Corfu area guides: fifteen parts of the island, village by village

Practical notes

• Hospital. The General Hospital of Corfu Agia Eirini is in this area; its official site gives the address as Kontokali, 491 00 and the switchboard as 26613 60400. Source: General Hospital of Corfu Agia Eirini
• Shops. Gouvia Marina has stores for essentials, and Dassia has a large variety of stores. Source: D-Marin; Visit Corfu, Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands
• Bus tickets. Blue Bus and Green Bus tickets are separate; check fares on each operator's official site. Source: Astiko KTEL Kerkyras SA; KTEL Kerkyras (Green Buses)
• Cash machines. Not verified
• Pharmacy. Not verified

Practical notes

• Cash. othonoi.org, last updated 24 July 2026, says there is no ATM on Othonoi, so bring cash; cash machines on Erikoussa and Mathraki are not verified. Source: othonoi.org
• Shops. Stock up on essentials in Corfu before you sail; island shops are not verified. Source: othonoi.org
• Health. A regional medical post on each island is not verified in an official source this shift; the General Hospital of Corfu Agia Eirini is in Kontokali on Corfu. Source: General Hospital of Corfu Agia Eirini
• Weather. Crossings use small boats on open water and can be cancelled at short notice in strong wind, so keep the return day flexible. Source: othonoi.org
• Vehicles. The Evdokia has space for only 20 vehicles, so book a car with the ticket. Source: Kerkyra Lines
• Local government. The islands belong to the Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands; a Start Media Corfu report of 25 August 2026 says the Municipality of North Corfu announced new port infrastructure plans for Othonoi, Erikoussa and Mathraki. Source: Visit Corfu, Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands; Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands; Start Media Corfu

Correction, 11 October 2026

The short crossing now leaves from Paleokastritsa. Hellenic Coast Lines says its Diapontia ferry VAMOS has sailed from Alypa, Paleokastritsa, instead of Agios Stefanos since 15 August 2026, because the harbour at Agios Stefanos has silted up; check its page for the current departures before you travel. Source: Hellenic Coast Lines, Diapontia notice, read 11 October 2026

Best time to visit

The Achilleion keeps summer hours to 31 October and closes at 16:00 from 1 November; the Blue Bus No 6 runs year round on the timetable dated 28 September 2026.

Sources: Achilleion Palace; Astiko KTEL Kerkyras (Blue Bus)

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our West Coast and the Middle and the South food pages, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (26 places)

• Bakery of Gastouri Bakery, Gastouri
• Akrogiali Taverna, Agios Ioannis Peristeron
• Apaggio Restaurant, Agios Ioannis Peristeron
• Argo Family Restaurant Restaurant, Panochori, old village of Benitses
• Avli Greek Cuisine Restaurant, Benitses
• AVLI Restaurant Benitses Restaurant, Benitses
• Captain Octopus Taverna, Benitses
• Chinese Flower Garden Restaurant Restaurant, Panochori, old village of Benitses
• Deck Bar & Grill at MarBella Taverna, Agios Ioannis Peristeron
• Emerald Beach Bar Beach bar, Benitses
• Klimataria Taverna, Benitses
• Kostas' Bar Bar, Stavros village, above Benitses
• Kuzina at MarBella Restaurant, Agios Ioannis Peristeron
• La Casa Di Aurora Restaurant, Agios Ioannis Peristeron
• Lotza Lounge Cafe Cafe, Benitses
• Mezza Volta Restaurant Restaurant, Benitses
• Neon Grill Room Restaurant, Benitses
• Oi Oraies Benitses Restaurant, Benitses
• Oribu at Angsana Corfu Restaurant, Benitses
• Paxinos Restaurant Restaurant, Benitses
• Pizza House Kavouras Restaurant, Benitses
• Sofrito at Angsana Corfu Restaurant, Benitses
• Stratos Taverna Taverna, Benitses
• Sunshine Cafe Bar Creperie Bar, Benitses
• Varvara's Restaurant, Benitses
• Vertigo Sky Bar Cocktail bar, Above Benitses, Angsana Corfu Resort

History

Gardiki is the oldest standing monument here. Work inside the castle found a burial of the 6th century BC and burials of the Late Roman and Early Byzantine years, so the spot was in use long before the walls went up. No written record of its founding survives: the prevailing view dates it to after 1214, when Corfu belonged to the independent state of Epirus, better known as the Despotate of Epirus, while another view links the three country castles to Emperor Manuel I Komnenos strengthening the island after 1149, when it was won back from the Normans. The castle was abandoned in 1386, when the Venetians took Corfu. In Sinarades the folklore museum was founded in 1982 by the Historical and Folklore Society of Corfu, on the initiative of Nikos Paktitis, and moved to its present house in October 1987.

Sources: Hellenic Ministry of Culture; Hellenic Ministry of Culture; Visit Corfu

Practical notes

Green Bus tickets: KTEL's timetable pages say a ticket bought on the bus is cash only, its route pages say card or cash, and its home page lists B10 Agios Gordios among the routes with an electronic ticket, so buy online or carry cash. B10 has only two runs each way on Sundays and B8 shows no weekend runs, so plan Agios Mattheos and Gardiki for a weekday or go by car. KTEL keeps luggage storage open 24 hours a day at the Green Buses station.

Sources: KTEL Kerkyras (Green Buses); KTEL Kerkyras; KTEL Kerkyras (Green Buses); KTEL Kerkyras (Green Buses)

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our West Coast and the Middle and the South food pages, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (13 places)

• Alexis Restaurant Restaurant, Agios Gordios
• Black Rocks Seaside Restaurant Restaurant, Agios Gordios
• Madison Garden Restaurant, Agios Gordios
• Ortholithi Restaurant, Agios Gordios
• Sabbia Beach bar, Agios Gordios
• Sebastian's Taverna Taverna, Agios Gordios
• Tavernaki Green Stone Taverna, Agios Gordios
• The Lemon Tree Cocktail bar, Agios Gordios
• Giorgos Restaurant, Agios Mattheos
• Kalws Tous Cafe, Agios Mattheos
• Mikro Nisi Beach Venue Beach bar, Agios Gordios beach, Lefkimmi area (far south)
• Pasta Bar Agios Mattheos Restaurant, Agios Mattheos
• Taverna Plori Taverna, Paramonas

A little history

Palaiopolis, at the south eastern end of Corfu Town, was the core of ancient Corfu. People lived here from the end of the 8th century BC, when settlers from Corinth arrived; the area was abandoned in the Middle Ages after raids, and its people went on to found the modern town. Source: Visit Corfu, Paleopolis

The ancient city ran from the Halikiopoulos lagoon, one of its ancient harbours, in the west to Garitsa Bay (the port of Alkinoos) in the east. A visible stretch of its wall, the Nerantziha wall, stands on a low hill south of the airport; east of it lie part of the paved ancient market, harbour works and a Roman bath complex, the best preserved building of its time in the area. Source: Visit Corfu, Paleopolis

The Mon Repos villa was built in 1828 to 1831, under British rule, by Sir Frederick Adam, Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, as a typical early 19th century neoclassical house. It then served as a public building (1832 to 1864) and as a summer residence of the Greek royal family (1864 to 1967). Source: Ministry of Culture, museum page

Hellenic Heritage says the villa was designed by the British architect George Whitmore, who also designed the Palace of St Michael and St George, as a summer home for Frederick Adam and his wife Diamantina Palatianou, and that it later housed the School of Fine Arts and the Seminary. Source: Hellenic Heritage

The Museum of Palaiopolis opened in the villa in 2001. Its fourteen galleries cover British rule and the Adam family on the ground floor and finds from ancient Palaiopolis (the agora, the Roman baths and the sanctuaries) on the first floor; the second floor holds temporary exhibitions. Sources: Ministry of Culture, museum page; Hellenic Heritage

What it feels like

Mon Repos is a lush park around the former royal estate, where rare plants grow among monuments of many ages, from ancient temples to a post Byzantine church. Source: Hellenic Heritage

Summer evenings bring theatre under the trees: the open air Rena Vlachopoulou Theatre at Mon Repos is the summer stage of the Municipal Regional Theatre of Corfu (DHPETHE), whose archive lists Goldoni's Le baruffe chiozzotte there in July and August 2026 and the show LEUCO on 11 September 2026. Source: dipethek.gr

