destination360.orgPLACES / PEOPLE / STORIES
The ruins of Angelokastro castle on its sea cliff

Castle & Viewpoint

Angelokastro

Corfu · Ionian Islands

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Castle & Viewpoint
COUNTRY
Greece
REGION
Corfu · Ionian Islands
DURATION
3–4 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Angelokastro — the Angel Castle — rides a rock pinnacle 300 metres above the northwest coast, its triangular enceinte wrapped around a chapel, a cistern and a watchtower. Byzantine governors raised it in the 13th century; it served as the island’s refuge capital, sheltering populations during pirate raids and the great Ottoman attack, and was never taken. The church of the Archangel Michael stands at the gate; excavations found early-Christian mosaics beneath the battlements. The walk up is short and steep, and the payoff is a 360° panorama — the Ionian, Paleokastritsa’s headlands and, in clear weather, the Diapontian islands.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

The gate church and the cliff-edge ramparts.

02

The 360° panorama over the northwest coast and the open Ionian.

03

Sunset from the walls — the island’s most theatrical hour.

MAP & LOCATION

Angelokastro

Angelokastro, Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece

39.6764, 19.7369

Open in OpenStreetMap

MORE ATTRACTIONS

More to see in Corfu

The Liston arcade on Spianada square, Corfu old town
Old Town & UNESCO

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.

View attraction
The Old Fortress rising above Corfu old town and its harbour
Fortress

Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio)

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

View attraction
The New Fortress dominating Corfu town from its hill above the old port
Fortress

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.

View attraction
The red-domed bell tower of Saint Spyridon church above the old town lanes
Church

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.

View attraction
The neoclassical Achilleion palace above its terraced gardens
Palace & Gardens

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.

View attraction
The cypress-headland bays of Paleokastritsa
Coast & Monastery

Paleokastritsa

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

View attraction

THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Walk the Corfu Trail

02

Climb Mount Pantokrator

03

Kayak and paddle the west coast

04

Sail to Paxos and Antipaxos

05

Kitesurf the Korission dunes

06

Cycle the Ropa valley and the west villages

07

Camping on Corfu — Paleokastritsa, Dassia & Dionysus

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

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.

Explore destination

HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

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 and the campsite — green, cool and central for the west coast.

04

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

Explore destination

ITINERARIES

Day-by-day routes

Corfu Island Loop — Corfu3 days

Corfu Island Loop

View itinerary

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Patras

Patras

Western Greece

Ioannina

Ioannina

Epirus

INTERESTS

Explore by what you love

BeachesPhotographyHistory

PART OF

Keep exploring

The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.