What to Expect
Larger ships berth at the New Port cruise quay, north of the old town; smaller vessels sometimes use the Old Port (Mandraki) at the edge of the historic center. From the New Port, a flat 10–12 minute walk along the Garitsa Bay waterfront leads to the Liston arcade — the French-built colonnaded promenade that borders the Spianada esplanade. Old Fortress admission is €6 (open daily, 8am–8pm high season); New Fortress admission is €4. Admission to both is separate. Navigation inside the old town is via narrow kantounia lanes — orient by the silver dome of the Church of St. Spyridon, visible above the rooftops. Paleokastritsa, Corfu's most photographed cove, is 25 km west by bus (€3, 45 minutes) or taxi (€30 one-way).
Venice, France, and Britain — Four Centuries of Occupation
Corfu was Venetian from 1401 to 1797, longer than any other Ionian island, which is why its old town looks Italian rather than Greek. The Venetians built the two fortresses as the western defense of their trade empire; the Old Fortress was never taken by the Ottomans, who unsuccessfully besieged it in 1571 and 1716. Napoleon took Corfu in 1797 after dissolving the Venetian Republic; the French period produced the Liston arcade, modeled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, and the reorganization of the city along neoclassical lines. The British administered Corfu 1815–1864 and introduced cricket, ginger beer, and a road network. The island was ceded to Greece in 1864.
Getting Around
The old town is fully walkable from the New Port (10 minutes). The Achilleion Palace — built 1889–1891 for Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), later owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II — is 10 km south of Corfu Town by taxi (€15 each way); the gardens are formal late-Victorian, the interior is fussily ornate, and the views over the island are excellent. Paleokastritsa — a series of coves on the northwest coast — is 25 km from town, a 30-minute drive. The Blue Lagoon at Sidari (north coast) requires a 35 km drive. Buses run from the New Port bus station to most major destinations; taxis are metered and reliable. For beaches close to town, Glyfada and Pelekas are 15 km west.
What to Eat
Corfiot cuisine is distinctly Venetian-influenced: sofrito (beef braised in wine and garlic), pastitsada (veal or rooster in a tomato and spice sauce, served with pasta), bianco (fish poached in olive oil and lemon), and bourdeto (fish in spicy red sauce). The old town has restaurants in every lane; the ones facing the Liston are priced for cruise passengers. Mouragia taverna on the waterfront just south of the Old Fortress is reliable and locally used. Kumquat liqueur — made from the Nagami kumquat trees that the British introduced to Corfu — is the island's signature digestif. A lunch in the old town runs €18–30 per person.