Corfu

Corfu is the second largest island in the Ionian Sea, after Cephalonia. Its beauty is famous among locals and tourists alike.

It has more than 57 beaches, which might make it hard to narrow down your favourite locations.

It was also the first place to establish a Greek University, as well as the first School of Fine Arts.

The Old Town of Corfu with its Old and New Fortress is designated as a UNESCO World heritage site adorned with buildings of rare architectural beauty and traditional maze-like narrow streets called kantounia.

There, one can taste handmade delicacies in traditional shops. Nearby, the church of Saint Spiridon, patron of the island, dating back to the 16th century and highly recommended.

Corfu is best known not for the valleys carpeted with olive trees, but for its stunning beaches. Some are bustling with liveliness, like cosmopolitan Glifada beach and the well developed Agios Gordios, famous for its golden sand.

Others such as Mirtidiotissa are less easily accessible yet equal in beauty.

There you’ll find all these sights, plus hospitable people, amazing food, wine and atmosphere. Corfu has an enchanting mixture of simplicity and sophistication and is waiting and ready to be explored.

Undoubtedly, the most famous beach in Corfu is the ethereal “Canal d’ Amour”. Here, the endless fight between sea and rock has resulted in a series of other-worldly stone formations, winding sea canals and tiny caves. According to a local legend, if lovers swim in these waters they will never part.

Whether you choose to believe it or not, the Canal d’ Amour is definitely a place you simply cannot miss when you visit Corfu.

In the previous centuries, aristocrats and nobles belonging to the ruling classes adorned Corfu with luxurious palaces and mansions many of which survive and are open to the public today. Mon Repos Palace, which was built by the British Commissioner Adams as a gift to his Corfiot wife, has been turned into a museum. The gardens around the palace are ideal for long, peaceful strolls.