Official Language:
Greek
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Currency:
EUR
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Population:
Approximately 110,000 people call Corfu home.
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Weather:
Climate and current weather information for Corfu Greece: Corfu has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot with much sunshine. May through September offers the best climate for swimming and sunning with temperatures between 75°F/24°C and 88°F/31°C degrees. Though tourists looking to sightsee may find it too warm. It is suggested that April, May and September are the best months for those choosing to sightsee or participate in activities.
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Corfu is arguably the most beautiful of the Ionian Islands. It is set in the northern Ionian Sea at the entrance to the Adriatic. Today, the 100,000 citizens of Corfu offer their land to tourists at a high price, but anyone who has been to the island would argue that it is well worth it. Corfu's tremendous turquoise beaches tantalize, and the lovely land's allure leaves you wanting more. But if the sun-drenched landscape is not sufficient, the island's rich history and reputation for hospitality are sure to please you. Because the land is somewhat divided, it is well equipped to please a wide range of tourists.
Within Corfu there are three entities, each of which attracts different types of people. Corfu, the island, is the place to be if the classic vacation elements are what you are looking for. The island is encircled by beaches and filled with delicious restaurants, resorts ranging in price from inexpensive (for students) to very expensive, and is home to a vigorous nightlife. Corfu town is a more sophisticated place where the emphasis falls on history as well as Greek, Italian and French culture. Corfu's mainland interior is a quieter, lesser-known haven of villages, vegetation, and agriculture. Most tourists, young people especially, opt for the excitement of Corfu Island, which boasts of having over one million visitors per year.
Corfu has inspired artists and historians alike. It is said to have been a favorite place of artists like Alfred Sisley and literary giants like Wilde and Goethe. Homer's Odysseus visited the island on his journey home, and marveled at its splendor. Shakespeare's The Tempest was inspired by Corfu. Even Napoleon was awed by the land's magnificence. And when you visit, you will quickly realize why so much brilliance has been born in and of Corfu. Its beaches are like no other, and its atmosphere of relaxation is instantly recognizable.
More than one million visitors descend on Corfu every year, the vast majority of them package tourists heading for the beach resorts that have all but ruined the island's east coast. Unless crowded beaches and rowdy bars have huge appeal, it's best to give the ugly resorts north of Corfu Town a wide berth and head northeast to Nisaki, with its tiny pebble beach and handful of tavernas and domatia (rooms for rent), and Agni, whose excellent tavernas are regarded by those in the know as the gourmet heart of Corfu. The beaches of Kalami are far more crowded than when Lawrence Durrell and his wife stayed there in the late 1930s, and the views wouldn't then have been marred by pink apartment blocks - but today's views of neighbouring Albania are still as good. Nearby there's the pretty little Venetian harbour of Kouloura and the harbour-resort village of Kassiopi, still bearing visible traces of its Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian past.
Mt Pantokrator is inland, at 906m (2970ft) the island's highest peak and a popular destination for walkers - the enormous radio antenna on its summit is a little unfortunate though. This mountain region is dotted with abandoned villages like Old Perithia, poignantly attractive in their state of decay. The beach at Almyros is a superb stretch of golden sand lapped by family-friendly shallow waters - facilities are limited but it'll only be a matter of minutes before the commercial activity of nearby Aharavi takes over. For a glimpse of the formerly idyllic appearance of resort towns like Roda and Sidhari, visit the tiny, unspoilt fishing village of Astrakeri.The hook of land dangling 5km (3mi) south of Corfu Town is the Kanoni Peninsula, the site of the ancient capital. Ancient ruins are liberally sprinkled throughout this region, including the circular Tomb of Menecrates and Temple of Artemis (the original sites of the lion and gorgon now housed in Corfu Town's museum). The much-photographed offshore islets include the dazzling white monastery of Moni Vlahernas and Mouse Island, topped by a 13th-century church. Corfu's southern reaches can pretty much be ignored, although Ahillion Palace is worth a look, if only to scoff at its vulgar 19th-century aesthetics; it's near the village of Gastouri. Holiday hooligans used to head to nearby Benitses, until it was ruined, so now they head north to cut a swathe through the coastline's few remaining unspoilt coves and fishing villages. The Boukaris-Kavos stretch of coastline isn't bad, with pebbly beaches and just a few tavernas - but stop short of the lager-lout ghetto of Kavos.
