Corfu travel guide
Two fortresses, the Liston arcades and Easter pots from the windows
Corfu town, or Kerkyra, is the island's capital: a UNESCO-listed old town of Venetian lanes, French arcades and two fortresses, with the airport and ferries on its doorstep. May, June, September and October are warm and less crowded, and Easter is the big event. Give the town two days. Costs are above average, and many passports need no visa.
Kerkyra, the town English speakers call Corfu, is the capital of the island as well as of the whole Ionian Islands region. Centuries of Venetian rule, then French and British, left an old town of tall shuttered houses and arcades squeezed between two fortresses. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Spianada is the great open square of the town, once a Venetian firing range and now a park where cricket is still played. Along its west side runs the Liston, an arcade of cafes built in 1807 under French rule and modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Coffee there costs more. Have it once anyway.
Across a moat from the Spianada, the Old Fortress fills a rocky promontory. The Venetians rebuilt the Byzantine fort and held it against Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571 and 1716; Bond fans may recognise it from For Your Eyes Only. In summer it stays open into the evening, when the ramparts are at their best. The New Fortress rises above the old port to the west.
Behind the Liston, the lanes lead to the church of Saint Spyridon, whose tall bell tower is a landmark of the old town; the saint's body lies inside and is carried through the streets several times a year. The Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, at the north end of the Spianada, houses the Museum of Asian Art.
Easter is the big event. Celebrations here are the most famous in Greece, with brass bands and processions, and on Holy Saturday morning residents hurl clay pots from their windows. The carnival, with its parade through the old town before Lent, goes back to the Venetian centuries.
Eat away from the Liston. Taverna Ninos on Sevastianou street, in an alley off a main tourist lane, does solid Greek dishes at local prices. Look out for Corfiot dishes such as pastitsada and sofrito, legacies of the Venetian centuries. Kumquat liqueur is sold all over town.
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Two fortresses, an arcade of cafes and a saint's church in the old town, with viewpoints just south.
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Best time to visit Corfu
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Greek Orthodox Easter brings bands, processions and the Holy Saturday pot-throwing; book well ahead.
Highs of 24 to 28C, warm sea, green hills and easier streets.
Around 31 to 32C, humid and busy with cruise passengers, though almost rainless.
Bus 15 from the airport stops running at 21:00 between October and March, so late winter arrivals need a taxi.
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Getting there
Airport on the edge of town, ferries at the new port
Few Greek towns are this easy to reach. The runway sits beside the Chalkiopoulos lagoon only about 2 km south of the old town, and planes landing over Kanoni are part of the local scenery. Blue city bus 15 runs from the terminal past San Rocco (Saroko) Square to the old and new ports, often in summer but only until 21:00 from October to March. Taxis wait outside arrivals and reach the Spianada in around 10 minutes. By sea, ferries cross from Igoumenitsa on the mainland many times a day, boats come over from Sarandë in Albania, and long-distance ferries from Italian ports such as Bari and Brindisi dock at the new port.
- Bus 15
- Airport, San Rocco Square and both ports; last bus 21:00 October to March
- Taxi
- About 10 minutes to the old town; ask for the meter first
- Igoumenitsa ferry
- About 1 hour 30 minutes, many sailings a day
- KTEL coaches
- Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa from San Rocco Square
- Drivers sometimes quote tourists a fixed fare or add a second party to the cab; agree on the meter before your bags go in.
- If no flight suits, fly to Preveza, take a bus to Igoumenitsa and catch the ferry across.
Where to stay
Kantounia rooms, Garitsa Bay or Gouvia marina
For a first visit, sleep inside the walls of the old town or within a few minutes of the Spianada, so the fortresses, the Liston and the evening lanes are all on foot. The trade-off is space: rooms in the kantounia tend to be small, stairs are steep and few have parking. Drivers and beach lovers often base themselves along the coast north of town and come in by bus.
