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Corfu, Greece

Islands & Coast

Corfu

A green Ionian island of Venetian lanes, twin fortresses, cliff-top castles, cypress coves and a UNESCO-listed old town.

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QUICK INFORMATION

COUNTRY
Greece
REGION
Ionian Islands
DURATION
3–4 days

ABOUT THE DESTINATION

Corfu (Kerkyra) sits at the mouth of the Adriatic, closer to Albania than to Athens, watered enough to stay green when the Cyclades turn gold. Its history is a relay of sea powers: Venetians held it for four centuries and never lost it to the Ottomans — the sieges of 1537 and 1716 both broke against the fortress rock — then Napoleon’s French and the British took turns until the United States of the Ionian Islands was ceded to Greece in 1864. Each power built, and the result is an old town of Venetian arcades, French promenades and British neoclassicism, ringed by two fortresses and listed by UNESCO in 2007. Beyond the town the island divides: soft sand and dunes on the west coast, firred cliffs and quiet coves on the northeast, a karst plateau under Mount Pantokrator (906 m) in the north, and the Korission lagoon wetlands in the south. The 220 km Corfu Trail stitches it all together — the only long-distance path of its kind in Greece.

MAP & LOCATION

Corfu

THROUGH THE LENS

From the road

Corfu, Greece
Corfu, Greece
Corfu, Greece
Corfu, Greece
Corfu, Greece
Corfu, Greece

HISTORY IN PICTURES

History in pictures

Historical photographs of this place through its darkest and most defining years — shown for education and remembrance.

The Scuola Greca synagogue in Corfu
The Scuola Greca synagogue — heart of a Jewish community of some 2,000 people until June 1944, when the occupying Germans deported nearly all of them to Auschwitz; fewer than 200 survived.
Dan Lundberg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Monument to the martyrs of the Acqui Division in Corfu
Monument to the martyrs of the Acqui Division — in September 1943, after Italy’s armistice, German forces executed thousands of surrendered Italian soldiers of the Acqui Division on Corfu and Cephalonia.
Silvana Gallio / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Commemorative plaque for the massacre of the Acqui Division
The plaque commemorating the Acqui Division massacre — Corfu’s own wartime tragedy, remembered each September.
Joanbanjo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
War memorial in Corfu town
A war memorial in Corfu town — the island was heavily bombed in 1943, losing the Ionian Parliament building and parts of the historic centre to fires.
David Shay / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

TOP THINGS TO DO

Experiences Not to Miss

Corfu — Walk the Corfu Trail
THINGS TO DO

Walk the Corfu Trail

Greece’s only island-length long-distance path: 220 kilometres from Kavos in the south to Cape Drastis in the north through olive groves, karst, dunes and coves — 8–12 days end to end, or the strong northern sections as day walks.

Corfu — Climb Mount Pantokrator
THINGS TO DO

Climb Mount Pantokrator

The classic summit walk from Old Perithia — 10 kilometres round trip, 500 metres of climb through oaks and karst to the island’s roof at 906 metres, a 14th-century monastery and views from Albania to the mainland.

Corfu — Kayak and paddle the west coast
THINGS TO DO

Kayak and paddle the west coast

Guided sea-kayak trips from Paleokastritsa and Agios Gordios thread the sea caves and headland arches of the west coast, with swim stops in the clearest water on the island.

Corfu — Sail to Paxos and Antipaxos
THINGS TO DO

Sail to Paxos and Antipaxos

The signature Ionian crossing: a full day south to Paxos and its pocket neighbour Antipaxos — Caribbean-turquoise Vrika beach, the Blue Caves and a slow sail home.

Corfu — Kitesurf the Korission dunes
THINGS TO DO

Kitesurf the Korission dunes

The steady afternoon thermals over the Korission dunes make Issos and Halikounas the island’s kite and windsurf beaches — schools on the sand from May to September.

Corfu — Cycle the Ropa valley and the west villages
THINGS TO DO

Cycle the Ropa valley and the west villages

Flat gravel lanes around the Ropa valley — Corfu’s breadbasket — link Pelekas, Sinarades and Vatos on quiet roads through olive groves, with the Glyfada coast road as the payoff.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Sights & Highlights of Corfu

Corfu Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage), Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

Corfu Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage)

A medieval town of Venetian lanes, arcades and hidden campielli — the only Greek old town UNESCO lists in its entirety.

Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio), Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio)

The Venetian citadel on its own rock island, ringed by the Contrafossa moat — the reason the Ottomans never took Corfu.

New Fortress (Neo Frourio), Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

New Fortress (Neo Frourio)

The 16th–17th-century Venetian fortress above the old port — vaulted casemates, sea tunnels and the best rooftop views across the roofs.

Church of Saint Spyridon, Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

Church of Saint Spyridon

The island’s beloved patron, whose silver reliquary rests beneath the tallest bell tower in Corfu — the tallest in the Ionian.

Achilleion Palace, Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

Achilleion Palace

Empress Sisi’s marble shrine to Achilles, later Kaiser Wilhelm II’s retreat — terraced gardens, mythological statuary and views to the Albanian coast.

Paleokastritsa, Corfu
ATTRACTIONS

Paleokastritsa

Forest-green headlands plunging into a chain of sapphire bays — Corfu’s postcard coast, with the 13th-century Theotokos monastery crowning the cape.

FOOD & DRINK

WHERE TO EAT

01

Rex Restaurant, Kapodistriou — a Corfu institution for pastitsada and sofrito in a 1930s-era townhouse.

02

Avli, old town lanes — Slow-food Corfiot cooking in a courtyard off the kantounia.

03

Taverna Ipsia, Gastouri — family taverna above the Achilleion famous for bianco fish stew.

04

Klimataria, Benitses — the island’s classic seafood table by the harbour since 1937.

HOTELS & STAYS

WHERE TO STAY

01

Old town boutiques around Campiello — restored Venetian palazzi, best for a car-free stay.

02

Kontokali and Gouvia marina resorts — mid-island, handy for both coasts.

03

Paleokastritsa hillside hotels — green, cool and central for the west coast.

04

Agios Stefanos northeast — quiet cove stays within reach of Kassiopi.

ITINERARIES

Keep Driving

Corfu Island Loop — Corfu3 days

Corfu Island Loop

View itinerary

Routes

Routes & rides

multi-day

The Corfu Trail — the island end to end

Corfu’s long-distance walking route — roughly 150 km from the south Cape Asprokavos to Agios Spiridon in the north, through olive groves, dunes, lagoons and villages.

150 km · 10 days · moderate

VIEW ROUTE
Paddling / Rafting

Kayaking the west coast — coves, cliffs and the caves

Sea-kayak day stages along Corfu’s west coast — the Paleokastritsa cliffs, the sea caves and the empty coves between the monastery headlands.

10 km · 4 h · easy

VIEW ROUTE
cycling

Cycling the Ropa valley and the west villages

The gentle cycling loop through Corfu’s green interior — the Ropa valley plain, the hill villages and the olive-grove lanes linking them.

35 km · easy

VIEW ROUTE

NEARBY ESSENTIALS

Services & practical stops nearby

Practical services and stops along the way — fuel, food, parking, campsites, medical and motorcycle services. Listings are compiled from published sources; confirm current opening dates, prices and facilities directly with each operator.

  • Dionysus Camping Village

    Campsite

    Dafnila, Dassia, Corfu 491 00, Greece

    The family village at Dafnila — 107 pitches + 40 rental cabins and the island’s longest season (1 Apr–30 Oct); the beach across the road. Confirm current season and prices directly.

    Official websiteOpen in map

    Sources checked: 3 Nov 2026

  • Karda Beach Camping & Bungalows

    Campsite

    Dassia, Corfu 491 00, Greece

    The biggest site on the island — 130 shaded pitches directly on the Dassia beach, with the bus stop to town at the gate; open 15 Apr–18 Oct. Confirm current season and prices directly.

    Official websiteOpen in map

    Sources checked: 3 Nov 2026

  • Camping Paleokastritsa

    Campsite

    Paleokastritsa, Corfu 490 83, Greece

    The walkers’ camp — olive-grove terraces above the west-coast bays on the Corfu Trail’s northern stages; 48 pitches + 10 rental tents, pool, open 25 May–31 Oct. Confirm current season and prices directly.

    Official websiteOpen in map

    Sources checked: 3 Nov 2026

WEATHER

Corfu — Current conditions & forecast

Forecast data from Open-Meteo. Updated regularly.

TRAVEL GUIDES · STORIES

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

All stories

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