The stretch of coast from Corfu town north to Agios Stefanos has the most stereotypically Greek appearance of anywhere on Corfu: largely mountainous, with a rocky coastline chopped into pebbly bays and coves, above a sea that's often as clear as a swimming pool. It is dominated by the alluring presence of the mountains of Albania, which loom ever larger as you travel northeast. Initial impressions of the busy road out of the island capital are uninspiring, with the mundane suburban feel of Kontokali merging into the marginally more appealing resort of Gouvia. Happily matters take a literal turn for the better once the coast road peels right and rises gently before entering the more attractive area of Dassia, heralded by tiny Dafnila. After the busy youth-oriented pleasure strip of Ipsos, the coast road becomes progressively more picturesque as it skirts the lower folds of Mount Pandokrator and passes through the upper reaches of the quiet resorts of Barbati and Nissaki.
From here on there are numerous opportunities to detour down to a series of smaller, scenic coves, reached by snakelike link roads and separated by a narrowing patch of sea from Albania. The only problem is likely to be deciding which you have time to visit from the delightful sequence of Agni, Kalami, Kouloura, Kerasia and Agios Stefanos, an assortment of pebble beaches and former fishing villages. The green bus route between Corfu town and Kassiopi runs along the spectacular coastal road seven times a day except Sundays, when there is only one morning service. You will need to walk down to the resorts, as they are not right on the road itself but a distance of between several hundred metres to 3km away. The blue suburban bus service #7 also runs every twenty or thirty minutes daily as far as Dassia.