Few families have captured Corfu as vividly as the Durrells. For Gerald, the island became a giant outdoor classroom of birds, insects, olive groves and hidden wetlands, while Lawrence found inspiration in its sea, light and villages.
We have ranked 10 places that still bring you close to their Corfu, from #10 to #1. And the final two are particularly special — one was a favourite family escape, while the other remains the most iconic real-life Durrell location on the island.
2Antinioti Laggon – Gerald’s “Lake of Lilies”
Our number two takes us away from houses and into the wild Corfu that Gerald Durrell loved most.
Near Agios Spyridon in northern Corfu lies Antiniotissa Lagoon, the place Gerald referred to as the “Lake of Lilies”.
The Durrell family visited the area for excursions and picnics, and Gerald remembered it as one of their favourite places.
For a boy obsessed with wildlife, it must have seemed like paradise.
The wetland, dunes, vegetation and surrounding coastline support an impressive variety of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and plants. The area is also associated with the European otter, Lutra lutra.
Visitors today can explore the wider lagoon landscape on foot. If you enjoy birdwatching, bring binoculars and allow yourself time rather than treating the lagoon as a five-minute sightseeing stop.
Antiniotissa is one of the most important locations on this list because it tells us something fundamental about Gerald Durrell.
Corfu was not simply the island where he spent a happy childhood. Its wetlands, animals and wild landscapes helped develop the fascination with nature that eventually shaped his entire career as a naturalist, writer and conservationist.
And yet, despite the importance of Antiniotissa, there is still one place in Corfu that represents the Durrell story more immediately than anywhere else.