Where it starts and stops

The area starts at Garitsa Bay on the town's southern edge and runs south down the Kanoni peninsula: Palaiopolis and Mon Repos first, then Kanoni further south, looking over the Halikiopoulos lagoon. Sources: Visit Corfu, Paleopolis; Visit Corfu, Kanoni

The Mon Repos estate is about 2 km from the centre of Corfu Town, and you can walk there along Garitsa Bay. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Vlacherna and Pontikonisi sit in the lagoon about 4 km south of the town. Source: Visit Corfu, Pontikonissi island

Places to see

Museum of Palaiopolis (Mon Repos): Mon Repos Estate, 49131 Corfu, tel +302661041369. Tickets 10 euros, reduced 5 euros. The old combined ticket for the Corfu state museums is no longer sold, so each site needs its own ticket. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

The reduced 5 euro ticket at the Museum of Palaiopolis applies to Greek and EU citizens over 65 only from 1 October to 31 May, and to some accompanying parents and teachers on school visits. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Access at the Museum of Palaiopolis: a ramp at the building entrance, a lift to the floors and an accessible WC. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Closed days at the Museum of Palaiopolis: the Ministry lists 1 January, 25 March and 25 and 26 December; Hellenic Heritage also lists 1 May and Easter Sunday. Sources: Ministry of Culture, visitor information; Hellenic Heritage

Check before you go. Museum hours: the Ministry of Culture page gives 08:30 to 15:30 every day except Tuesday from 1 April to 31 October 2026, last entry 20 minutes before closing. The Hellenic Heritage page gives 10:00 to 18:00 for the same summer season. From 1 November, Hellenic Heritage gives 08:30 to 15:30, closed Tuesdays, while the Ministry page still shows last winter's line (closed Thursdays). Call the museum before you go. Sources: Ministry of Culture, visitor information; Hellenic Heritage

The Mon Repos estate (the park) is open every day from 08:00 to 20:00 and entry is free. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Inside the estate are the sanctuaries of Hera Akraia and Apollo Corcyrean, the Doric temple at Kardaki (called the best preserved ancient temple in Corfu), the post Byzantine church of the Saviour and the monastery of Saint Euphemia. Source: Hellenic Heritage

Just below Kanoni is the Monastery of Vlacherna, dating from the 1600s, joined to the shore by a narrow footbridge. Small boats sail from the quay to Pontikonisi, where you find the chapel of the Pantokrator and a well where visitors throw coins and make a wish. Sources: Visit Corfu, Kanoni; Visit Corfu, Pontikonissi island

Entry to the Museum of Palaiopolis is free on 28 October (Ochi Day). Source: Hellenic Heritage

Anemomylos grove (Alsos Anemomylou): on 7 October 2026 the Municipal Council of Central Corfu named the small open air theatre in the Anemomylos grove the Ariti Theatre (Θέατρο Αρήτη), after Arete, the wise queen of the Phaeacians, wife of Alkinoos and mother of Nausicaa in the Odyssey. Sources: kerkyrasimera.gr; corfutvnews.gr

The Archaeological Museum of Corfu (Vraila Armeni 1, Garitsa; it has a card on our museums page) reopened in 2018; its 1,600 exhibits run from prehistory to late antiquity, and its Gorgon pediment from the Temple of Artemis is the oldest surviving stone pediment of ancient Greek architecture. Free on 28 October and on the first Sunday of each month from November to March. Source: archaeologicalmuseums.gr

Viewpoints and the sea

Kanoni is the classic viewpoint: take in the panorama from the top, then walk down to the Vlacherna church and the boats to Pontikonisi. Source: Visit Corfu, Pontikonissi island

Garitsa Bay, which Visit Corfu calls the ancient port of Alkinoos, is also the walking route to Mon Repos suggested by the Ministry of Culture. Sources: Visit Corfu, Paleopolis; Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Getting there

Blue town buses: line 2a runs from Ano Platia (Liston) to Kanoni, according to the route list of Astiko KTEL Kerkyras. Source: astikoktelkerkyras.gr

The Ministry of Culture page says town bus line 2 stops at the Mon Repos entrance, every half hour during museum hours, and that there is a taxi rank at the estate entrance. Source: Ministry of Culture, visitor information

Hellenic Heritage gives about 35 minutes on foot from Spianada Square, or about 7 minutes by car; by bus, take line 2 and get off at the Mon Repos stop. Source: Hellenic Heritage

Astiko KTEL Kerkyras (blue town buses): Mitropolitou Methodiou 2, 49100 Corfu; timetable line +302661031595; offices +302661039859 and +302661032158; email info@astikoktelkerkyras.gr. New timetables have applied since Monday 14 September 2026, and a passenger timetable valid from 28 September 2026 is posted on the home page. Source: Astiko KTEL Kerkyras

The town bus company has a mobile app for buying e tickets and for seeing routes and bus positions in real time. Source: Astiko KTEL Kerkyras

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our Corfu Town food page, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (26 places)

• Alsos Cafe Cafe, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Amvrosia Restaurant Restaurant, Kanoni
• Anemomilos Café Cafe, Anemomylos, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Blue Pool Restaurant Bar, Kanoni
• Brachera Beach Bar Beach bar, Kanoni Beach, Kanoni, Corfu Town
• Captain George Taverna, Kanoni, Corfu Town
• Fegaropetra Seafood Restaurant, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Flisvos Seaside Experience Restaurant, Kanoni
• Gialos Café Cafe, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Green Park Restaurant, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Kafes me Zachari Cafe, Garitsa
• Kanoni Cafe Cafe, Kanoni
• Kukutsi Sushi Bar Restaurant, Kanoni
• La Veranda di Corfu Restaurant, Kanoni, Corfu Town
• Masa Soura Taverna, Garitsa
• Mesogeios Restaurant, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Mikri Garitsa Restaurant, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Naok Azur Bar, Garitsa
• Nautilus Café Cafe, Anemomylos, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Pasta Bella Restaurant, Garitsa
• Royal Baths Beach bar, Royal Baths, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Skyview Corfu Bar, Kanoni
• Stou Giatrou Taverna, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Ta Adelfia Taverna, Garitsa
• Ta Psarakia tsi Garitsas Taverna, Garitsa, Corfu Town
• Thessalonikios Psitopoleio Taverna, Garitsa

A little history

The Holy Metropolis of Corfu dates the monastery on the summit to the first half of the 14th century, on the evidence of a parchment of 1347 that survives in the Historical Archive of Corfu. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

That document says the people of twenty three villages worked willingly to build the church and gave it land, trees, animals and their own labour. The villages named by the Metropolis include Strinylas, Lafki, Spartylas, Sokraki, Zygos, Episkepsi, Sgourades and Nymfes. It is signed by a hieromonk called Anthimos, perhaps the first abbot. Sources: Holy Metropolis of Corfu; sindetiras.gr

A second document, a notarial deed of 1689, and local tradition say the church was built by a villager from Sokraki named Sellaris, who found a stone slab carved with the Transfiguration of Christ on the spot and took it as a sign. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

Under the Venetian era system the monastery was run jointly by ten of the villages. The arrangement lasted until 1953, when the ten communities agreed to hand it over in full to the Holy Metropolis of Corfu and Paxos. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

The big move down began around 1950, once malaria in the lowlands was under control; by the early 1960s the mountain village was empty. Ano (Upper) Perithia then became Palia (Old) Perithia, and the lower village, where families had their fields, became today's Perithia. Sources: fosonline.gr; mixanitouxronou.gr

What the mountain feels like

The Corfu Trail's own route planner calls the north the part of the island with the most dramatic scenery, with a karst plateau and rugged gorges; it describes the karst plateau above Spartylas as Corfu's wildest scenery. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

Visit Corfu says almost two thirds of Corfiots live in the countryside, in about 150 villages, and after noting that dozens of villages are protected as officially designated traditional settlements, puts Old Peritheia first in its list of villages to visit. Source: Visit Corfu

Spartylas is known as the window of Corfu (or the window on Corfu) for its wide view over the sea below the village. Sources: feelgreece.com; corfutoday.com

It is much cooler and windier on the summit than on the coast; Discover Corfu says to bring a jacket even on a hot day, and a car hire company's guide (May 2026) puts the difference at 8 to 10 degrees. Sources: discover-corfu.com; corfuislandcars.com

The villages one by one

Old Perithia lies at about 440 metres in a high valley on the north side of the mountain. It has about 130 stone houses, mostly in Venetian style, cobbled lanes and eight churches around its edge; the bell tower of Agios Iakovos o Persis stands at the entrance. Sources: archaiologia.gr; el.wikipedia.org

