Corfu · Greece

Corfu Town

A Venetian capital in the Greek islands — arcades, fortresses and the corridor's grand harbour

No other Greek island has a capital like this. Corfu Town's UNESCO-listed old quarter is a Venetian city intact — tall shuttered houses the colour of apricots, laundry strung across kantounia alleys, campaniles above the rooftops, all held between the Old Fortress on its sea-rock and the New Fortress on the hill. The French added the Liston's arcades; the British added a palace and a cricket pitch, both still in use.

It is a city for walking with no plan: espresso under the arcades, the church of Saint Spyridon and its silver-cased patron, backstreet workshops selling kumquat liqueur and olive wood, a climb up the Old Fortress for the panorama across the strait. The dining has depth beyond taverna standards — old-school pastitsada and sofrito on marble tables, and a rising set of chef-led rooms in the old quarter.

For the Beyond Riviera journey, the town is also the hinge. Its port sends the fast ferry to Saranda in about thirty minutes, making Corfu Town the grand, civilised gateway to the rawer shore opposite — the last Venetian evening before the newest coast in Europe.

Why here

What makes Corfu Town.

The old town on foot

The UNESCO quarter rewards slow wandering: the Liston arcades, Saint Spyridon's campanile, the town hall square and the kantounia alleys where the Venetian city still goes about its laundry. Go early or at dusk; cruise crowds own the middle of the day.

Two fortresses, one panorama

The Old Fortress guards the harbour from its double-peaked sea rock; the New Fortress rises over the old port. Climb the former an hour before sunset for the full sweep — town, mountains, and the Albanian coast across the strait.

Corfiot tables

The town is the place to eat the island's Venetian-inflected canon — pastitsada, sofrito, bourdeto — in rooms that have served them for generations, alongside a newer wave of chef-led dining in the old quarter. Book the good rooms ahead in season.

Gateway to the far shore

From the port beside the old town, the fast ferry reaches Saranda in about 30 minutes. A Venetian morning and an Albanian afternoon in the same day is the corridor's signature move — passport required, effort minimal.

Discover

The addresses of Corfu Town.

Culture & heritage · Corfu Town

Corfu Old Town

Venice, France and Britain in one walkable UNESCO labyrinth

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Yachts

Board in Corfu Town.

Catamaran · Corfu Town

Meltemi Blue

14 m skippered catamaran based in Corfu Town

14 m · 12 guests · Crewed

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Nearby

Neighbouring villages.

Greece

Kassiopi

Corfu's villa heartland — Kalami, Agni, Nissaki and the bays the Durrells made famous

See the guide

Greece

Paleokastritsa

Six coves, a monastery on the headland and the clearest water on Corfu's west coast

See the guide

Destinations

Corfu

The established elegance of the Ionian — Venetian streets, cypress coves and villa country

Full guide — Corfu

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Both work. As a base it offers boutique hotels in Venetian buildings, the island's best dining and the ferry to Albania at your doorstep. Most villa guests instead give it one full day and an evening — the town after the day-trippers leave is its best self.

The fast ferry takes about 30 minutes; slower boats take around 70. Services run daily in season and it is an international crossing, so bring passports and arrive early for border formalities. We arrange tickets and port transfers.

The Liston at coffee hour, the church of Saint Spyridon, the Old Fortress panorama, and an aimless half-hour in the kantounia alleys — plus a bottle of kumquat liqueur to take home. If time allows, the Achilleion palace is a short drive south.

May, June, September and early October offer warm light and thinner crowds. In July and August, plan the old town for early morning or evening; Orthodox Easter, with its famous pot-throwing on Holy Saturday, is the town's most spectacular date.

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