- Old town
- Small hotels between the two fortresses; atmospheric, but cramped and noisy on festival nights
- Garitsa
- Seafront bay south of the Old Fortress, quieter and still a short walk to the Liston
- Kanoni
- Hotels by the viewpoint over Pontikonisi; a bus or taxi into town, aircraft noise by day
- Gouvia and Dassia
- Coastal resorts north of town with pools and beaches; less character, buses to San Rocco Square
Getting around
Kantounia on foot, blue and green buses
Inside the old town, walking is the only sensible option. The narrow lanes Corfiots call kantounia wind between the Liston and the New Fortress, too tight for traffic, and you can cross the whole quarter in about 15 minutes. Blue Corfu City Bus lines fan out from San Rocco Square into the suburbs, including routes to Kanoni and to Gastouri for the Achilleion. The green KTEL buses are a separate network for the rest of the island: Paleokastritsa on the west coast, Sidari and Kassiopi in the north, and the long southern tail. Taxis queue at the Spianada, on Methodiou Street and at both ports, or you can phone the radio taxi. A hire car pays off for the west coast beaches but is a burden in town, where parking is scarce.
- On foot
- Liston to the New Fortress in about 15 minutes
- Blue city buses
- From San Rocco Square to the suburbs, including Kanoni and Gastouri
- Green KTEL buses
- Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Kassiopi and the south
- Taxi
- Ranks at the Spianada, Methodiou Street and both ports
- Car hire desks sit within walking distance of the airport, so you can pick up a car on the way out of town.
Know before you go
What makes Corfu worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Coffee under the Liston arcades, looking out over the cricket pitch on the Spianada.
- The Old Fortress ramparts, with the town roofs on one side and the Albanian hills across the strait on the other.
- Saint Spyridon, the church of the island's patron saint, busy with locals lighting candles.
- Kanoni, watching planes come in low past the Vlacherna monastery and Pontikonisi.
- Holy Saturday, when clay pots come crashing down from balconies onto the streets.
Good to know
- Late arrivals in winter miss the airport bus, which stops at 21:00 from October to March.
- Easter week fills every room in town; book months ahead.
- The Old Fortress closes at 15:30 in winter, so go in the morning between November and March.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Corfu, month by month
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Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Corfu (Hellenic National Meteorological Service, via Wikipedia).
The Old Fortress at opening, the Liston, then Kanoni and the Achilleion
Corfu town rewards two days. Climb the Old Fortress when it opens for the view across the strait, take coffee under the Liston, visit Saint Spyridon and the Museum of Asian Art, and end at the New Fortress; on day two, go south to Kanoni and Mon Repos, then out to the Achilleion palace.
Cross back to the Spianada for coffee under the Liston, then walk into the lanes to Saint Spyridon. After lunch, visit the Museum of Asian Art in the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, and finish the day at the New Fortress above the old port, where the evening light falls across the rooftops.
On day two, take a bus or taxi south to Kanoni to look down on Vlacherna and Pontikonisi as planes land behind them. The Mon Repos estate, with its woodland paths and villa, is on the way back. In the afternoon continue to the Achilleion at Gastouri, the palace built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Come back for dinner at a backstreet taverna and a glass of kumquat liqueur.
Pastitsada, sofrito and bourdeto from Venetian Corfu
Corfu's food carries four centuries of Venetian rule. Order pastitsada, beef or rooster in spiced tomato sauce over thick pasta, sofrito, veal braised in white wine and garlic, and bourdeto, fiery fish stew, by name. The best tables are a few lanes back from the Liston, such as Taverna Ninos on Sevastianou Street.
Four centuries of Venetian rule left Corfu with a kitchen unlike the rest of Greece. Pastitsada is the Sunday dish: beef or rooster cooked slowly in a spiced tomato sauce and served over thick pasta. Sofrito is veal braised in white wine with a lot of garlic and parsley, and bourdeto is fish, often scorpion fish, stewed in a fiery red pepper sauce. Ask for them by name, because many places near the Spianada lead with generic grills.
