Pirate Ship Black Rose Mini-Cruise along the Corfu Town Coast

The listing prices the trip from $19 per person. That fare buys you the 75-minute loop on the Black Rose, a replica pirate ship with a bar on board, and a place among up to 140 guests. Children aged 3 to 12 pay a child fare and infants from 0 to 2 travel free or at infant rates.

There are no hidden extras in the structure of the trip itself. The boarding point is fixed and there is no hotel transfer to worry about.

What you pay extra for

Drinks from the bar are extra, so bring some cash or a card for soft drinks, beer or anything else the crew sells. Outside food and drink are not allowed on board. There is no lunch, no snacks and no swim gear needed, because the ship does not stop for a swim.

If the weather cancels a departure, the operator offers a new date or a full refund.

Cancellation and booking terms

• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
• The listing does not state a pay-later option, so check payment timing at checkout
• Hotel pickup is not included and not needed, the Old Port is walkable from most of Corfu Town
• Difficulty is rated easy, all ages are welcome

The route is a closed circuit along the Corfu Town coast. The ship leaves the Old Port and first passes both Venetian fortresses, the Old Fortress on its rock and the New Fortress above the town. The best view of their sea walls is from the water, which is the whole argument for doing this trip at all.

From there the loop runs along Faliraki and into Garitsa Bay.

The southern stretch

Past Garitsa Bay the ship runs along the coast at Mon Repos, the estate with the palace park on the headland, and continues to the Vlacherna Monastery on its narrow islet. The trip ends where it began, back at the Old Port after 75 minutes. The listing gives no fixed clock times for each stage because the departure slots repeat every 2 hours through the day.

Route stops at a glance

• Corfu Old Port, the start and end point
• Both Venetian fortresses from the sea
• Faliraki and Garitsa Bay
• Mon Repos estate coastline
• Vlacherna Monastery and the airport runway

The oddest moment of the loop comes near Vlacherna. The monastery sits beside the airport runway, which reaches out into the sea on a causeway. Landing planes pass low overhead as the ship holds position, and this is the closest you will get to an aircraft without leaving a boat.

It is a favourite with photographers and with children who have never watched a jet drop onto tarmac from below.

Why the location works

Vlacherna is only reachable by water from this side, or on foot along the causeway from Kanoni. From the deck of the Black Rose you get the monastery, the runway and Mouse Island in the same frame. The listing makes no promise about flight schedules, so treat any plane you see as a bonus rather than a booked event.

This is the family trip of the catalog. The pirate theme is not just paint on the hull. Children on board get pirate hats and swords to play with, and the 75-minute length is short enough to hold a young child's attention without a meltdown.

Infants from 0 to 2 travel free and children aged 3 to 12 pay a reduced child fare.

Practical points for parents

• Prams and strollers fit on board, no need to leave them ashore
• All ages are welcome, there is no minimum age
• Drinks for the children are extra, nothing is included
• 75 minutes means no meal planning needed, though outside snacks are not allowed

The ship sails from Corfu Old Port in Corfu Town. The listing locates the berth precisely: opposite the BP station, next to Stathis Taverna. There is no hotel pickup and no coach transfer, you make your own way there.

From most of the old town the walk is short and flat along the waterfront.

Timing your arrival

Departures run every 2 hours through the day, which gives you room to slot the trip around a beach morning or a fortress visit. Arrive a little before your chosen departure to find the berth and board calmly. The trip ends back at the same berth after 75 minutes, so anything you leave in town stays within reach.

Port notices for Corfu Town are published by the Corfu Port Authority, and the national tourism board keeps a Corfu visitor page.

Book this if you want a cheap, short and easy taste of Corfu Town from the sea. It fits families with young children better than any other listing here, thanks to the pirate props, the short loop and the child fares. It is also one of the only wheelchair accessible boats in the catalog, and prams and strollers are welcome.

If your time on the island is measured in hours rather than days, a 75-minute loop that returns you to the Old Port is an efficient use of an afternoon.

Who should pick something else

Skip it if swimming is the point of your day. There is no swim stop, so travellers who want water time should look at the Paleokastritsa caves speedboat or a full-day cruise instead. It also carries up to 140 guests, so anyone wanting a small-boat atmosphere should consider a semi-private option.

Drinks are extra and no outside food is allowed, which matters if you were hoping for an included refreshment.

At $19 this is the cheapest listing in the catalog and the shortest by far. The comparison below shows what the alternatives add for their higher prices. The nearest like-for-like option is the sunset cruise, which sails the same stretch of coast from the same Old Port but lasts 2 hours and includes drinks.

Figures current for Q3 2026.

The pattern is simple. Pay more, get more hours and more stops. The Black Rose competes only on price, accessibility and convenience, and for many travellers with kids that is exactly the right combination.

Pick your date and slot

Booking this trip is quick because there is no pickup, no transfer time and no long checklist. The boat sails every 2 hours from the Old Port, so the main decision is which slot suits your day.

Start on the pirate ship mini-cruise page. Choose a date, then a departure slot. The loop runs every 2 hours and lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, so it fits easily around other plans in Corfu Town.

The from-price of $19 covers one seat per person on the 75-minute loop. Infants aged 0 to 2 and children aged 3 to 12 have their own fare categories. Drinks are extra, and the bar on board is the only source of food or drink, since outside food and drink are not allowed.

This listing is not a reserve-now-pay-later option, so expect to pay when you book. Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before departure, which gives you room to change plans.

There is no hotel pickup and no emailed pickup time to wait for. The meeting point is Corfu Old Port, opposite the BP station next to Stathis Taverna. Your ticket tells you the slot you chose, arrive there in good time and you are done.

Check the forecast the day before. If bad weather cancels the trip, you get a new date or a full refund. If your plans shift instead, cancel more than 24 hours ahead at no cost.

• Pick a date and one of the slots, the boat sails every 2 hours
• Select adult, child (3 to 12) or infant (0 to 2) fares as needed
• Pay at booking, this listing has no pay-later option
• Note the meeting point: Old Port, opposite the BP station by Stathis Taverna
• Check the weather the day before, cancellations get a new date or a full refund
• Cancel free of charge if you are more than 24 hours out

Most problems with this trip come from small wrong assumptions rather than the boat itself. These are the four that cost people the most.

Going to the wrong port

Corfu has more than one departure point for boats, and other trips in this catalog leave from Gouvia Marina, Alipa Port or Lefkimmi. This one leaves from Corfu Old Port, opposite the BP station next to Stathis Taverna. Look the spot up before you set off, not on the quay with the boat already boarding.

Expecting food, drinks or a swim

Lunch, snacks and drinks are not included, and there is no swim stop. The bar on board sells drinks, and outside food and drink are not allowed, so eat before or after. If you want a day built around swimming, a full-day cruise such as the Paxos and Antipaxos cruise fits better.

Booking the last slot of the day with no weather buffer

Bad weather cancellations get a new date or a full refund, but if your flight or ferry leaves the next morning there is no room to rebook. Book a slot early in your stay so a weather move still lands on a day you are on the island. The free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure helps only if you use it in time.

Assuming pickup is part of the price

There is no hotel pickup on this trip. That is rarely a problem since the boat leaves from the Old Port in Corfu Town, but travellers staying far out on the coast sometimes book it without checking the distance. If you are based in the far north or south, count the road time before you commit to a slot.