Corfu’s Old Town has preserved almost all of its historic urban fabric; its buildings date from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Together with the two fortresses, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means history can be read not only in individual monuments, but also in the surviving network of streets and buildings. A digital guide to the Old Town, described in 2023, is aimed at residents and visitors and provides information on more than 80 sights in the city through high-quality audiovisual material. Check whether the guide is available before your trip.

Museums offering different perspectives

The Museum of Asian Art in the Old Town has a collection of more than 11,000 objects from China, Japan, India, the Himalayas and Central Asia. Their origins span a broad geographical range. If you are interested in art from different regions, the collection offers a thematic perspective distinct from the history of the city.

Casa Parlante offers a different perspective on the 19th century in the historic Old Town: with moving figures and recreated furnishings and interiors, the museum reconstructs the everyday life of the island’s nobility. The Corfu Archaeological Museum displays the pediment with the Gorgoneion depiction from the great Temple of Artemis. It was created in 585 BC and excavated in 1911 near the Aghioi Theodoroi Monastery.

The permanent exhibition at the Kapodistrias Museum also spans different historical scales. Through important artefacts and documents, it explores the history of Corfu, Europe and Greece through the life of Greece’s first governor. International collections, everyday life in the 19th century and an ancient temple artwork thus offer different ways to engage with the island’s history.

Historic buildings and green spaces

The Achilleion summer palace was built in 1892 in Gastouri in the Pompeian style. The neoclassical mansion Mon Repos tells a different architectural story: the Corfiot architect John Chronis built it in 1831 as a summer residence for the Corfiot wife of British Commissioner Adams. Mon Repos is set in a 258-acre park with numerous exotic, long-established plants.

At the Kapodistrias Museum, the lush garden on the hill offers another impression of the landscape. From there, views open out over Corfu’s landscape and across the island. The historic gardens and Mon Repos Park therefore offer a different way to experience the surroundings than the museum interiors and the Old Town’s built heritage.

Hiking, coastline and local offerings

In the municipal unit of Achilleion, ancient paths suitable for hiking wind through the wooded mountains of Agii Deka, Stavros and Garouna. The villages in the municipal unit also host numerous celebrations and folk festivals, as well as cultural events organised by the municipality. Dates and programmes for individual events may vary.

The 180-kilometre Corfu Trail offers a different kind of hiking experience. It passes through several settlements; Benitses is one of its 13 overnight-stop locations. In Benitses, next to the marina, there is an organised, narrow sandy beach with facilities for people with disabilities.

In the heart of the city, below the Venetian Fortress, numerous local producers sell fresh fish and seafood, vegetables, local products and traditional sweets. The vendors and goods on offer may change.

Getting around

The Museum of Asian Art can be reached from Corfu Port on bus line 2, which runs between Mantouki and Kanoni. Check the timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Sfakera, Corfu, Glyfada, Mesongi, Kassiopi, Aghios Georgios, Acharavi, Róda, Perouládes, Pélekas, Moraḯtika, Kávos, Ermones, Sidari, Kalami, Kato Korakiana, Vatos, Vitalades, Perama, Liapades, Lefkimmi, Arillas Magouladon, Ypsos, Lákka, Gimari, Boukaris, Marathias, Achilleio, Velonades, Karoussades, Argyrades, Áno Garoúna, Gaios, Afion, Viros, Nisaki, Peritheia, Kokkini Parelia, Longós, Mparmpati, Agios Mattheos, Spartilas, Dassia, Potamos, Agios Ioannis, Alepou, Kato Pavliana, Othoni, Erikoussa, Agios Stefanos, Agia Triada, Petriti, Katavolos, Katsimatika, Roumanades, Afra, Gazatika, Magazia, Rantatika, Apraos, Sinarades, Agnitsini, Lakones, Pentati, Mpenitses, Paramonas, Chalikounas, Kentroma, Agios Gordios, Perivoli, Aronatika, Anapaftiria, Kanakades, Giannades, Ano Korakiana, Episkepsi, Dafnata, Velianitatika, Chlomos

For the main travel overview: Ionian Islands.