Revival began after a Dutch couple, Mark and Saskia, first saw the village in 2009 and, with the necessary permits, restored several houses; by 2021 reports said about 35 percent of the houses had been restored and that tavernas and rooms to let were open. Sources: fosonline.gr; mixanitouxronou.gr

Sokraki is a traditional village at 440 metres, 23 km from Corfu Town. Its name is said to come from Eso Korakion, roughly inner Korakio, after its position on Mount Korakio. Sources: Visit Corfu; el.wikipedia.org

From one side of Sokraki you see Corfu Town with its port and forts, and on clear days the south of the island as far as Paxos; from the other side the view reaches the Diapontia Islands of Othonoi, Erikoussa and Mathraki. Source: Visit Corfu

The poet Lorentzos Mavilis, remembered in Greece as a national hero, dedicated a sonnet to Sokraki. Visit Corfu also lists two small squares with traditional kafeneia, guesthouses and a taverna in the village. Source: Visit Corfu

Sokraki's big village festival is on 15 August, the feast of its parish church of Panagia Periboliotissa. Sources: Visit Corfu; Visit Corfu

The main road up to Sokraki climbs about 4 km from Ano Korakiana almost straight up the mountain and needs care: a winding road cut into the rock and held up by finely built stone walls, with views over Corfu Town. Visit Corfu says it was used for filming a Roger Moore James Bond film. Sources: Visit Corfu; Visit Corfu

The summit and its monastery

The Holy Metropolis places the monastery at 917 metres, the highest point of Corfu. Most maps and guides give the height of the mountain as 906 metres. Sources: Holy Metropolis of Corfu; el.wikipedia.org; discover-corfu.com

The oldest and most important building is the main church (katholikon), probably of the early 14th century: a single nave with a barrel roof, a small narthex and a women's gallery above it. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

The Metropolis says the church screen was made in 1771 and carries three rows of icons clad in silver. The icon of the Pantokrator itself is a wall painting covered by a silver casing in four pieces. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

The church is one of few that keep, in good condition, wall paintings from the 14th to the 18th century, set in three bands: scenes of Christ and the Virgin, 28 bust portraits of saints, and full length saints. The Virgin of the Blachernitissa type fills the apse. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

Since 1971 an antenna of the state broadcaster ERT has stood inside the monastery grounds, which the Metropolis calls foreign to the place; large telecommunication masts dominate the summit. Sources: Holy Metropolis of Corfu; discover-corfu.com

The Holy Metropolis says one monk lives at the monastery today, under the spiritual guidance of Archimandrite Efthymios Douis. Source: Holy Metropolis of Corfu

The monastery's feast is on 6 August, the Transfiguration. Pilgrims start climbing from mid July and from 1 to 6 August people go up and down day and night; in the past groups walked through the cool night on stony paths to arrive at sunrise, carrying vows such as pots of basil, tins of oil and candles as tall as themselves. Sources: Holy Metropolis of Corfu; sindetiras.gr

Check before you go. Two guides say visiting the summit and entering the monastery is free. It is an active place of worship, so be respectful and dress modestly. No official page prints opening hours, so in October check before you go. Sources: discover-corfu.com; corfuislandcars.com; mygreecetours.org

The road up

The last stretch is very narrow and steep, with many hairpin bends and steep drops: drive slowly, be ready to give way, and expect very little parking at the top, where most cars park along the approach road. Sources: discover-corfu.com; corfuislandcars.com

Buses do not go to the summit, only to villages on the lower slopes such as Spartylas. The Green Buses (KTEL Kerkyras) list a stop at Spartylas (S054), and the Corfu Trail planner notes limited buses to Spartylas and Sokraki. Call centre +302661028900, Monday to Saturday 07:30 to 20:30; check times before you go. Sources: discover-corfu.com; Green Buses; The Corfu Trail, route planner

Walking: the Corfu Trail and the summit paths

The Corfu Trail is waymarked with yellow signs showing the letters CT and an arrow, with yellow paint marks in between. It runs from south to north because the north holds the most dramatic scenery and the most highlights. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

Agros to Sokraki: about 12 km, 4 hours and 250 metres of climbing, through Agios Athanasios, past Rekini and the remote village of Valanio, up a deep valley and along a cobbled path into Sokraki's square. Sokraki has a taverna and a few rooms; buses are limited. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

Sokraki to Old Perithia: about 15 km, 5 and a half hours and 500 metres of climbing. The trail goes through forest and farmland to Spartylas, then up a steep mountain path in a gully to a viewpoint at the Taxiarchis chapel, across the karst plateau, down a mountain track to the high col of the main ridge and on to Old Perithia. Spartylas has a taverna, shops and a bar; rooms are limited in Spartylas and Old Perithia. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

Old Perithia to Agios Spyridon: about 12 km and 3 and a half hours, mostly downhill, through a forested gorge and small settlements to the northern coastal plain, then along the shore to the end of the trail at Agios Spyridon beach. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

The planner's walking times between stops: Sokraki to Spartylas about 1 and a half hours, Spartylas to Old Perithia about 3 and a half hours, Old Perithia to Almyros or Agios Spyridon about 3 hours. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

The trail planner reminds walkers that wild camping is illegal in Greece, asks them never to light a fire, and notes that the only organised campsite on the route is at Paleokastritsa. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

The planner has dropped the old loop from the high col down to the north east coast and back, because building works broke the coastal path; it is to be offered as a separate hike. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our North East Coast and Kassiopi food page, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (5 places)

• Alkinoos Taverna, Old Perithia
• Evdokia Taverna, Old Perithia
• Gabriel's Steps Taverna, Old Perithia
• O Foros Taverna, Old Perithia
• Ice Dream Gelateria Cafe, Perithia

More on Heart Corfu

• Old Perithia, the Pantokrator road, Agios Spyridon beach and the Antinioti lagoon
• Nissaki, Barbati and the coast below the mountain; the Corfu Trail paragraph
• Ipsos and Pyrgi, where the road up via Spartylas starts
• Lakones and the Corfu Trail stage to Agios Georgios; the only campsite on the trail
• Mount Pantokrator and Old Perithia cards
• Mount Pantokrator Summit day trip
• Methexis Fest in Old Perithia (10 to 11 Oct), Corfu Ride for Smiles on Pantokrator (25 Oct), Angela Gerekou at Gallery du Soleil in Sokraki (October weekends), 3rd Thinali Trail (15 Nov)
• Regional clinics serving Spartylas, Sokraki and Lafki
• Strinylas, Spartilas, Old Perithia and Pantokrator entries
• Tsitsibira brewed in Old Perithia

Why this corner

Arillas lies between Agios Stefanos Avliotes to the north and Agios Georgios Pagon to the south, and the village of Afionas sits on the headland that separates the bay of Arillas from the bay of Agios Georgios. Sources: mykerkyra.com; mygreecetours.org; greecedestination.gr; el.wikipedia.org

Greek and travel guides describe this coast as quiet and low key: the beaches are the main draw, and evenings revolve around tavernas and sunsets rather than nightlife. Sources: corfu-kerkyra.eu; discover-corfu.com; corfutravelco.com

Arillas, Afionas, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Stefanos, Avliotes, Peroulades and Magoulades all belong to the Municipality of North Corfu. Sources: lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; el.wikipedia.org; el.wikipedia.org; el.wikipedia.org

Corfu has two beaches called Agios Stefanos on opposite coasts, more than an hour apart by road. This one is Agios Stefanos Avliotes, also called Agios Stefanos of Esperies; the other is on the north east coast. Sources: goldenshores.eu; discover-corfu.com; el.wikipedia.org

Arillas has become known for yoga, meditation and wellness retreats; in April 2024 the local business association wrote that retreats now run all year round. Sources: arillas.gr; enjoycorfu.com

Beaches and coves

Agios Georgios Pagon fills one of the largest bays on Corfu, with a long sandy beach that runs the whole width of the bay. Sources: corfu-kerkyra.eu; enjoycorfu.com; cestee.gr

The sand shelves gently into the water, so guides call it a good bay for families; in summer there are sunbeds and water sports, and on windy days windsurfers. Sources: cestee.gr; corfu-kerkyra.eu

It is easily mixed up with Agios Georgios in the south of the island, near Issos. Green Buses list them as two different lines, A7 for Agios Georgios Pagi and B5 for Agios Georgios Argyrades, so type Agios Georgios Pagon into a map or sat nav. Sources: cestee.gr; Green Buses

