By air
Corfu (CFU), ~3 km
Europe · Greece
Corfu, Greece
Venetian lanes and green hills
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to June and September — warm, calmer
Don't miss
The Old Fortress
The Liston
Paleokastritsa
The Achilleion
Things to do
Corfu Town's old fortresses
The beaches
The Achilleion palace
Where to eat
What to pack
Swimwear
A quieter corner
Kassiopi's coastal path
Questions travellers ask
When is Corfu at its best?
May to June, or September, when it's warm but calmer. Bring swimwear.
What are the top sights on Corfu?
The Old Fortress, the Liston, Paleokastritsa and the Achilleion palace. Leave time for the beaches, too.
Is there a coastal walk on Corfu?
Yes — try Kassiopi's coastal path.
Which dishes is Corfu known for?
Sofrito and pastitsada.
About Corfu
- Island
Where it is
Corfu (Kerkyra) is a green island in the Ionian Sea off the north-west coast of Greece, the northernmost of the country's west-coast islands, facing the coasts of Albania and Epirus across a narrow strait.
History
Settlers from Corinth founded a colony here around 730 BC, and many have linked Corfu with Scheria, the island of the Phaeacians in Homer's Odyssey. Venice held it from 1386 to 1797, and it was one of the few parts of Greece never conquered by the Ottomans; after French and then British rule, Corfu and the other Ionian Islands were united with Greece in 1864.
People
Corfiots speak Greek, and four centuries of Venetian rule left Italian traces in their dialect and cooking, from pastitsada and sofrito to kumquat liqueur. Village philharmonic bands play at festivals, and on Holy Saturday people throw clay pots from their balconies in a noisy Easter custom.
Known for
- Corfu Town's Venetian old town (UNESCO)
- The Old and New Fortresses
- The Liston arcade and the Spianada
- The Achilleion palace of Empress Elisabeth
- Paleokastritsa's coves
Did you know?
Cricket, introduced during British rule in the 19th century, is still played on the Spianada, the great open square in the heart of Corfu Town.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.