Corfu (known in modern Greek as Kerkira or Kerkyra) is the capital of the island of the same name.
Understand
[edit]Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- 1 Corfu International Airport (CFU IATA) (2 km south of the town). The Corfu International Airport serves the whole island.
This airport has countless flights from the rest of Europe, especially April–September. These include cheap carriers like Ryanair and Wizzair. If you know a budget airline airport, chances are high there are flights from there to Corfu.
If no flight is suitable, you may want to consider flying to nearby Preveza or Tirana. From Preveza you can check if there is a bus to Igoumenitsa, where a frequent ferry goes to Corfu Town. From Tirana buses depart to Sarandë, from where a ferry goes to Corfu Town. Conversely, Corfu is the gateway into Albania for many tourists, especially the Albanian Riviera.
Getting there and away:
- By bus – The town bus number 15 (Airport–Green Bus Station–Corfu Town–Port) does the trip regularly in season, but only until 21:00 October–March.
- By taxi – From the airport you can take a taxi. Be aware that it is common practice that taxi drivers may merge two groups for a shared trip without confirmation. Taxis are equipped with taximeter but they may give you a fixed price way above normal prices when they identify you as a tourist. It is best to ask for the price or for the taxi meter before starting the drive.
By bus
[edit]Corfu Town is served at least by three KTEL Intercity Buses lines which connect daily the city with Athens, Thessaloniki, Larisa. The 2 bus station is in Saroko (San Roko) Square.
Get around
[edit]
The city center of Corfu Town
Public transport consisting of 16 buses lines is planned by Corfu City Bus S.A. Line 15 goes from to the airport to Saroko Square.
See
[edit]
Map of Corfu Town
- 1 Spianada (The Esplanade). Spianada is the central square and the meeting point of Corfu's residents and visitors. It is built in the style of the Royal Gardens of Europe. At one time it was a firing range for Venetian troops.
- 2 Liston. The Liston is a building complex with long arcades built in 1807 by the French imperial commissioner Mathieu de Lesseps, father of the constructor of the Suez Canal. It is an excellent example of architecture from Napoleonic period, when Corfu was part of the First French Empire. The design was inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. The Liston runs along the west side of the Spianáda,.
- 3 Old Fortress, ☏ +30 26610 48120, +30 26610 48123, +30 26610 27935. November to March: 08:30-15:30, April to October 08:00-20:00. A Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule. The fortress successfully repulsed Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571 and 1716. The old Fortress houses the church of St. George, the Public library and the Hellenic Music Research Lab of the Ionian University. It was the location of a scene from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, in which the Mercedes of Emile Locque, the evil adversary, gets pushed off a cliff by Bond. Cash and card payments accepted. €6 adults, €3 students/seniors.
- 4 New Fortress (Greek: Palio Frourio. Italian: Fortezza Nuova). Less impressive, the new fortress was built by the Venetians on the 16th century atop the San Marco Hill. The most significant attractions of the New Fortress are: the British barracks, the underground stoas, water ducts, ammunition storage rooms etc. The Museum of Ceramic Art is housed here. Theatrical performances, exhibitions and concerts are also held on the fortress premises.
- 5 Archaeological Museum, 1, Vraila Str, ☏ +30 2661 030680. The museum hosts collections of archaeological finds, including the impressive Gorgon pediment from the Temple of Artemis, dating from 585 BC. It is the oldest stone pediment in Greece and is described in the New York times review of the museum as the finest example of Archaic temple sculpture extant. Of particular note is the 'Lion of Menecrates', the work of a Corinthian sculptor of the Archaic period, dated to the end of the 7th century BC.
- 6 Museum of Asiatic Art, ☏ +30 26610 30443, +30 26610 20193. Daily 08.00-20:00. More than ten thousand objects, from China, Japan, India, Tibet and Southeast Asia. The museum is housed in the former Royal Palace, an imposing three-storied building and a fine example of neoclassical architecture, located at the northern end of the Spianada. Full: €6, reduced: €3, everyone pays reduced price from November to March. Free for EU citizens 25 and under.
- 7 Byzantine Museum, ☏ +30 26610 38313. A small church dedicated to Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, now housing a collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons.
- 8 Municipal Art Gallery (Royal Palace), ☏ +30 26610 48690. Works by 19th-century Corfiot painters.
- 9 Church of St Spyridon. The church of the patron saint of the island was built in 1589 and has a beautiful ceiling with the 17 gilded panels. The remains of St. Spyridon are held in a silver reliquary.
- 10 Mon Repos Estate, ☏ +30 26610 41369. Winter: Tu-Su 08:00-15:00; dummer: daily 08:00 to 16:00. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. A neoclassical-style villa which served as a summer residence for the British Lord High Commissioner of the United States of the Ionian Islands, Frederick Adam in the early 19th century. After the union with Greece in 1864, the villa was granted to the Greek Royal Family and renamed Mon Repos. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was born in Mon Repos on 10 June 1921. The mansion is now home to the Palaiopolis Museum.
- 11 Pontikonisi. A beautiful islet that looks like a miniature and has become the city landmark.