Corfu's best beaches are on the west coast, and development here is surprisingly under control - for now. The 3km (2mi) golden-sand stretch of Agios Georgios is a haven for watersports enthusiasts, and nearby Afionas has Neolithic ruins and sweeping coastal views. The west coast's largest resort is the beautiful but increasingly developed Paleokastritsa (26km/16mi west of Corfu Town), with sandy and pebbled coves, a verdant mountain backdrop and unparalleled snorkelling in grottoes and caves. A couple of villages south of Paleokastritsa have nabbed the independent travel set, including hill-top Pelekas, with its spectacular sunsets and range of accommodation from pensions to a country club. Myrtiotissa is the island's unofficial nudist beach - complete with body painting and fresh-water pipe for freelance campers. Agios Gordios is heading the way of all resorts, but its beach and hostel continue to attract more backpackers than package tourists.
Cruise Ships dock at the Old Port on the north side of Corfu. From here, you are close to the center of town and can easily catch a Taxi for transportation around Corfu. They are the only way to get to some of the more popular tourist areas, as buses travel mainly to the suburbs, and do not stop at all harbors. If you have a very specific itinerary to follow, you may look into a rental car. The island is filled with them, but tourists beware, getting a car reservation the day you arrive can be difficult, because the demand is high. You should make a reservation well in advance of your stay to ensure that you will get a car. For the excitement seekers, mopeds are a fun way to zoom around the island, but the windy and often rough terrain makes ability a must. But if you are dexterous and daring, you will enjoy the freedom mopeds and scooters provide.
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Attractions |
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This is definitely a browser's town, where as you're strolling around in search of a snack or souvenir, you'll serendipitously discover an old church or monument. To orient yourself, start with the Esplanade area bounded by the Old Fort and the sea on one side; the small haven below and to the north of the Old Fort is known as Mandraki Harbor, while the shore to the south is home port to the Corfu Yacht Club.
The Esplanade is bisected by Dousmani; at the far side is the circular monument to the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864. The north part has the field known as the Plateia, where cricket games are played on lazy afternoons. At the far north side of the Esplanade is the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, now housing the Museum of Asian Art. If you proceed along the left (northwest) corner of the palace, you'll come out above the coast and can make your way around Arseniou above the medieval sea walls (known as the mourayia). On your way you will pass (on the left, up a flight of stairs) the Byzantine Museum in the Church of Antivouniotissa. Even those who have never been especially taken by Byzantine art should enjoy its small but elegant selection of icons from around Corfu; of particular interest are works by Cretan artists who came to Corfu, some of whom went on to Venice. It's open Monday from 12:30 to 7pm, Tuesday through Saturday from 8am to 7pm, and Sunday and holidays from 8:30am to 3pm. Admission is 3€. Proceed along the coast road and come down to the square at the Old Port; above its far side rises the New Fortress, and beyond this is the New Port. Off to the left of the square is a large gateway, what remains of the 16th-century Porta Spilia; proceeding through this leads you into the Plateia Solomou.
If you go left from Plateia Solomou along Velissariou, you'll see on the right (with the green doors) the 300-year-old Synagogue, with its collection of torah crowns. It's open on Saturday from 9am until early evening. To gain entry during the week, call the Jewish Community Center at tel. 26610/38-802. This is now a good way to continue into the section of Old Corfu known as Campiello, with its stepped streets and narrow alleys. You may often feel lost in a labyrinth and you will be but sooner or later you'll emerge onto one or another busy commercial street that will bring you down to the Esplanade.
