Places to go
Corfu Town
Corfu town, especially
for its oldest part, is one of the most charming and romantic places of all the
Greece.Corfu
It is a perfect example of ancient Venetian and Byzantine art that will be able to fascinate you with its little streets and its panoramic points. Surrounded by the sea, the old town of Kerkyra is closed between the two ancient fortresses. Imbued with Venetian grace and elegance, historic Corfu Town (also known as Kerkyra) stands halfway down the island’s east coast. The name Corfu, meaning ‘peaks’, refers to its twin hills, each topped by a massive fortress built to withstand Ottoman sieges. Sitting between the two, the Old Town is a tight-packed warren of winding lanes, some bursting with fine restaurants, lively bars and intriguing shops, others timeless back alleys where washing lines stretch from balcony to balcony. It also holds some majestic architecture, including the splendid Liston arcade, and high-class museums, along with no fewer than 39 churches.
Corfu Museum of Asian Art
Home to stunning
artefacts ranging from prehistoric bronzes to works in onyx and ivory, this
excellent museum occupies the central portions of the Palace of St Michael and
St George. One gallery provides a chronological overview of Chinese ceramics, and
showcases remarkable jade carvings and snuff bottles. The India section opens
with Alexander the Great, 'When Greece Met India', and displays fascinating
Graeco-Buddhist figures, including a blue-grey schist Buddha. A Japanese
section incorporates magnificent samurai armour and Noh masks.
OLD FORTRESS
The rocky headland
that juts east from Corfu Town is topped by the Venetian-built 14th-century
Old Fortress. Before that, already enclosed within massive stone walls, it
cradled the entire Byzantine city. A solitary bridge crosses its seawater moat.
Only parts of this
huge site, which also holds later structures from the British era, are
accessible to visitors; wander up to the lighthouse on the larger of the two
hills for superb views.
A gatehouse contains
the small Byzantine Collection of Corfu, while the temple-like Church of St
George stands on a large terrace to the south.
NEW FORTRESS
The forbidding New Fortress is in fact only a little younger than the Old Fort across town.
Surrounded by massive walls that crown the low hill at the western edge of the
Old Town, it too dates from the Venetian era. Climbing the stairway at the
western end of Solomou brings you to the entrance, where dank tunnels and
passages lead through the walls. The ramparts beyond enjoy wonderful views.
Liston
Corfu Town owes the
elegant, photogenic Liston, the arcade that lines the northern half of the
Spianada, to neither the Venetians nor the British but to the French. Designed
during the brief Napoleonic occupation of Corfu (1807–14), its harmonious
four-storey houses were modelled on Paris’ then-new rue de Rivoli. A procession
of grand, see-and-be-seen cafes sprawls under the arcade, open to both the
Spianada and to Kapodistriou around the back.
Achilleion Palace
Set atop a steep
coastal hill 12km south of Corfu Town, the Achilleion Palace was built during
the 1890s as the summer palace of Austria's empress Elisabeth, the niece of
King Otto of Greece. The palace's two principal features are its intricately
decorated central staircase, rising in geometrical flights, and its sweeping
garden terraces, which command eye-popping views.
There’s surprisingly
little to see inside, other than mementos of Elisabeth, who was assassinated in
Genoa in 1898, and of the German kaiser Wilhelm II, who bought the palace in
1907 and added its namesake statue of Achilles Triumphant.
AQUALAND WATERPARK
TOP WATERPARK IN
EUROPE
Located 6 km from the
Villa Emma is one of the biggest Water
Parks in the world, Aqualand offers a great combination of fun, relaxation and
adrenaline. Equipped with 51 slides, pools and a wide variety of other games
suitable for all young kids as well as adults.
Glyfada BEACH
One of the most
popular beaches of the island, Glyfada is located 11 km from the Villa. It is
awarded with the Blue Flag for its crystal clear waters while the large surface
of soft sand is surrounded by trees-covered cliffs and imposing rocky
formations.
The beach offers a
wide variety of beach facilities like sunbeds and umbrellas, water sports
facilities, shops and taverns. Glyfada attracts mostly young crowds and it is
usually noisy. Glyfada is one of the best examples of the island's sandy
beaches.
Palaiokastritsa
Paleokastritsa
includes an area with six small coves and beaches. The place is located 11 km
from Villa Emma. The principal one is placed just under the monastery and since
it’s bigger than the others, it also offers a large choice of tourist
structures. A second nice beach is placed next to the small pear where in the
summer you can see many boats and yachts.
The remaining beaches
are reachable only from the sea with a private boat or with a taxi boat
service. In this part of Corfu the sea is very deep and the water a little bit
cold. Here you can also take for rent beach umbrellas and deck chairs and there
are public showers and toilettes. Moreover, in Paleokastriza is possible to
take a boat for rent to looking for some sea caves along the coast. For all
those who are interested there is a diving centre and many taxi boats.
Sidari BEACH
Sidari is a long sandy
beach on the edge of the village of Sidari. It’s around 27 km from the Villa
Emma which would take close to an hour in the car. As the village is one of the
most popular on the island the beach is busy and very touristy with lots of sun
loungers, plenty of beach bars and tavernas, water sports, boat hire, pedalo
hire and ample parking.
Sidari is a good place
for the kids as there aren’t many rocks, the water is shallow a long way out
and the waves are fairly small. There is also loads of shops where you can get
ice creams, beach games, inflatables and much more. You are also close to the
Sidari water park hotel in case they get bored of the beach.