooms, no cars to speak of. People come for the sand, the quiet, and the sense of being at the very edge of the country.
Getting there
No airport. Passenger ferries from Agios Stefanos in northwest Corfu call at Mathraki several times a week in summer, usually after a stop at Erikousa — around 3 hours in total. Service is thin and weather-dependent.
Read full route
Tip: Mathraki works best as a slow overnight combined with the other two Diapontia islands.
Best time to visit Mathraki
Open in summer only, roughly June to September. Because it is so exposed and small, come in settled weather — June and September are calmest. Turtle nesting means parts of Mathraki beach may be roped off; keep clear.
1-day itinerary for Mathraki
Day 1: Port, the Long Sand & the Village
- 11:00 · Plakes (port)
The little ferry landing on the east side, with a taverna and a few rooms just above. From here a single lane climbs to the villages and drops to Mathraki beach.
- 11:45 · Mathraki beach
A kilometre-plus of fine golden sand backed by pines along the southwest shore — one of the longest, emptiest beaches in the Ionian. Loggerhead turtles nest here; a couple of seasonal canteens are the only facilities.
- 🍴 Stop for lunch · Plakes / Kato Mathraki — see Eat & Drink below
- 14:00 · Kato Mathraki
A tiny hilltop hamlet with a couple of tavernas and long views back to Corfu and across to Othonoi. The whole island can be walked in an afternoon.
Top beaches of Mathraki
Mathraki beach
Mathraki's great sweep of pine-backed golden sand — over a kilometre long and usually near-empty. Loggerhead turtles nest here, so parts may be roped off in summer.
- Type
- Fine sand
- Length
- 1.2 km
- Depth
- Shallow — gentle
- Wind protection
- Southwest-facing — calm mornings; picks up some of the afternoon maïstros (NW breeze) late in the day
- Facilities
- Seasonal canteen only; turtle nesting zones.
All three Diapontia islands in one trip · One of the 20 quietest Greek islands