Arillas beach is a long stretch of fine sand where the sea stays shallow a long way out. Sources: feelgreece.com; mykerkyra.com; mygreecetours.org; enjoycorfu.com

Opposite Arillas lie three uninhabited islets: Sykia, Gynaika and the largest, Kravia, also written Gravia. Sources: corfu-kerkyra.eu; mykerkyra.com

Agios Stefanos Avliotes is a wide bay of golden sand with calm, shallow water; guides describe it as one of the easiest beaches in the north west for young children. Sources: discover-corfu.com; goldenshores.eu; enjoycorfu.com

You can walk over the headland between Agios Stefanos and Arillas, and a coastal route links the bays all the way from Agios Georgios. Sources: discover-corfu.com; outdooractive.com

Loggas beach below Peroulades (also written Logas or Longas, and nicknamed Sunset Beach) is a narrow strip of sand under sheer clay cliffs, reached by a steep stair and path from a small car park on the clifftop. Sources: feelgreece.com; mygreecetours.org; discover-corfu.com

The beach comes and goes: in windy weather or at high water it can shrink to a few metres. Sources: feelgreece.com; discover-corfu.com; mybestplacestovisit.com

On 21 August 2025 part of the cliff at Loggas collapsed around midday. Nobody was hurt, and local press noted that the clay ground here erodes easily. Sources: corfutvnews.gr; kerkyraikiapopsi.gr; corfuchannel.com

Cape Drastis, about 1.5 km north of Peroulades, is a headland of pale layered rock, sea stacks and coves; the small beaches under its cliffs can only be reached by boat. Sources: lovincorfu.com; discover-corfu.com; el.wikipedia.org

None of the beaches in this guide is on the 2026 Blue Flag list. In the Municipality of North Corfu only Almyros was awarded, so older pages that call Arillas or Agios Stefanos Blue Flag beaches are out of date. Sources: enimerosi.com; kerkyrasimera.gr; mykerkyra.com; goldenshores.eu

Afionas, its two bays and Porto Timoni

Afionas is an old village high on the headland between the bays of Agios Georgios and Arillas, with lanes of stone houses and views west to the islet of Kravia and the Diapontia islands. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; greecedestination.gr; enjoycorfu.com; corfutravelco.com

It is one of the best known sunset spots on Corfu, watched from the top of the village as the sun goes down into the Ionian. Sources: discover-corfu.com; corfutravelco.com; enjoycorfu.com

Below it, Porto Timoni is a double beach: two coves back to back on either side of a narrow neck of land, with shingle and pebbles and very clear water. Sources: greeka.com; corfutravelco.com; mygreecetours.org

One cove faces the bay of Agios Georgios; the other, on the western side, is called Limni. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; discover-corfu.com; calloftheworld.com

There is no road down: you either walk from Afionas or arrive by boat. Sources: greeka.com; mygreecetours.org; mybestplacestovisit.com

The path is about 1 km long, steep and rocky. Allow around half an hour down, and more for the climb back. Sources: greeka.com; discover-corfu.com; discover-corfu.com

Two paths start in the village, one from the top and one from the centre. Leave the car in Afionas, where the road ends near the church and the tavernas. Sources: greeka.com; mygreecetours.org

On the way down you pass the remains of a medieval fortification that guarded the village against pirate raids. Sources: greeka.com; en.wikipedia.org; greecedestination.gr

The coves have no facilities at all: no sunbeds, shop, toilets, shade or lifeguard. Take water, food and sun cover, and wear proper shoes. Sources: greeka.com; corfutravelco.com; mygreecetours.org; discover-corfu.com

Beyond the twin bays, toward the tip of the headland, is the small chapel of Agios Stylianos. Sources: greecedestination.gr; discovergreece.com

In summer, boat taxis and pedalos from Agios Georgios Pagon go round to Porto Timoni; the boatmen agree a time to collect you. Sources: discover-corfu.com; greeka.com; mybestplacestovisit.com

The villages behind the beaches: Avliotes, Peroulades, Magoulades and Kavvadades

Avliotes is a hill village about 40 km from Corfu Town, on green slopes about three kilometres above the beach of Agios Stefanos. Sources: mykerkyra.com; lovincorfu.com; en.wikipedia.org

Peroulades is an old village of Venetian era houses, some with coats of arms, carved arches and lintels from the days when it was a thriving community. Sources: mykerkyra.com; atcorfu.com; el.wikipedia.org

It is close to Sidari but feels very different, quiet and unhurried, with the clifftops above Loggas at its western edge. Sources: mykerkyra.com; discover-corfu.com

Magoulades is a large village on the hills between Sidari and the Arillas coast, about 3 km by road from Arillas. Its streets are narrow, so park without blocking them. Sources: greece.terrabook.com; lovincorfu.com

Kavvadades is the inland village a few minutes from Afionas and Arillas. Part of the Arillas coast belongs to it, and its local council signs community letters together with Magoulades and Afionas. Sources: enjoycorfu.com; arillas.gr; greece.com

Agios Georgios Pagon is the seaside outpost of the hill villages of Pagi and Makrades, which stand above the bay. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; The Corfu Trail, route planner

Walking: the Corfu Trail and the headland paths

The Corfu Trail reaches the coast of this corner only at Agios Georgios Pagon. Coming from Paleokastritsa it climbs on cobbled paths to Lakones, follows old donkey paths to Makrades, then drops to the shore and follows it to Agios Georgios. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

From Agios Georgios the trail climbs sharply to Prinilas, drops to Pagi and heads inland beside the Megapotamos river and through Aspiotades to Agros. The whole stage from Paleokastritsa is given as about 20 km and five and a half hours, plus an hour or more for the detour to Angelokastro. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

The official planner gives about 4 hours from Paleokastritsa to Agios Georgios and 2 and a half hours on to Agros. It lists Agios Georgios, Arillas and Agios Stefanos for beds; Arillas and Agios Stefanos are off the route, reached by bus from Agros. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

The trail is waymarked with yellow signs marked CT and yellow paint, and is planned to be walked from south to north. Source: The Corfu Trail, route planner

At Cape Drastis the walk is short: from where the tarmac ends it is 10 to 15 minutes along a wide, rough track to the clifftop viewpoint. Sources: discover-corfu.com; seekinplaces.com

Getting there and getting around

By car the bays of the far north west are about 35 to 40 km from Corfu Town, roughly an hour's drive. Sources: lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; enjoycorfu.com; mygreecetours.org; mygreecetours.org

Green Buses (KTEL Kerkyras) run line A1 to Agios Stefanos, A6 to Arillas, A20 to Afionas and A7 to Agios Georgios Pagon, all from the Green Bus station in Corfu Town. Sources: Green Buses; mncnorthcorfu.gr

Timetable valid from 3 October 2026: the A1 leaves Corfu for Agios Stefanos on weekdays at 05:00, 08:30, 14:15 and 16:30 and on Saturdays at 08:30, 14:15 and 16:30. It comes back on weekdays at 06:25, 09:05, 10:20, 16:05 and 18:10 and on Saturdays at 10:20, 16:05 and 18:10. The fare is 5.00 euros. Source: Green Buses

The A6 to Arillas and the A20 to Afionas leave Corfu on weekdays only, at 05:00 and 14:15, for 4.80 euros. The A6 returns at 06:25, 08:50 and 15:50, and the A20 at 06:30 and 15:40. Source: Green Buses

The A7 to Agios Georgios Pagon leaves Corfu on weekdays at 05:45, 08:30, 13:30 and 16:30 and on Saturdays at 08:30 and 16:30. It returns on weekdays at 07:20, 10:30, 14:50 and 18:00 and on Saturdays at 10:30 and 18:00. The fare is 4.40 euros. Source: Green Buses

The October timetable shows no Sunday departures on any of these four lines. Source: Green Buses

The Green Bus station is on Eptanisou Avenue in Corfu Town, and the Green Buses phone number is 26610 28900. Sources: Green Buses; discover-corfu.com; greekislandbuses.com

The A1 ends at the harbour of Agios Stefanos, which has free roadside parking but no facilities; shops, cafes and a cash machine are in the village, about 1 km away. Sources: lovincorfu.com; lovincorfu.com; aspiotislines.gr

The Municipality of North Corfu lists the harbour of Agios Stefanos Avlioton as a fishing shelter with 45 berths. Source: mncnorthcorfu.gr

