Ágios Geórgios (St George South)

Some 35 kilometres south from Corfu Town, Ágios Geórgios is popular with both Corfiotes and tourists, with regular coach loads of the former arriving from Corfu Town at the weekends and during public holidays. There are two main ways to get to the resort -- the bus from Corfu Town to Ágios Geórgios costs around EUR 3.20, while a taxi will be in the region of EUR 65 and approximately EUR60 from the airport (May 2017).   During the height of summer, there are four buses each way Monday - Saturday and three on Sundays - the times do get changed so check the timetable at the bus stops (they were changed 3 times in the first 2 months of 2016 Summer operation).  It is also worth noting that the bus coming down from Corfu Town is often late arriving at the resort and also that it can take at least 15 minutes to get round the resort before heading back to town.  The timetable shows the same time at all bus stops in the resort, but it can be, for example, after 10:30 before the bus reaches the latter stops in the resort (so make sure you wait in a shady area if you are planning to travel up to Corfu Town - you could be waiting for a long time!).   Additionally, a new service (once a day as at early May) running to Paleocastritsa, via Aqualand, has been introduced - this departs the resort at 10:00 and leaves Paleocastritsa at 17:00 Mondays to Saturdays.  Cost is EUR 6.00 each way, with a journey time of two hours - again, check the local timetables as departure times can change during the season.

There is also a good amount of parking in the resort.  Be aware when travelling from Corfu Town or the Airport, there are several towns of the same or similar names - make sure when getting directions or a taxi, that you ask for the right one (mention of Argirades and St George South normally helps)!.

The resort grew rapidly in the late 1990's, although it is still relatively small. It has, however, suffered from the usual Mediterranean blight - lack of planning!.  It spans two bays with sandy beaches in each, with a rocky outcrop and the harbour in between.  The northern end is where bars / restaurants / shops sit side by side, a main sandy beach (Issos Beach), a couple of smaller (rocky) beaches and the harbour can be found. Moving south some 600-800 metres, things are much more spread out, with areas of open land between shops and restaurants - it is this area that contains the second beach (Golden Beach).

To the north, the beach offers many of the usual "sports", including Jet Ski's and pedalos.  Access is very easy, with no steps / slope to the beach, but with very limited car parking.  From this beach it is also possible to walk (only) to the sand dunes and, behind them, Lake Korission - a large salt water lagoon which is home to dozens of different types of birds and insects.    

The main area of sandy beach in the "southern" end starts near the XL Sports Bar, carries on past Malibu and on to the next village further along the bay. At the start, the beach can be quite narrow and is regularly affected by the prevailing weather conditions - a storm overnight can reduce the beach width to such an extent that the sun beds can be surrounded by shallow water as the waves roll in - it brings a whole new meaning to "drifting away listening to the gentle movement of the transparent Ionian waves"!. Two hundred metres further on (under Barbayiannis Bar) and the beach becomes wider - it is at this point that the beach becomes much used. There are some good tavernas / bars within easy walking distance of the southern beach - Barbayiannis, Malibu, Kafe Sas, XL and Spiros on the Beach.   Showers are now available on most areas of the beaches, as are changing "huts".   Access to the beach along this stretch is by slope / steps - the further south you go (viz. towards / beyond Malibu) the longer the slope.  Beyond Malibu there is plenty of "free" sand - viz. no sunbed's or umbrellas (or showers).

Car and Bike hire are available from several places in the resort, both specialist hire shops and the travel agents shops - from experience, the rates are pretty similar. 

As far as cash is concerned, there are now (July 2017) six ATM's (cash point's) in the resort - adjacent to Anna's Supermarket (about two hundred metres before the T junction when coming in to Ágios Geórgios - Piraeus Bank), opposite Hectors Supermarket (EuroBank), outside Esperando's and Spiro's supermarkets, adjacent to Star Travel and outside Lord Travel - all major cards are catered for (e.g. MasterCard, Link, Visa, etc). It should perhaps be noted that the ones outside the travel agencies and supermarkets are operated by EuroNet and all charge for withdrawals (over and above the normal "overseas" charges that UK banks normally apply).  Beyond these, the nearest ATM's are in Moraitika (on the road to Corfu Town) and Lefkimi (on the south bound road).  There are also plenty of ATMs in Corfu Town itself, although given the difficulty of parking in town, it is often better to drive down to Lefkimi where several banks have offices and ATM's.  Travellers Cheques can be cashed in a few places within the resort although the number of places are rapidly dropping so don't rely on T/C's as your only source of cash.  Some places will also exchange Sterling notes (often at better rates than in the UK).  The exchange rates used in the official exchange places in the resorts appear to be government controlled and are often very poor when compared with that offered by the banks in Corfu Town.

There is a local doctors surgery in the resort - hours of opening are noted outside.   Most of the supermarkets in the resort sell basic pharmaceutical goods and there is a pharmacy on the main road in Argirades - unlike in the UK, you can often buy antibiotics over the counter in the pharmacy. If you forget some specific medicines, or run out, it is worth taking the box / bottle in to the pharmacy as they can often get hold of matching medicines.

There are plenty of Supermarkets in the resort - these normally have a good range of foodstuffs, fruit / vegetables, water and alcohol as well as local goods (towels, shoes, gifts, etc. - the beach towels are quite cheap and often worth purchasing when you arrive rather than using some of your ever decreasing luggage allowance!).  Most supermarkets (in the resort) keep long hours, often not closing until around 23:00. Bigger supermarkets (e.g. Dimitra, Lidl's, Diella's) can be found on the main road near Lefkimi - a simple 15-20 minute drive. These are normally open until 21:00 but are closed on Sundays.

Ágios Geórgios has the right recipe for a successful holiday and there is something for everyone. As St George's geographical position lies in the south west part of Corfu, some of the most spectacular sunsets are to be captured from many positions - over a long cool drink from the terrace of a cafe or restaurant, enjoying a pleasant stroll along the road, or just relaxing right on the beach watching the sun on the red horizon slowly dipping in to the waters, making way for the stars to creep out in the tranquil night sky (if you are a star gazer, there are plenty to watch).

 

Further information about Ágios Geórgios can be found at the St George South Forum (and its related website) which has a variety of very good information - the forum includes many lovers of the island / resort, as well as regular updates from local residents.  There is also a Facebook Group at St George Corfu South

The website at http://justcorfu.co.uk/index.htm can also be quite helpful.

Last revised: 06 February, 2018