Taverna Ninos on Sevastianou Street, Gia Souvlaki on Agias Sofias and the Rouvas taverna on Stamatiou Desila all cook for locals as much as for visitors. Treat the Liston itself as a place for coffee and people-watching, not dinner.
Two drinks to try: tsitsibira, a ginger beer left over from the British years, and the sticky orange kumquat liqueur sold in every souvenir shop.
Corfu's seasons, Easter and the saint's processions
Visit Corfu in May, with highs near 24C and little rain, or late September, when the sea is still warm; July reaches about 31C, and November and December each bring around 190 mm of rain. Easter is the event to plan around, with brass bands, Good Friday processions and clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday.
Corfu is the greenest of the big Greek islands for a reason. Summer is the opposite, with July at about 31C and almost no rain.
Brass bands play through Holy Week, the epitaphios processions fill the lanes on Good Friday evening, and on Holy Saturday morning clay pots are thrown from balconies onto the streets below. Rooms sell out months ahead.
Saint Spyridon's body is carried around the old town four times a year: on Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday, 11 August and the first Sunday of November, each time with bands and a crowd. Carnival comes in February or early March, with a parade in the old town before Lent.
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How we research our Corfu travel guide
Corfu's Easter programme and old-town bus routes are confirmed each year with the island's website and Visit Greece; UNESCO's listing covers the fortified old town.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of CorfuVisit GreeceUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Corfu.
Getting there
Bus 15 links the airport with San Rocco Square and the port, until 21:00 in winter. A taxi takes about 10 minutes; agree the meter or a price first.
About an hour and a half, with many sailings a day to the new port, which is a short walk or bus ride from the old town.
Few Greek towns are this easy to reach. The runway sits beside the Chalkiopoulos lagoon only about 2 km south of the old town, and planes landing over Kanoni are part of the local scenery. Blue city bus 15 runs from the terminal past San Rocco (Saroko) Square to the old and new ports, often in summer but only until 21:00 from October to March.
General
The arcade is the town's grandstand, looking straight onto the cricket pitch of the Spianada. Order one slow coffee and watch the evening walk, then eat a few lanes back.
Bands and processions fill the streets, and on Holy Saturday morning residents throw clay pots from their balconies. It is the best-known Easter in Greece, so book early.
Yes. Boats run from Corfu town to Sarandë, and many visitors use Corfu as their gateway to the Albanian Riviera.
Pastitsada is beef or rooster in a spiced tomato sauce over thick pasta, sofrito is veal braised with garlic and white wine, and bourdeto is fish stewed in hot red pepper.
Two days covers both fortresses, the Liston, Saint Spyridon, Kanoni and the Achilleion. Add more for the west coast at Paleokastritsa.
December and November, each with around 190 mm of rain on average. July is the driest month.
Inside the old town, walking is the only sensible option. The narrow lanes Corfiots call kantounia wind between the Liston and the New Fortress, too tight for traffic, and you can cross the whole quarter in about 15 minutes. Blue Corfu City Bus lines fan out from San Rocco Square into the suburbs, including routes to Kanoni and to Gastouri for the Achilleion.
Timing & weather
From April to October it opens 08:00 to 20:00; from November to March it closes at 15:30, so go in the morning.
On Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday, 11 August and the first Sunday of November, when the saint's relics are carried around the old town.
The best time to visit Corfu is May to Jun, Sep to Oct. Warm and green, with fewer cruise crowds than high summer and less rain than winter.
- Easter: April - May (Greek Orthodox Easter brings bands, processions and the Holy Saturday pot-throwing; book well ahead)
- Best overall: May - June, September - October (Highs of 24 to 28C, warm sea, green hills and easier streets)
- Summer: July - August (Around 31 to 32C, humid and busy with cruise passengers, though almost rainless)
Visa & documents
Greece is part of the Schengen area. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Greece is very safe. Heatwaves and wildfires in summer, and pickpocketing on the Athens metro, are the main concerns.