For Porto Timoni by bus, the A7 stops at Agios Georgios and leaves a long climb up to Afionas; the A20 goes to Afionas itself. Sources: discover-corfu.com; Green Buses

Peroulades, Loggas and Cape Drastis are best reached by car: guides say this tip of the island is poorly served by buses. Sources: discover-corfu.com; mybestplacestovisit.com

October, out of season and practical points

Since 15 August 2026 the Diapontia ferry VAMOS has been leaving from Alypa in Paleokastritsa instead of Agios Stefanos, because the harbour at Agios Stefanos has silted up. The operator says this lasts until the problem is fixed, on a changed timetable. Source: Hellenic Coast Lines

On 21 August 2026 the Regional Council of the Ionian Islands backed the environmental study for a new harbour at Agios Stefanos Avliotes. Officials expect about a year until it goes to tender and 20 months to build it, roughly three years in all, with the Corfu Port Authority (OLKE) in charge; the Municipality of North Corfu supports the plan. Sources: corfutvnews.gr; corfuchannel.com; mncnorthcorfu.gr

Heavy storms in November 2025 did serious damage around Arillas: at the Arillas bridge the river rose more than 6 metres and spilled over the road, landslides followed, and Arillas, Kavvadades, Magoulades and part of Sidari lost power and water. Sources: enimerosi.com; arillas.gr

On 2 February 2026 the Arillas Business Association asked the authorities to fix four dangerous points on the roads around Arillas, which it calls key links toward Afionas and Porto Timoni, before the 2026 fire season. Source: arillas.gr

Check before you go. The boat taxis and pedalos at Agios Georgios and the donkeys back up from Porto Timoni are described as summer and high season services, so check before you go in October. Sources: discover-corfu.com; mybestplacestovisit.com

Hire car terms often exclude damage on dirt tracks, so at Cape Drastis leave the car where the tarmac ends and walk the rest. Sources: discover-corfu.com; seekinplaces.com; discover-corfu.com

Stay well back from the edges at Loggas and Cape Drastis: the cliffs are soft clay. At Loggas the safe places to stand are behind the railings; at Cape Drastis there is no fence, so keep well away from the edge. Sources: discover-corfu.com; mygreecetours.org; discover-corfu.com; discover-corfu.com

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our Paleokastritsa and the North food page, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (56 places)

• Anemos Cafe and Restaurant Cafe and restaurant, Afionas
• Canteen Afionas Corfu Cafe, Afionas
• Dionysos Restaurant Restaurant, Afionas
• Evdemon Restaurant, Afionas
• Luuma Restaurant Restaurant, Afionas
• Panorama Restaurant Afionas Restaurant, Afionas
• Porto Timoni Restaurant Restaurant, Afionas
• The Night Owl Taverna, Afionas
• Tou Papa Kafe Cafe, Afionas
• Zeus Throne Restaurant Restaurant, Afionas
• Ammos Seaside Restaurant, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Blue Heaven Taverna Taverna, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Cool Water Restaurant, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Delfini Restaurant Restaurant, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Dixtia Taverna Taverna, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Fisherman's Cabin Taverna, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Kalle's Orexis Restaurant, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Maria's Snack Shack Cafe, Agios Georgios Pagon
• San George Cafe Cafe, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Vistonia Beach bar, Agios Georgios Pagon
• Cicala Restaurant & Cocktail Bar Restaurant, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• El Greco Bar Bar, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Manthos Restaurant Bar Taverna, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Munchy Cafe, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Nafsika Taverna Taverna, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Three W's Bar, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Zorbas Restaurant, Agios Stefanos Avliotes
• Condor Restaurant Bar Bar, Agios Stefanos Avliotes (north west, near Arillas)
• Akrotiri Lounge Cafe Cafe, Arillas
• Ammos Beach Bar Beach bar, Arillas
• Anassa Beach Bar Beach bar, Arillas
• Arillas Bakery Bakery, Arillas
• Armourada Restaurant Taverna, Arillas
• Athina Taverna Taverna, Arillas
• Bouyáta BBQ Restaurant Taverna, Arillas
• Brouklis Taverna Taverna, Arillas
• Eftihia's Taverna Taverna, Arillas
• Estia Meze Bar Bar, Arillas
• Gravia Cafe Bar & Restaurant Cafe, Arillas
• Graziella Taverna Taverna, Arillas
• Kostas on the Beach Restaurant, Arillas
• Lithero Restaurant, Arillas
• Marina Restaurant Restaurant, Arillas
• Mirage Seaside Pool Bar and Restaurant Restaurant, Arillas
• Porto Fino Taverna, Arillas
• Stou Maki Bakery, Arillas
• Vavilas Fish Taverna Taverna, Arillas (south Arillas, Afionitika)
• Ilias Taverna Taverna, Avliotes
• Louvros Cafe Cafe, Kavadades
• Monamour Taverna Taverna, Kavadades
• Platia Kafe Cafe, Kavadades
• 7th Heaven Café Cafe, Peroulades
• Bikolis Taverna, Peroulades
• Dysis Restaurant Restaurant, Peroulades
• Sunset Marco Polo Restaurant, Peroulades
• Villa de Loulia Restaurant & Bar Restaurant, Peroulades

More on Heart Corfu

• Paleokastritsa, Lakones, Makrades and Angelokastro; Alypa, where the Diapontia ferry now leaves from
• Sidari, the Canal d'Amour and the sandstone coast east of Peroulades
• Othonoi, Erikoussa and Mathraki, and how to get there
• The other Agios Stefanos, on the north east coast, and the Corfu Trail introduction
• Short cards for Afionas, Arillas, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Stefanos (north west), Avliotes, Peroulades, Porto Timoni, Loggas Beach and the Corfu Trail
• Where to eat village by village: Arillas, Afionas, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Stefanos Avliotes, Peroulades and Avliotes
• Eat and drink in Paleokastritsa and the north
• Green Buses and getting around Corfu
• Avliotes Regional Clinic and Magoulades Regional Clinic
• Corfu weather

Why the Old Town: the UNESCO World Heritage listing

UNESCO inscribed the Old Town of Corfu on the World Heritage List in 2007, under criterion (iv). The listed property covers 70 hectares, wrapped in a 162 hectare buffer zone. Source: whc.unesco.org

UNESCO traces the town's roots to the 8th century BC and stresses its position at the mouth of the Adriatic. Its three forts, designed by renowned Venetian engineers, guarded the sea trade of the Republic of Venice against the Ottoman Empire for four centuries. Source: whc.unesco.org

The forts were repaired and partly rebuilt several times, most recently under British rule in the 19th century. The houses are mainly neoclassical: some from the Venetian period, many later, notably from the 19th century. Source: whc.unesco.org

UNESCO's statement of value names the architect Sanmicheli as the designer of the fortifications, and notes that Corfu spent some four centuries under Venice from the 15th century before passing to French, British and Greek governments. Source: whc.unesco.org

The Ministry of Culture sums it up: the Old Fortress, the New Fortress and the Old City, together with the rest of the town's fortifications, are UNESCO World Heritage monuments. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

The Spianada and the Liston

The Spianada began as a defensive gap. The Ministry of Culture explains that the Venetians kept an unbuilt strip between the Old Fortress and the town growing outside its walls: the spianata, today's Spianada. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

Visit Corfu says the name comes from the Italian verb spianare, to flatten: in 1576 the Venetians began knocking down the houses in front of the Old Fortress, and the French planted the trees later. It calls the square the largest in the Balkans; in the Upper Square (Pano Plateia) look for the Maitland Rotunda, the pavilion and the Monument of the Union of the Ionian Islands. Source: visit.corfu.gr

The Liston, the arcaded block on the west side of the Spianada, was begun under the Imperial French (1807 to 1814) by the French diplomat Matthieu de Lesseps, with the design and part of the site work by the Corfiot engineer and army officer Ioannis Parmesan. Its arcade echoes the Rue de Rivoli in Paris and Napoleonic planning, and its ground floor was given over to leisure from the start. Sources: corfu.holograms.gr; guide.corfuport.gr

It seems to have started as a two storey block: under British rule two more floors were added and the arcades extended, and for a long time it worked as a luxury hotel. Today cafes and restaurants fill the ground floor, with homes and offices above. Source: corfu.holograms.gr

On the north side of the Spianada stands the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, the largest and most important building of the Ionian State and British Protectorate years, from 1815 until union with Greece in 1864. Source: matk.gr

