Κέρκυρα · The green Ionian island of Venetian lanes, olive groves and turquoise bays
Walk the Venetian lanes of a UNESCO old town, eat pastitsada under the olive trees, follow the Durrells to a bay in the north-east and swim in the turquoise coves of the west coast.
Greetings from Corfu
Corfu
This morning we had coffee under the arcades of the Liston in Corfu Town, and watched a cricket match on the green below the old fortress. In the afternoon we drove west through olive groves to Paleokastritsa, where the bays are so blue that we swam twice. Tonight we are in Afionas, at a table on a terrace, with the sun going down into the sea and a glass of kumquat liqueur.
Hour by hour
A Venetian old town, a cliffside monastery, a double bay and a sunset in a hill village.
Begin in Corfu Town with a coffee on the Liston and a walk through the lanes before the heat.
Climb the Old Fortress for the view over the town and the sea, then walk back along the Spianada.
Drive west to the turquoise bays under the cliffs, and visit the white monastery on the headland.
Go up to Angelokastro, the Byzantine castle on a cliff above the sea, and look down the whole coast.
End in the quiet hill village on the cape, with a table facing the Ionian Sea and the walk to Porto Timoni if you have energy left.
If you prefer the other coast, drive back to the north-east for dinner at the water's edge in Agni.
Where to stay
Corfu Town
Bella Venezia · Neoclassical town hotel · €€€
Corfu Town
Cavalieri Hotel · Historic hotel · €€€
Corfu Town
Corfu Palace Hotel · Five-star hotel · €€€€
Only on Corfu
What makes Corfu different from every other Greek island.
Under Venice from 1386 to 1797, and never under the Ottomans, the old town has tall houses, narrow lanes and fortresses that look like northern Italy, with a French arcade and a British palace on top. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
The British left behind cricket, still played on the green of the Spianada on summer weekends, as well as ginger beer, called tsitsibira, which is still brewed on the island.
Saint Spyridon, whose relics lie in a silver casket in the church in the old town, is the island's protector. Four times a year his relics are carried in procession through the streets with the town's brass bands.
Corfu's cooking has a Venetian accent. Pastitsada is a spiced beef or rooster stew with pasta, sofrito is veal in a white wine and garlic sauce, bourdeto is fish in a peppery red sauce, and the island's liqueur is made from kumquats.
Towns & villages
A Venetian, French and British town of lanes, arcades and two fortresses
Corfu Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it feels like no other town in Greece. Tall Venetian houses crowd narrow stone lanes called kantounia, a French arcade runs along the Spianada, and cricket is played on the green below the old fortress. Church bells ring all day for Saint Spyridon, the island's protector. Cafes, small shops and good tavernas fill the lanes, and the sea is always at the end of one of them.
Six small bays under green cliffs, with a monastery on the headland
On the west coast, the land breaks into a string of coves with water of an unlikely turquoise, backed by cliffs of cypress and olive. A white monastery stands on the rock above the sea, and above it all, on a peak to the north, the ruins of Angelokastro watch the coast. Many people say it is the most beautiful corner of Corfu. It is also the busiest, so go early or late in the day.
Things to do
Culture
Wander the narrow lanes of the Old Town with no plan, past tall Venetian houses, small chapels and washing hung overhead.
Corfu Old Town
Culture
On summer weekends a match is played in front of the Liston, a game the British left behind. Sit under the arcades with a ginger beer.
Corfu Town
Beach
Hire a small boat and visit the coves and sea caves below the cliffs, or just swim from the beach in the early morning.
Paleokastritsa
Good to know
Corfu is the greenest of the Greek islands, about 610 km² of olive groves and cypress trees, with Mount Pantokrator rising to 906 m in the north. For over four centuries it belonged to Venice, and it was never taken by the Ottomans, so its old town looks more Italian than Greek, with French arcades and a British cricket pitch added later. Beyond the town are fishing harbours, hill villages with sunset terraces, a Byzantine monastery above a bay of turquoise water, and a village in the mountains that its people left behind. Writers have loved it for a long time, from Homer's Phaeacians to the Durrells, who made it famous in English.
When to go
May, June and September are ideal: warm, green and calm. July and August are busy and hot. Easter is the most memorable time to see the processions, but book early.
Getting around
A car is the best way to see the island, though the roads in the hills are narrow. Buses link Corfu Town with the main villages, and taxis are easy to find in town.
How long
Five to seven days gives you the Old Town, the west coast, the north-east bays and a day in the mountain villages of the north.
Getting there
Fly direct from much of Europe in summer, or from Athens in about an hour. Ferries cross from Igoumenitsa in around 90 minutes.
Flights & ferries
Homer's island of the Phaeacians, a Greek colony, four centuries of Venetian rule, then French and British protectors before union with Greece in 1864.
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