Corfu: A typical street
The capital of the Island, Corfu Town is steeped in history. It offers much to entertain you whether your interests are archaeological, cultural or more retail focused! The various occupying forces have left their influence. In particular, the Venetians provided both the two fortress and many of the attractive buildings around town.
As well as exploring the fortresses, take a coffee in one of the many cafe’s around the grassed lawns of Spiniada Square. The square was designed by the French but used by the British for cricket matches.
Around the square, the Palace, the Ionian Academy and the Liston provide fine examples of French, British and Greek architecture. A short walk away on the Kanoni peninsula are a number of archaeological sites for those preferring older structures.
Opportunities abound for retail therapy, with everything from high class boutiques to tourist tat. Even if you’re not buying, the alleyways of the old town, with their many churches and Venetian buildings are well worth exploring.
There are places to swim within walking distance of the town centre, such as Limanaki. However the best beaches are out of town. Car and bike hire is widely available in town and there are plenty of beaches to choose from.
Corfu: The Venetian Fortress with NAOK’s harbour far left and Mandraki far right.
If you want a break from the sun, the town offers a number of museums. These range from the predicable such as the Archaeological Museum, to the distinctly offbeat, such as the Numismatic Museum. This features Greek bank notes and coins from the past. Music, folklore and the arts have their own museums and there’s a sea shell museum too. So there is something for all the family!
As a major tourist centre you will of course not have the place to yourself and it can get busy. The plus side is a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes offering a wide range of food to suit every budget. Sadly, as is often the case in tourist destinations, it does sometimes seem hard to buy a meal that doesn’t come with chips.
Just about anything else you could want is also available – as the area’s main commercial centre the town is well provided with banks, ATM’s, food shops and more specialised outlets.
Corfu Town isn’t pure Greece – the previous occupiers and more recent tourist invasion have seen to that. But it’s an interesting place that grows on you, with plenty to keep you engaged in the meantime.