Inside the palace the state rooms of the Ionian Senate period are open to visitors: the Senate Room on the ground floor and the Rotunda, Throne Room and Dining Room on the first floor, with furniture and heirlooms of the time. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

Campiello and the lanes

From Agiou Spyridonos Street the narrow lanes, the kantounia, lead into Campiello (Kampielo), one of the oldest quarters of the town and, for Visit Corfu, one of its most authentic. It has kept its old architecture: shady passages, small squares, little tavernas, flower gardens, tall houses with peeling terracotta paint and laundry strung across the lanes. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Visit Corfu calls the Old Town the epicentre of the island's Venetian landmarks and says painters, poets and even Casanova walked the kantounia of Campiello. Source: visit.corfu.gr

On the Town Hall square, Visit Corfu points out the building that housed the first opera house in South East Europe: the old San Giacomo theatre, today's Town Hall, as the Ionian University guide notes. Visit Corfu also lists the Roman Catholic Cathedral among the Old Town churches. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; corfu.holograms.gr

The Old Fortress

The story starts in the mid 6th century AD, when raiders destroyed the ancient city on the Kanoni peninsula and its people moved onto the two peaked headland. The Byzantine city that grew there, Koryfo, gave Corfu its name. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

The Byzantines and then the Angevins (1267 to 1386) walled the headland and put towers on both peaks, but the fortress you see is mostly Venetian work (1386 to 1797). The Venetians first cut it off from the island with a sea moat, the contrafossa. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

After the Ottoman siege of 1537, the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli and his nephew Gian Gerolamo Sanmicheli rebuilt the land front on the bastion system: two pentagonal bastions, the wall between them and a gate in the middle, reached by a movable bridge. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

The British (1814 to 1864) added large, mostly military buildings. Bombing in the Second World War destroyed Venetian landmarks such as the palace of the Proveditore and the Pasqualigo barracks. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

Hellenic Heritage notes that the Venetian walls held out through three Ottoman sieges, and that the worst blow came from inside: a powder magazine explosion in the Old Castle in 1718 killed hundreds and wrecked most of the buildings. Never captured, the fortress later passed to the French, Russians, British, Italians and Germans. Source: hh.gr

You walk in over a 60 metre iron bridge that replaced the old drawbridge across the moat, between the Martinengo and Savorgnan bastions. At the gate look for the old wooden door and the slits that once held the drawbridge chains. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Inside, the open Versiada leads to the Doric style church of Agios Georgios, built by the British in 1840 as an Anglican church and later made Orthodox. Higher up are the two fortified peaks, the Land Tower and the Sea Tower, and a narrow path skirts the rock to the top for views over the town and the fortress. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; hh.gr

The fortress is still busy: it holds the Corfu archives, the Public Library, Ministry of Culture offices and Ionian University departments, including the music department in the old British officers' barracks. Music events fill the Versiada, there is a cafe and a shop, and a restaurant sits at Mandraki, the little harbour now used as a marina. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; hh.gr

Tickets as published on the Ministry page (read 11 Oct 2026): 10 euros, reduced 5 euros. The reduced ticket for Greek and EU citizens over 65 applies only from 1 October to 31 May, and the old combined ticket for the five state sites in Corfu is no longer sold. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

Summer hours as published (read 11 Oct 2026): 1 April to 31 October 2026, daily 08:00 to 20:00, cut back with the daylight to 08:00 to 18:30 from 1 to 15 October and 08:00 to 18:00 from 16 to 31 October. Last entry 20 minutes before closing. Source: odysseus.culture.gr

Winter hours: Hellenic Heritage gives 1 November to 31 March, daily 08:30 to 15:30, matching the Ministry's line for last winter (1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026). Under 18s need an adult with them, and pets are not allowed except guide and assistance dogs. Sources: odysseus.culture.gr; hh.gr

The New Fortress

The New Fortress crowns the hill of Agios Markos above the old port, filling the north western corner of the Old Town and marking its western edge. It is smaller than the Old Fortress but, Visit Corfu says, in no way inferior. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Hellenic Heritage dates the start of work to around 1576, under the Venetian architect Ferrante Vitelli; tradition says some 2,000 houses and churches were pulled down for building material, and the fortress was not finished before 1645, in time to play its part in the last Ottoman siege of 1716. Source: hh.gr

It rises in two levels: the port gate has the same form as Sanmicheli's Porta Nuova and Porta Palio in Verona, the eastern gate still bears the winged lion of Saint Mark (1728), and the Seven Winds bastions on top carry an 1854 British building with exhibition rooms and a municipal cafe. Lower down a 19th century brick building serves as a nautical base, while the underground passages stay closed. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; hh.gr

Tickets as published (read 11 Oct 2026): 5 euros, reduced 3 euros, and both official pages show the site closed in winter, 1 November to 31 March. They disagree on summer hours: the Ministry gives daily except Tuesday 08:30 to 15:30 until 31 October 2026, Hellenic Heritage daily 08:00 to 16:00. Sources: odysseus.culture.gr; hh.gr

Saint Spyridon and the Cathedral

The Holy Metropolis says the relic of Saint Spyridon reached Corfu in 1489, after the fall of Constantinople, through the Kalochairetis family, then passed to the Corfiot Voulgaris family as a dowry. The Voulgaris family built today's church in the Old Town in 1589, in the Ionian basilica style. Source: imcorfu.gr

Its bell tower of 1590, with a red dome, is the tallest in the Ionian Islands. Inside you find a marble iconostasis, icons by leading Corfiot painters and the painted ceiling (ourania) by Panagiotis Doxaras; precious oil lamps from 1716 are among the offerings. Source: imcorfu.gr

The saint's day is 12 December, and the relic is carried in procession five times a year through the Old Town streets with the philharmonic bands. The Holy Metropolis links the Holy Saturday litany to a famine of 1553, Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of November to plagues of 1630 and 1673, and 11 August to the Ottoman siege of 1716. Source: imcorfu.gr

Kerkyra Simera gave the first Sunday of November litany in 2025 at 11:00, setting out from Saint Spyridon along Filarmonikis, Mich. Theotoki, Evg. Voulgareos, Vikt. Dousmani and Ag. Polytechneiou streets to the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, then back by Eleftherias and Nik. Theotoki streets and the Plakada of Saint Spyridon. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

The Orthodox Cathedral, Panagia Spiliotissa, stands on Mitropoleos Street near Saint Spyridon. It was built in 1577 on the ruins of an older church first dedicated to Saint Blaise, became the Metropolitan church in 1841 and was rebuilt in baroque style in the 18th century. Source: imcorfu.gr

The name Spiliotissa comes from a nearby cave, which also named the Spilia district. The cathedral keeps the icon of Panagia Spiliotissa and, in a silver casket, the relic of Saint Theodora Augusta, the Byzantine empress, brought from Constantinople in 1460. Source: imcorfu.gr

Museums inside the Old Town

The Museum of Asian Art, in the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George, began in 1928 as the Museum of Sino Japanese Art, after Gregorios Manos gave his collection to the state. It now holds about 15,000 works, including about 3,500 Chinese and 6,200 Japanese pieces. Source: matk.gr

Asian Art Museum as published on its own site and by Hellenic Heritage (read 11 Oct 2026): tickets 10 euros, reduced 5 euros; summer, 1 April to 31 October, daily 08:00 to 20:00; winter, 1 November to 31 March, 08:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesday. Phone +302661030443. Sources: matk.gr; hh.gr

The Antivouniotissa Museum (the Byzantine Museum) fills a late 15th century church on Arseniou Street in Mourayia. The owning families gave it to the state in 1979, Melina Mercouri opened it in 1984, and about ninety icons from the 15th to the 19th century hang inside. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; archaeologicalmuseums.gr

Antivouniotissa as published on the Ministry pages (read 11 Oct 2026): 5 euros, reduced 3 euros; daily except Tuesday 08:30 to 15:30 in both summer and winter. Phone +302661038313. Sources: odysseus.culture.gr; archaeologicalmuseums.gr

The Solomos Museum is the house where the national poet Dionysios Solomos lived from August 1832 until his death in February 1857, and it is also the seat of the Society for Corfiot Studies. Bombed in 1941, it was rebuilt by the Society, with the work finished in 1964; the poet's own desk is on show. Sources: eksmouseiosolomou.gr; visit.corfu.gr

