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 daysWhy 3.1: good value, some of the best sailing water in Greece and nothing you need a car for — but there is very little to see beyond the landscape and there is no nightlife at all.
Mathraki 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.
Good for
- Beach sleepers — over a kilometre of pine-backed golden sand, and usually near-empty
- Travellers who want the edge of the country — the least-visited Diapontia island, two hamlets, no cars to speak of
- Slow travellers combining all three Diapontia islands, with Mathraki as the quiet overnight
Maybe skip if
- If you want anything to do beyond swimming — there is very little to see and no nightlife at all
- If a cancelled boat would break your trip — the Corfu ferry runs a few times a week and depends on weather
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.
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.
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
- Avoid visiting when the wind blows from the south to west at over 4 Bft. Southwest-facing — calm mornings; picks up some of the afternoon maïstros (NW breeze) late in the day
- Facilities
- Seasonal canteen only; turtle nesting zones.
1-day itinerary for Mathraki
Read the day-by-day plan on its own page →
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.
All three Diapontia islands in one trip · One of the 20 quietest Greek islands