In Search of the Durrells: Literary Locations in Corfu

Imagine a Middle-Class British Family Coming to Hong Kong, Living in the City for Just Four Year's, and Then Leaving a Legacy That Would Define the Territory to the World for Generations Through the Prism of Their Expatriate Existence. That’s Pretty Much What the Durrell Family Did to Corfu with Their 1935-1939 Stay, and If It Seems Terribly Colonial and Condescending, That’s Because That Is Exactly What It Was.

The Strawberry Pink Villa

One of Three Homes the Real Durrells Lived in During Their Time in Corfu, This Three-Bedroom Venetian-Style Villa in Pérama, South of Corfu Town, Is Being Advertised on Airbnb by Its Greek Owner (Who Confusingly Misspells the Family Name as Durrel) for Hk$3,100 a Night, with a Minimum Five-Night Stay. Their Other Two Houses – the Snow White Villa, in the Nearby Village of Cressida, and the Daffodil-Yellow Villa, North of Corfu Town – Are Private Homes.

The White House, Kalami Bay

This Is the Best Known and Most Visited Durrell Location But, in Fact, It Was Home Only to Lawrence Durrell and His Wife, Nancy, Who Scandalised Locals with Their Naked Sunbathing, Hedonistic Lifestyles and Colourful Friends (Visitors Included the American Writer Henry Miller, Who Described His Visit in His 1941 Book the Colossus of Maroussi). the Rest of the Family Were Placed in the Same House as Lawrence in Both Gerald’s Book and the Tv Series for Dramatic Effect. Today the White House Is a Popular Restaurant and Guest House with a Durrells Museum. Its Website Boasts That the Cast of the Durrells Have Had “Countless Dinners” Here and Makes the Somewhat Unsettling Claim: “Here You Can Some Days Still Hear the Laughter of Nancy and Lawrence Durrell Enjoying Their Morning Bath in the Deep Blue Sea. ” It’s Fortunate You Can Only Hear Them and Not See Them.

The Liston, Corfu Town

With Its Venetian Architecture and Fort, Corfu Town Is Arguably the Most Impressive of the Greek Island Capitals. the Liston, the Main Promenade, Features Often in the Show, as Has, to a Lesser Extend, the Town’s Quirkiest Feature, the Cricket Pitch. Lawrence Durrell Described Cricket in Corfu as “A Mysterious and Satisfying Ritual the Islanders Have Refused to Relinquish”.

Near Gouviá, in Central Corfu, the Replica Village Also Made an Appearance in the James Bond Film for Your Eyes Only (1981). Tours Cost €15 (Hk$135) a Head and Can Be Booked at the Corfu Imperial Hotel, Where the Cast Stay During Filming. the Hotel Also Offers a Three-Hour Durrells Tour for €30 a Head, with a Boat Ride to the White House, in Kalami, and Spots Along the Northeast Coast Where the Tv Series Is Filmed, Including the Privately Owned Venetian-Era House Overlooking the Sea Just North of Corfu That Features as the Family Home in the Tv Show.

The Durrells’ Corfu – Popular Tv Show Revives Greek Island’s Picturesque Past

By Sophia Al-Mansoor

• Oct 8, 2026 • 8 min read

The Durrells’ Corfu – Popular Tv Show Revives Greek Island’s Picturesque Past

Direct Answer • Key Takeaway

It Could Be a Scene from the Sleepy Port of the 1930S, When the Literary English Family Lived on the Greek Island for Four Year's Before the Outbreak of War, an Adventure Later Immortalised in a 1956 Book by Louisa Durrell’s Youngest Son, Gerald: My Family and Other Animals. but This Is Late Summer 2018 – and the Modern-Day Mrs Durrell Is 42-Year-Old Actress Keeley Hawes, Who Has Brought the Family Back to Life for a New Generation of Followers in Hit Television Series the Durrells.

Sophia Al-Mansoor

Global Business & E-Commerce Reporter

Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.

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