The Banknote Museum of Ionian Bank sits on Agiou Spyridonos Square (Iroon Kypriakou Agona) in an 1844 building by Ioannis Chronis that held the first branch of Ionian Bank. It opened in 1981, entry is free and there is a wheelchair lift. Sources: alphapolitismos.gr; visit.corfu.gr

Banknote Museum hours as published by Alpha Bank (read 11 Oct 2026): autumn and winter, 1 September to 31 March, Tuesday to Saturday 08:00 to 15:00; spring and summer, 1 April to 31 August, Wednesday and Friday 09:00 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 20:30, Thursday 09:00 to 15:00, Saturday and Sunday 08:30 to 15:00. It closes on 28 October. Source: alphapolitismos.gr

The Serbian Museum, at Moustoxydou 19 opposite the Ionian Parliament, tells how about 150,000 Serbian soldiers and their government found refuge on Corfu in the First World War. The municipal authorities handed the building to the Serbian state in 1993; its own site gives Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 14:00 (no season stated, read 11 Oct 2026) and phone +302661023277. Sources: serbianmuseumcorfu.weebly.com; visit.corfu.gr

Getting around and parking

The Old Town is a place to walk: the municipality's note on Visit Corfu says that in August parking in the historic centre is limited and full, and asks drivers to use the bigger car parks on the edge, such as the municipal Lyriko car park on Donatou Dimoulitsa Street at the southern entrance and the Ionian University area at Pallada in the north, all 10 to 15 minutes' walk away. Our parking guide at /travel/parking/ has the full list. Source: visit.corfu.gr

By town bus, Hellenic Heritage points to line 2A and the Platia Liston stop for the Old Fortress and the Asian Art Museum, and to lines 2A and 15 and the New Fortress stop for the New Fortress. On foot, the Old Fortress and the Asian Art Museum are five minutes from the Spianada. Sources: hh.gr; hh.gr; hh.gr

Check before you go

• Old Fortress: from 16 October it closes at 18:00 (last entry 20 minutes earlier); from 1 November Hellenic Heritage gives winter hours of daily 08:30 to 15:30.
• New Fortress: both official pages show it closed for the winter, 1 November to 31 March. Until 31 October the Ministry gives daily except Tuesday 08:30 to 15:30 and Hellenic Heritage daily 08:00 to 16:00, so check before you go.
• Asian Art Museum: from 1 November its own site gives 08:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesdays. The Antivouniotissa Museum is closed on Tuesdays all year.
• The Banknote Museum runs its autumn and winter timetable from 1 September (Tuesday to Saturday, 08:00 to 15:00), so it is shut on Sundays and Mondays.
• The litany of Saint Spyridon on the first Sunday of November falls on Sunday 1 November 2026: the relic is carried through the Old Town with the philharmonic bands, so expect crowds in the lanes that morning (last year it set out at 11:00). The 2026 programme was not yet published when we checked.
• 28 October is a national holiday and a free admission day at the Old Fortress, the New Fortress, the Asian Art Museum and the Antivouniotissa Museum, but the Banknote Museum is closed that day.
• From 1 November to 31 March Hellenic Heritage and the Asian Art Museum list free admission on the first and third Sunday of each month at the Old Fortress and the Asian Art Museum (the Ministry's Antivouniotissa page names only the first Sunday). Sunday 1 November 2026 is both a free day and the litany day.
• The reduced ticket for over 65s from Greece and the EU applies only from 1 October to 31 May.
• The combined ticket for the Corfu state sites is no longer sold: buy a separate ticket at each one.
• Solomos Museum and Serbian Museum: we could not confirm current winter hours on an official page, so call first (Solomos Museum +302661030674, Serbian Museum +302661023277).
• Driving into the historic centre in season rarely works: park on the edge and walk in, see our parking guide.

Eat and drink nearby

Every place below is already on Heart Corfu, on our Corfu Town food page, where each card has its sources, Google Maps and Tripadvisor buttons and a Review this place button.

Eat and drink nearby, from our own checked list (8 places)

• Rex Restaurant Restaurant, Liston
• The Venetian Well Restaurant, Old Town, Kremasti Square
• Aegli Restaurant, Corfu Town
• Liston Gastrotheque Cafe, Liston, Corfu Old Town
• Arcadion Bistrot Restaurant, Liston
• Porta Remounda Taverna, Old Town
• Papagiorgis Pastry Shop Sweet shop, Old Town, Nikiforou Theotoki street
• Bristol Cafe Bar, Old Town, Vrahlioti Square

More on Heart Corfu

• Saint Spyridon and his litanies: the processions through the Old Town and the dates ahead
• Museums and tickets: opening times, prices and free days
• Parking in Corfu, with the car parks for the Old Town
• Kanoni, Mon Repos and Garitsa, Corfu Town's southern side
• Where to eat in Corfu Town
• What's on: dated events in Corfu

Getting there

The green B8 bus runs from the Green Buses station in Corfu Town to Agios Matthaios in about 40 minutes, stopping at Kynopiastes, Kastellanoi and Vouniatades on the way. Source: ktelkerkyras.gr

The B8 fare is published as 2.40 euro, and tickets bought on board can be paid by card or in cash. Source: ktelkerkyras.gr

Strongyli has its own green bus line, B13, on the island bus company's route list. Source: greenbuses.gr

Flying in, take blue bus line 15 from the airport to the Green Buses station, where the village buses start. Source: corfutravelco.com

Kynopiastes sits about 8 km south of Corfu Town and 2 km west of the Achilleion, Agios Prokopios about 8.8 km from town, and Agios Matthaios roughly 22 km to the south south west. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; en.wikipedia.org; el.wikipedia.org

Strongyli is about 20 km south of Corfu Town by way of Perama, a drive of around 35 minutes. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; discover-corfu.com

The villages

Agios Matthaios is a listed traditional settlement of 1,193 people (2021 census) on the eastern foot of the 463 m peak that shares its name. Source: el.wikipedia.org

Built like an amphitheatre on its slope, it is all lanes, old stone mansions, brightly painted newer houses, churches and little squares. Sources: mykerkyra.com; effrosyniwrites.com

Locals call the mountain the Wedding Mountain, because legend says Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, married here. Sources: mykerkyra.com; el.wikipedia.org

The village band, the Philharmonic Society of Agios Matthaios Lorentzos Mavilis, was founded in 1965 and lives on the main street. Source: mykerkyra.com

Kynopiastes is an officially listed traditional settlement of about a thousand people, on a green slope of olives and cypresses in the island's heartland. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Its square is where the village gathers, with the Church of the Virgin Mary and the building that has housed the Philharmonic since 1982. Source: mykerkyra.com

Kynopiastes lights lampatines bonfires on Saint John's Eve, 23 June, and on the afternoon of 15 August holds its great procession of the Virgin Mary through the streets, followed by a feast with local dances in the square. Source: visit.corfu.gr

To mark 60 years (1966 to 2026), the Kynopiastes Philharmonic announced a free concert of songs by Greek composers in the churchyard of Agios Ioannis for 8 August 2026. Sources: librodoro.gr; mykerkyra.com

Village life runs on its own steam here: the young amateur theatre group of Kynopiastes billed a classic Greek comedy, free to all, in the Agios Ioannis churchyard for 9 August 2026. Source: kerkyrasimera.gr

Agios Prokopios, declared a traditional settlement in 1978, is made up of three old neighbourhoods, Kardatika, Mamalatika and Kato Geitonia, with some houses on record since the 16th century. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Strongyli sits about 160 m up at the foot of Panagia mountain, above the seaside settlement of Agios Ioannis Peristeron, and its big square with a church and old style kafeneia is the heart of village life. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; discover-corfu.com

Some 386 people lived in Strongyli at the 2021 census, and from 1869 it was the seat of the old Melitieis municipality. Source: el.wikipedia.org

Corfu has two villages called Strongyli, so aim for the one in the old Melitieis district in the south east, not its namesake in Thinali in the north. Sources: el.wikipedia.org; el.wikipedia.org; discover-corfu.com

History

Gardiki Castle probably went up in the early 13th century, most likely after 1214 when Corfu belonged to the Despotate of Epirus, perhaps under Michael I Komnenos or his son Michael II. Sources: castleroute.culture.gov.gr; en.wikipedia.org

Its site was probably chosen to guard the Gardiki spring, other springs nearby and the Korission lagoon, and the castle was abandoned in 1386 when the Venetians took Corfu. Source: castleroute.culture.gov.gr