Heading south on the Esplanade, you'll see a bandstand and at its far end the Maitland Rotunda:
Commemorating Sir Thomas Maitland, the first British lord high commissioner of the Ionian Islands. Past this is the statue of Count Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1836), the first president of independent Greece. On the edge of the south end of the Esplanade is a newly renovated building that once housed the Ionian Academy and is now used by the Ionian University. If you head south along the shore road from this end of the Esplanade, you'll pass the Corfu Palace Hotel on your right.then the Archaeological Museum
Theotoki:
At the northern end of Kapadistriou, you turn left onto Ayios Spiridon and come to the corner of Filellinon and the Ayios Spiridon Cathedral, dedicated to Spiridon, the patron saint of Corfu. A 4th-century bishop of Cyprus, Spiridon is credited with saving Corfu from famine, plagues, and a Turkish siege. The church hosts the saint's embalmed body in a silver casket, as well as precious gold and silver votive offerings and many fine old icons. Four times a year the faithful parade the remains of St. Spiridon through the streets of old Corfu: on Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday, August 1, and the first Sunday in November.Proceeding up Voulgareos behind the southern end of the Liston, you'll come up along the back of the Town Hall, built in 1663 as a Venetian loggia; it later served as a theater. Turn into the square it faces and enter into what seems like a Roman piazza, with steps and terraces, the Roman Catholic cathedral on the left, and, reigning over the top, the restored Catholic archbishop's residence (now housing the Bank of Greece). From here, finish your walk by wandering up and down and in and out the various streets of Old Corfu. You will see many other findings of archaeological sites of Corfu town.
Corfu town:
Said to be one of the most beautiful and impressive towns in Greece. The architecture here is influenced by all of the civilizations that have occupied the island. Known for its elegant buildings, palaces and Byzantine churches. See the famous sights of the central square Spiniada, Esplanade, the Palace of Sait Michael & Georges, and the neighborhood of Mandouki.
Archaeological Museum:
Even if you're not a devotee of ancient history or museums, you should take an hour to visit this small museum. On your way to see its masterwork, as you turn left off the upstairs vestibule, you'll pass the stone lion dating from around 575 B.C. (found in the nearby Menekrates tomb, along the waterfront just down from the museum). Go around and behind it to the large room with arguably the finest example of Archaic temple sculpture extant, the pediment from the Temple of Artemis. (The temple itself is located just south of Corfu town and dates from about 590 B.C. The remains are not of interest to most people.) The pediment features the Gorgon Medusa, attended by two pantherlike animals. You don't need to be an art historian to note how this predates the great classical works such as the Elgin marbles -- not only in the naiveté of its sculpture but also in the emphasis on the monstrous, with the humans so much smaller. Interesting for comparison is the fragment from another Archaic pediment found at Figare, Corfu. Displayed in an adjoining room, it shows Dionysos and a youth reclining on a couch. In this work, only a century younger than the Gorgon pediment, the humans have reduced the animal in size and placed it under the couch.
Museum of Asian Art:
The museum's building itself is an impressive example of neoclassical architecture. It was constructed between 1819 and 1824 to serve as the residence of the Lord High Commissioner, the British ruler of the Ionian islands; to house the headquarters of the Order of St. Michael and St. George; and to provide the assembly room for the Ionian senate. When the British turned the Ionians over to Greece, this building was given to the king of Greece. As the king seldom spent much time here, it fell into disrepair, until after World War II when it was restored and turned into a museum.The centerpiece of the museum is the collection of Chinese porcelains, bronzes, and other works from the Shang Dynasty (1500 B.C.) to the Ching Dynasty (19th century). There are also strong holdings of Japanese works -- woodblock prints, ceramics, sculpture, watercolors, and netsuke (carved sash fasteners). You may not have come to Greece to appreciate Asian art, but this is one of several unexpected delights in Corfu.
Old Fort (Paleo Frourio):
Originally a promontory attached to the mainland, its two peaks koryphi in Greek gave the modern name to the town and island; the promontory itself was for a long time the main town (and appears as such in many old engravings). The Venetians dug the moat in the 16th century, enabling them to hold off several attempts by the Turks to conquer this outpost of Christianity; the apparent Greek temple at the south side is in fact a British church (1830). Each peak is crowned by a castle; you can get fine views of Albania to the east and Corfu, town and island, to the west. In summer, a Sound-and-Light show is held several nights a week (in different foreign languages, so be sure to check the schedule).
The Kalypso Star The:
Kalypso Star is a glass-bottomed boat that takes small groups on trips offshore and provides a fascinating view of the marine life and undersea formations.
Beaches:
There are plenty of beaches on Corfu. The closest to Corfu Town is a resort area to the north. Slightly further away, you will find the large resort at Messoighi, which is a popular beach and club spot.
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More Information |
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Useful Links About Corfu:
Corfu island Travel Information
www.corfuonline.gr
www.kerkyra.net
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