Is Corfu Worth Visiting?

Corfu was one of Greece's first mainstream vacation destinations, and its Old Town still carries the layered fingerprints of Byzantine, Venetian, French, and British rule in a single UNESCO-listed stretch of streets.

Corfu's Old Town, known locally as Kerkyra, sits flanked by two Venetian fortresses on a strategic point at the mouth of the Adriatic. The Old Fortress, built on the site of the old Byzantine capital, gives a panoramic view over the town and mainland from its highest point, and the Liston, an elegant arcaded promenade modeled on Paris's Rue de Rivoli, borders Spianada Square, the largest public square in the Balkans, where cricket, a legacy of nearly 50 years of British rule, is still played today.

The Church of Saint Spyridon holds the relics of the island's patron saint, credited with saving Corfu from the plague, and a procession carries them through town every Palm Sunday. Corfiot cuisine carries its own Venetian-influenced dishes found nowhere else in Greece, including pastitsada, sofrito, and bourdeto, and nearly 40 Orthodox churches sit scattered through the Old Town alongside Catholic ones built during centuries of Venetian and French presence.

The Achilleion Palace, built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, sits south of town with gardens and panoramic views even though its interior remains under restoration, and Paleokastritsa on the northwest coast holds some of the island's best known coves, including Agios Spyridon and Ampelaki beaches, with cliffside bars overlooking turquoise water. Corfu's lush, green interior sets it apart from the drier islands of the Aegean, and boat trips from the capital reach Pontikonisi, a tiny islet holding an 11th century Byzantine chapel.

Corfu has its own international airport with direct flights from Athens and much of Europe, along with ferry connections to Paxos and the Italian coast. It suits history-focused travelers, beachgoers, and families alike, and the island's size and variety give it enough to fill well over a week without repeating a day.