Corfu Luxury Vacations

Things to do in Corfu

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  Spend a Day at the Beach

  The west coast of the island is where you’ll find its many sandy beaches. Glifada is a wide, long beach that tends to be peaceful, situated in the less busy south end of the island, framed by calm, shallow waters. Chalikounas is an unspoiled, long stretch of sand nestled between the Adriatic and a lake, providing an especially unique landscape that’s ideal for getting away from the crowds, while Issos is just next door with its high sand hills along the shore. While it tends to be busy, lined with cafes and bars, Kassiopi sits at the edge of a picturesque bay with crystal-clear, calm waters.

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  Discover the history of Corfu and the Region

  There are many historic sights in Old Town Corfu to explore, with the highlights including the Old Fortress. Built in the mid-16th-century by the Venetians on the site where a Byzantine castle once stood, a moat separates the fortress from the town. The British destroyed the majority of Venetian fortifications that were once inside, replacing them with their own, including the Church of St. George. Visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of the sea, as well as the town to the west and the mountainous Albanian coast to the east.

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  The Museum of Asian Art

  Located inside the elegant Regency palace, this museum holds an impressive collection of Tibetan temple art, Indian sculpture, works from the Gandhara Kingdom (now Northern Pakistan and Eastern Afghanistan), Asian porcelains and Japanese prints. There are also a number of artifacts collected by two Greek diplomats.

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  The Esplanade

  Between the Old Town and the fortress is a vast, green open parade ground and park, the esplanade, Spianada Square. The biggest square in Greece, it’s bordered on the west by the Liston, constructed by the French under Napoleon, and the north by the old royal palace which today serves as the Museum of Asian Art. Some say this is the most stunning esplanade in the entire country. Its name comes from the total absence of buildings, something that was important in the past to protect the town from invaders. A small section of it still hosts the old English cricket field.

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  Paleokastritsa Monastery

  This 13th-century pastel-hued monastery sits on a clifftop overlooking the Adriatic, providing jaw-dropping views over the entire island. It’s still a monastery today, and visitors can even watch the monks going about their business as well as view some significant icons on display in the museum.

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  The Waterfalls of Nymphes

  The village of Nymphes is lush and green, with lots of water in the springtime – in fact, legend has it that Nymphs used to bathe in the waterfalls here. It was built on Pantokratoras mountain, which is dotted with holly and oak trees. Take a walk to view the waterfalls and the wells and it’s easy to imagine nymphs living here – you might even see one bathing in the water if you look close enough. The cascading waters plunge 33 feet into a verdant ravine, and there are other falls nearby.

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  Hike the Corfu Trail

  If you want to explore the landscape on Corfu, there may be no better way to do it than to hike this trail that winds 93 miles from one end of the island to the other between Kavos and Agios Spiridonas. Of course, traversing the entire length would take at least a week, but many feel its diverse topography and awe-inspiring views that include lagoons, beaches, mountains and olive groves, make it worth the walk.

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  Achilleion Palace

  Designed with the mythical hero Achilles as its central theme. This palace located at the edge of Gastouri village was built in 1890 by the Empress of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria who was obsessed with beauty. During World War I it was used as a military hospital and then fell into decay. During the 1970s and ‘80s, it housed the casino of Corfu, and today, it’s a historical site, museum and conference center.