Old Town of Corfu, Greece

The old town of Corfu fills a peninsula on the east coast of the island, between two great fortresses. Venice ruled Corfu from 1386 to 1797 and held it against Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571 and 1716; the French and then the British followed, until the Ionian Islands joined Greece in 1864. Each period left its mark, from Venetian fortifications and churches to French arcades and British neoclassical buildings, and the old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.

The Spianada, one of the largest squares in Greece, separates the town from the Old Fortress and still has a cricket ground, a legacy of British rule. Along its west side runs the Liston, an arcaded row of cafés built by the French in 1807 and inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, and at its north end stands the Palace of St Michael and St George, built for the British in 1819–1824 and now home to the Museum of Asian Art. A few steps away, the Church of St Spyridon, built in 1589, keeps the relics of the island’s patron saint under the tallest bell tower in the Ionian Islands. Between them run the kantounia, narrow cobbled lanes lined with tall pastel houses.

Visitor Information

The Old Fortress stands on a rocky promontory cut off from the town by the Contrafossa, a sea moat crossed by a bridge. Inside are Venetian bastions, the Church of St George, built like a Greek temple, and two hilltop towers with views over the town and Garitsa Bay. A ticket costs €10 (reduced €5). The fortress is open daily 08:00–20:00 from April to August, closing gradually earlier through September and October, and 08:30–15:30 from November to March; it is closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25–26 December, and free on several dates, including the first and third Sundays of each month from November to March.

Walking around the old town costs nothing, and the New Fortress on the hill to the west adds more views over the harbour. The streets are liveliest in the evening, when the cafés of the Liston and the lanes fill with people; mornings are quieter, before the cruise passengers arrive.

Corfu airport is only about 3 km south of the old town, around 10 minutes by taxi, and city bus No. 15 links the airport with the port. Ferries and cruise ships dock at the New Port, about 2 km west of the old town. The old town is compact and best explored on foot.