With Kassiopi in the north east and Angelokastro in the north west, it closed a defensive triangle that guarded Corfu before the Venetian era. Sources: en.wikipedia.org; mykerkyra.com; visit.corfu.gr

At the Grava Gardikiou rock shelter near the castle, stone tools and animal bones from around 20,000 BC were found, from a time when Corfu was still joined to the mainland, and they now sit in the Archaeological Museum of Corfu. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Works inside the walls uncovered a burial from the 6th century BC and graves from late Roman and early Christian times, so the hill was in use long before the castle. Source: castleroute.culture.gov.gr

Local tradition says Agios Matthaios began in the 16th century, when families fled uphill after Barbarossa's raiders destroyed their old village of Zygonos on the plain. Sources: mykerkyra.com; effrosyniwrites.com

Kynopiastes first appears in records of the 13th and 14th centuries, when Corfu was ruled from Naples and big estates were handed to families such as the Artavillas. Source: mykerkyra.com

Agios Prokopios is first mentioned in 1381 as a barony called Psorarci and kept the name Psoraroi until 1936. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Tradition says Strongyli was founded in the 16th century by settlers from Crete, brought over by the Venetians to boost the island's population. Source: el.wikipedia.org

During the First World War the Serbian army's Drina division was stationed at Agios Matthaios, and its military cemetery there held more than 500 graves between 1916 and 1918. Sources: effrosyniwrites.com; tracesofwar.com

Farmer Yannis Yannoulis fed the soldiers and gave land for their graves, the Serbian army honoured him with a memorial, and the remains were later moved to the mausoleum on Vido in the 1930s. Sources: effrosyniwrites.com; tracesofwar.com

Kynopiastes has drawn famous visitors, from William Gladstone in 1858 to Edward Lear, who painted three pictures in the village in 1861. Source: mykerkyra.com

The Agios Matthaios band took the name of the Corfiot poet and hero Lorentzos Mavilis in 1999, and on 16 August 2026 a bust of him was unveiled before a packed village square. Source: corfupress.com

Things to see

Gardiki Castle's walls trace an octagon around roughly 5,000 square metres, braced by eight two storey towers that still stand to full height, while the inside lies in ruins. Sources: castleroute.culture.gov.gr; en.wikipedia.org

Upstairs in the tower southwest of the main gate, remains of frescoes show the room once served as a chapel. Source: castleroute.culture.gov.gr

The main gate, with its arched lintel, opens in a tower on the north east side, and the only building left inside is the ruin of a lime kiln. Source: castleroute.culture.gov.gr

The Grava cave near the castle, some 400 m off the main road, has two entrances and goes by the nickname Glow Worm Cave. Source: mykerkyra.com

On the summit above Agios Matthaios stands the 16th century Monastery of the Pantokrator, no longer in use and usually closed, but blessed with a sweeping sea view. Sources: mykerkyra.com; effrosyniwrites.com

Climb the lanes to the church terrace on the hill for a big view over the village and the green peaks, next to memorials to the Balkan Wars dead and to farmer Yannis Yannoulis. Source: effrosyniwrites.com

The Donatos Paipetis Olive Museum in Kynopiastes fills an old olive press that worked until 1970, with its machinery, tools and photos of village life in the early 20th century. Source: visit.corfu.gr

The Church of the Virgin Mary in Kynopiastes is a three aisled basilica standing since at least the 14th century, with fresco icons, a stone iconostasis and an imposing Corfiot stone belfry. Sources: visit.corfu.gr; mykerkyra.com

A short distance from the centre of Kynopiastes stands a 17th century nunnery dedicated to Agia Paraskevi. Source: mykerkyra.com

In Agios Prokopios, the church of Agios Vasileios was already standing in 1511, and Agia Triada (1745) has a stone and plaster iconostasis painted by Theodoros Angelatos and the monk Daniel Koklas. Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Ionian School poet Gerasimos Markoras spent most of his life in Strongyli, and his family house survives with his belongings and several manuscripts. Source: el.wikipedia.org

Walks and nature

An uphill path from the village climbs Agios Matthaios mountain to the Pantokrator monastery on the summit, worth it for the route and the views even when the doors are shut. Sources: effrosyniwrites.com; mykerkyra.com

The way up to the monastery runs through a wood of kermes oak. Source: el.wikipedia.org

For 5 April 2026 the Corfu hiking club planned a walk from Agios Matthaios up to Vigla, the summit of the little Pantokrator where the monastery stands, and down to Lake Korission: about 10 km, 350 m of climbing and roughly five hours. Source: posk.gr

The Corfu Trail's Paramonas to Stavros stage turns inland through Ano and Kato Pavliana and Vouniatades, crosses the Messongi river valley and passes through Strongyli, about 15 km and 5 hours with 600 m of ascent. Source: thecorfutrail.com

The next stage skirts Agii Deka mountain, then climbs sharply to its summit, the second highest peak on Corfu, before dropping to Agii Deka village and on towards Sinarades and Pelekas. Source: thecorfutrail.com

Follow the yellow CT signs and yellow paint marks that waymark the trail. Source: thecorfutrail.com

Kynopiastes guards a monumental olive tree at Sochoro, one of the oldest on the island, with a base 13.80 m around. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Agios Prokopios has its own giant too: the olive tree of Agios Prokopios, southeast of the village hill, may be the oldest and largest on Corfu. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Strongyli has a celebrity tree as well: its ancient olive, known as Evdokia, has been studied by researchers from Dresden. Source: el.wikipedia.org

You can taste Kynopiastes water at ten shared fountains fed by the Gouradon spring, thanks to the first aqueduct, paid for by the Paipetis family in 1927. Source: mykerkyra.com

Around Strongyli, quiet country roads between olive groves and farmland suit easy cycling and walking. Source: discover-corfu.com

Beaches nearby

From Agios Matthaios the wild south west coast is close: Paramonas is about 6 km away and the Halikounas lagoon by Lake Korission about 7 km. Sources: mykerkyra.com; effrosyniwrites.com

Quieter corners such as Prasoudi, Kanouli and Alonaki lie along the same stretch of coast. Source: effrosyniwrites.com

From Strongyli, the east coast beaches of Agios Ioannis Peristeron, Moraitika and Messonghi are about five minutes by car. Source: discover-corfu.com

Eat and drink nearby

Taverna Tripa in Kynopiastes has been going since 1936, with Spyros Anyfantis, known as Mr Tripa, presiding over its tables. Source: tripas.gr

Dinner is a parade of starters, then platters of spit roasted lamb or beef baked in parchment, then fruit and sweets, all washed down with the house wine. Source: tripas.gr

Evenings bring live traditional songs and dances from all over Greece, and guests can join the dancing. Source: tripas.gr

It is October, so check before you go and book ahead through the taverna's own site or on +302661056333. Source: tripas.gr

Down on the coast, Avra Oceanos sits on a sandy rise just above Prasoudi beach, cooking traditional Mediterranean dishes with a name for fresh fish and lobster, and in October it is wise to check before you go. Source: prasoudi.gr

The centre of Kynopiastes has more places to eat and drink, used by locals and visitors alike. Source: visit.corfu.gr

Agios Matthaios keeps a handful of family run tavernas, cafes and mini markets, with shops and cafes along its main road, so a coffee stop is easy. Sources: greeka.com; effrosyniwrites.com

Practical notes

The Olive Museum's listed phone is +302661361800, so call ahead before driving out. Source: visit.corfu.gr

The Pantokrator monastery above Agios Matthaios opens only for its feast on 5 and 6 August, when the Transfiguration draws a crowd to the summit. Sources: effrosyniwrites.com; mykerkyra.com

Summer feast days in 2026 were 23 to 24 June and 15 August in Kynopiastes, 8 July in Agios Prokopios and 6 and 15 August in Agios Matthaios, worth noting for next year. Source: sindetiras.gr

The Green Buses route page offers the full B8 timetable as a printable PDF, worth checking before you rely on a bus back. Source: ktelkerkyras.gr

The Green Buses call centre is on +302661028900. Source: greenbuses.gr

Parking in Strongyli is easy and informal, around the main square and along the village roads. Source: discover-corfu.com

More on Heart Corfu

• Tripa Tavern
• Where to eat on the west coast and in the middle of the island
• Pelekas, Glyfada and Ermones, the west coast below the hills
• Moraitika and Messonghi, the bay below Agios Matthaios on the south east coast
• Museums and tickets: opening times, prices and free days
• What's on: dated events in Corfu