Corfu travel guide: the Old Town, two fortresses and the island
Corfu Town is a Venetian, French and British old town on the Ionian coast, with two sea fortresses, a long arcaded promenade and narrow lanes you can cover on foot in a day. The beaches and villages are across the island, so for a town break you add a bus or a car. The thing to know is the season: ferries, boat trips and many tavernas run from April to October.
The short answer
- First trip
- Spend a day on foot in the Old Town: the Liston, the Old Fortress, Agios Spyridon and the lanes between. Add Kanoni or Achilleion on a second day.
- Where to stay
- The Old Town or the streets just beside it, for walking. See the full guide for the island's other bases.
- How many days
- Two days cover the town. Three or four add the west coast, a boat trip or a day in Albania or Paxos.
- Best time to go
- May, June, September and early October: warm sea, everything open, fewer people than July and August.
- Book ahead
- Boat trips and ferries in summer, tables at the better restaurants, and a rental car if you want the villages.
- From the airport
- The airport is about 3 km south of the Old Town. A taxi takes 10 to 20 minutes and the blue city bus line 15 runs into town.
Where to stay in Corfu Town, in brief
The Old Town
atmosphere and walking
Restored Venetian houses on stone lanes, with no cars in many streets. It is the best base for sights and food. Expect noise on the main restaurant lanes in summer and steps with luggage.
Spianada and the Old Fortress side
sea views and a promenade
The green esplanade, the Liston arcade and the waterfront below the Old Fortress. Calmer than the lanes and still a few minutes from everything.
Garitsa Bay and Mon Repos
flat streets and a swim
South of the fortress, along the bay, with a pebble beach at Mon Repos. Ten to twenty five minutes from the Old Town on foot.
Kanoni
a quieter, greener base
A peninsula near the airport with the Vlacherna monastery and views of Mouse Island. It is about 4 km from the Old Town, so you rely on the bus or a taxi.
Things to do in Corfu Town
Old Town lanes
The kantounia, the narrow stone lanes between the Liston and the Old Fortress, are the heart of the town. Wander them in the early morning or at dusk, away from the main shopping street.
The Liston and the Spianada
A row of French-built arcades facing the Spianada, one of the largest squares in Greece. It is where the town sits down for coffee, and the cafes charge for the view.
Old Fortress
A Venetian fortress on a rock at the east end of the town, with sea views from the top. Check the official listing for current hours and ticket prices.
New Fortress
A 16th century Venetian fort above the port, with tunnels and a rooftop view over the harbor and the Old Town. Smaller and quieter than the Old Fortress.
Agios Spyridon church
The church of the island's patron saint, with the tallest bell tower in the town. Dress covers shoulders and knees, and it is in use, so keep quiet during services.
Palace of St Michael and St George
A British-built palace on the Spianada that now holds the Museum of Asian Art. A calm hour out of the sun, with a garden behind.
Archaeological Museum of Corfu
Best known for the 6th century BC Gorgon pediment from the Temple of Artemis. A short taxi or a 25 minute walk south of the Old Town.
Kanoni and Mouse Island
A viewpoint beside the airport runway, with the Vlacherna monastery on a causeway and Mouse Island across the water. Take the bus or a taxi, and go at sunset.
Achilleion Palace
A late 19th century palace built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the village of Gastouri, about 10 km south. Many tours stop here, so go early or late.
a few days ahead in summer for tours
Mon Repos and Palaiopolis
A neoclassical villa in a wooded park on a peninsula south of the town, with a small museum and walks to a pebble beach and ancient ruins.
What to book before you go
These sell out. Most of the rest of Corfu can be decided on the day.
Every tour and ticket in Corfu, and which to pick- Boat trips, and ferries to Paxos or Albania1 to 2 weeks ahead in summer
Seats on the popular days sell out, and outside the main season the schedules thin out.
- A rental car for the villages and the west coast2 to 4 weeks ahead from June to September
Cars run short at the airport in summer, and the roads outside the town are narrow.
- Dinner at a fine dining restauranta week or more ahead from June to September
The few tasting-menu places have small dining rooms and fill fast.
What to skip in Corfu Town
- Cafe tables on the Liston at lunch
You pay for the arcade and the view. Drink one coffee there if you like, and eat in the lanes behind or at the market cafe.
- Midday in the Old Town on cruise days
The lanes near the port and Agios Spyridon are packed from late morning to mid-afternoon. See them at 8am or after 5pm.
- Treating the island as one day trip
Corfu is about 60 km long. Pick one part, such as the west coast, and give it a full day rather than racing round the island.
Best time to visit Corfu
May, June, September and early October are the best months: temperatures from the low 20s to about 30 degrees, a sea warm enough to swim in, and hotels, boats and tavernas open without the peak crowds.
July and August are hot, busy and expensive. From November to March the island is green and quiet, but it is the wettest part of Greece, and many resort businesses shut. The Old Town stays open all year.
- From Corfu airportThe airport is about 3 km from the Old Town. Taxis wait outside the terminal and take 10 to 20 minutes. The blue city bus line 15 also runs to the town and the port, for a fare of a couple of euros paid to the driver.
- In the Old TownWalk. The lanes are pedestrian or very narrow, and almost everything is within 20 minutes of the Spianada.
- To the beaches and villagesBlue city buses serve the suburbs, and green KTEL buses serve the rest of the island from a separate station. Services are thin on Sundays and in winter, so a rental car or a taxi is the easier way to see the west coast.
- By seaFerries and fast boats leave from the port, on the north side of the Old Town, for Paxos, the Greek mainland and Albania.
Corfu in three days
- Day 1
Old Town on foot: the Liston, Agios Spyridon, the lanes and the Old Fortress. Dinner in the Old Town.
- Day 2
New Fortress and the market in the morning. Afternoon at Mon Repos or the Archaeological Museum, then sunset at Kanoni.
- Day 3
A day trip: Achilleion and a drive up the west coast to Paleokastritsa, or a boat to Paxos.
Day trips from Corfu Town
- PaleokastritsaA bay with coves, a monastery and boat trips to sea caves, about 25 km north west and 40 minutes by car. Go early, because the road and the beach fill by late morning.
- Paxos and AntipaxosBoats leave from Corfu port for the two small islands to the south. Check the timetable, because the crossing and the trips vary with the operator and the season.
- AlbaniaPassenger boats connect the port with Saranda, and from there a tour goes to the ruins of Butrint. Take your passport and check entry rules before you go.
Corfu: questions people ask
How many days do you need in Corfu?
Two days cover Corfu Town. Add a third for Achilleion and Kanoni, and four or more if you want beaches, villages on the west coast or a boat day.
What is there to do in Corfu Town?
Walk the Old Town, climb the Old and New Fortresses, see Agios Spyridon and the Liston, then take a taxi or bus to Kanoni and Mon Repos.
Is Corfu Town walkable?
Yes. The Old Town is compact and mostly pedestrian, with cobbles and some steps. You need a bus or taxi only for Kanoni, Achilleion and the beaches.
What can you do in Corfu from a cruise ship?
The port is a short walk from the Old Town. Do the lanes, the New Fortress and a coffee on the Spianada on foot, and keep a full day for the island if you have one.
When is the best time to visit Corfu?
May, June, September and early October. The weather is warm and the island is open without the July and August crowds.
Can I visit Corfu without a car?
For the town, Kanoni and some beaches, yes, by foot, city bus and taxi. A car makes the west coast and mountain villages much easier.