- 12 Achilleion (Αχίλλειον), Achilleio, ☏ +30 2661 056210. A palace built in Corfu by Empress of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as Sissi after a suggestion by Austrian Consul Alexander von Watzberg. Sissi was a woman obsessed with beauty and very powerful but tragically vulnerable since the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in the Mayerling affair in 1889. A year later in 1890 she built a summer palace in the region of Gastouri (Γαστούρι), now the municipality of Achilleion, about 10 km to the south of the city of Corfu. The palace was designed with the mythical hero Achilles as its central theme.
Do
[edit]Events
[edit]The celebration of Greek Easter in Corfu is the most famous in Greece.
Corfu has the oldest major modern Carnival tradition in Greece with a history of over 450 years starting in the early Venetian rule.
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]All these are in the city centre:
- 1 Taverna Ninos, Sevastianou 44. An unassuming local taverna with a takeaway deli counter and table service, located in a small alley right off one of the main tourist streets. Good typical Greek dishes at low prices. €5-13.
- 2 The warehouse Tavern, Nikiforou Theotoki 62. Nice atmosphere, warm in winter and tasty appetizers
- 3 Gia Souvlaki, Ag. Sofias 20. Very good souvlaki
- 4 ΡΟΥΒΑΣ ταβέρνα, Stamatiou Desila 13. Traditional dishes in a house with history
- 5 Soflaki Grillhouse, prossalendou 1. Unique atmosphere
Mid-range
[edit]- 6 Captain George, Nafsikas 39 (opposite Corfu Holiday Palace). 12:00-24:00. A traditional, family run taverna. The food is hearty and home-cooked. Vast menu includes traditional Greek favorites like spanakopita, tzadziki, and hummus but also spaghetti and burgers! modest prices..
- 7 Margherita Pizza Artigianale Corfu, Αγ. Πάντων 19.
- 8 Mouragia, Arseniou 15.
- 9 Diporto, Paleaologou & Sotiros.
- 10 Elia, Spirou Arvanitaki &, Palaiologou 63b.
- 11 To Tsipouradiko, Prosalendou 41.
- 12 Fishalida, 11, Lochagou Spiridonos Vlaikou 1.
Splurge
[edit]Drink
[edit]- 1 54 Dreamy Nights, 54, Ethniki Antistaseos, ☏ +30 694 064 5436. -
Sleep
[edit]
Budget
[edit]- 1 Atlantis Hotel, 48, "Xenofontos Stratigou" Str, ☏ +30 26610 35560, fax: +30 26610 46480.
- 2 Bretagne Hotel, 27, Georgaki Str, ☏ +30 26610 30724, +30 26610 35690, +30 26610 31129, fax: +30 26610 28027. 2-star hotel
- 3 Constantinoupolis Hotel, Zavitsianou Str, ☏ +30 26610 48716, fax: +30 26610 80716. 2-star hotel
- 4 Dalia Hotel, National Stadium Square (Garitsa), ☏ +30 26610 32341.
- 5 Europa Hotel, 10, "P. Gitsiali" Str (Harbour area), ☏ +30 26610 39304, fax: +30 26610 26786. 39 A/C rooms
- 6 Hermes Hotel, 14, "Gerasimou Markora" Str (Near the bus station), ☏ +30 26610 39321, +30 26610 39268, +30 6932 289191 (Mobile), fax: +30 26610 31747.
- 7 Ionion Hotel, 46, "Xenofontos Stratigou" Street, ☏ +30 26610 39915, +30 26610 30628, fax: +30 26610 44690. 2-star hotel. 88 rooms
- 8 Phoenix Hotel, 2, "Chrisostomou Smirnis" Str, ☏ +30 26610 42590, +30 26610 42290, fax: +30 26610 42990.
Mid-range
[edit]- 9 Ariti Grand Hotel, 40, Nafsikas Str, ☏ +30 26610 33885, fax: +30 26610 33889. 4-star hotel
- 10 Arcadion Hotel, 2, Vlasopoulou Str. (Esplanade Sq.), ☏ +30 2661 030104. 3-star hotel
- 11 Bella Venezia, 4, "Napoleontos Zampeli" Str, ☏ +30 26610 46500, +30 26610 44290, fax: +30 26610 20708.
- 12 City Corfu Marina Hotel (Corfu city hotel) (Corfu City), ☏ +30 26610 39505, fax: +30 26610 33708, [email protected]. A classic hotel with a modern style.
- 13 Hellinis Hotel, 108, Figareto Str (Kanoni suburb), ☏ +30 26610 81151, fax: +30 26610 81158. 3-star hotel. 86 standard, 4 superior rooms fully Air-conditioned. Wi-Fi Wireless Internet, Internet Corner, parking, garden, games room, swimming pool, children's pool, restaurant, lounge bar, poolside bar
Splurge
[edit]- 14 Corfu Palace Hotel, 2, Dimokratias Avenue (near the Archaeological Museum), ☏ +30 26610 39485, fax: +30 26610 31749.
- 15 Corfu Holiday Palace, 2, Nafsikas str. (Kanoni Suburb), ☏ +30 26610 36540, fax: +30 26610 36551.
- 16 Divani Corfu Palace, 20, Nafsikas Str (Kanoni Suburb), ☏ +30 26610 38996, fax: +30 26610 35929.