Corfu has long be considered one of the most beautiful islands in Greece because of the beautiful green nature and the friendly people. It is the second largest island in the Ionian group of islands, about 58 kilometers long and at the widest point it measures 27 kilometers. It is also the northernmost large Ionian islands (small islands such as Othoni and Ereikoussa not included) and used to be called the island of Drepanos - "Scythe" - which refers to the shape of Corfu.

Geographically, the island of Corfu was always important because it is close to Italy (74 km away). Centuries of Venetian, French and British occupation have left their mark on Corfu and even the Romans already used the island as a holiday island.

Corfu is an island with lots of flowers, birds and butterflies in all kinds of colours. Also almost all of the inhabitants have flowers in their garden or in pots in front of their house. They also have fruit trees and grow their own vegetables. On the hills of Corfu are fruit-, olive-, oak- and pine trees and there are a lot of tall cypress trees. The landscape is superb, especially in the northeast of the island, roughly between Barbati and Kassiopi, and in the west around Paleokastritsa and Liapades. It is also a little bit an island with "good looking people". The children don't seem to have a mobile phone or a computer, so they play outside on the streets and playgrounds. Many of the inhabitants seem to have a healthy life style and play sports.

The capital and most of the touristy places are all on the east coast of Corfu. The busiest part is from Corfu town down to Benitses in the south. Outside this area it gets more quiet. The north and the west coast have lots to offer. The cliffs at Paleokastritsa for instance are exceptionally beautiful, especially at sunset. On the east side of Corfu you find mostly small pebble beaches (but plenty of them) and the north- and the west coast have the larger sandy beaches. A really nice village is for instance Kassiopi in the northeast, with its many small bays with pebble beaches and turquoise seawater.

Corfu town is the main attraction with a nice mix of Venetian, French and English period buildings. In the town there are a couple of fortresses, and the center of it all is a big square with on one side houses and cafes and on the other side the old fortress. 50 Meters south of the square is the archaeological museum (closed from May 2012 to summer 2015). Corfu Town is really picturesque and easily the biggest attraction Corfu has to offer. You can walk around here for days without getting bored (for more info on Corfu Town see under "Corfu Sights" in the menu on the top). Almost half of the population of the island lives in Corfu Town (or Kerkyra).

Corfu is the most northern of the Ionian islands, and the second one in size, after Kefalonia. The northeast of Corfu island is only about 2 kilometer distance from Albania. The north of Corfu is mountainous and the south is more flat with olive trees and cypresses.

Corfu is also known for the palace of Sissi (the Achilleion). Sissi was empress of Austria and Hungary and off course everybody knows the movies with Romy Schneider, and how she ended up on Corfu to recover from a lung disease. At an entrance fee you can nowadays visit the palace every day (7 euro in 2012 and it is extremely busy because of excursion buses). Besides the Achilleion Palace, Corfu has more quiet sites to visit like the Angelokastro Fortress near Paleokastritsa, the Mon Repos Palace in Corfu Town, the Gardiki Fortress in the south of the island, and several monasteries, churches and museums. In the village of Kassiopi you find the Panagia Kassiopitissa Church, which was once the main sanctuary on the island (now it is the St. Spiridon church in Corfu Town). Inside are beautiful icons and a couple of frescoes. In the village there are also remains of a 13th century castle that was almost completely destroyed by the Venetians when they left the island. Sidari has its "Canal D'amour", Perithia its old churches and there are remains of a Venetian shipyard in Gouvia.

On Corfu there is an international airport and from Amsterdam (and other cities) there are direct flights to the island. In the harbour of Corfu town ferries arrive from Venice, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi and from former Yugoslavia, and ferries also go up and down to Igoumenitsa or on to the city of Patras. There is a daily connection to the village of Sarande in Albania. A boat trip to the village of Parga on the mainland of Greece or to the island of Paxos is also one of the possibilities. From Corfu town most of the places on the island are well connected by bus.

The coastline of Corfu is 217 kilometers long and the island is 593 km2 in size. With its 120.000 inhabitants Corfu is one of the most densely populated parts of Greece, but around a third of these people live in the capitol Corfu Town and most of the tourists can be found on a few busy locations. Thus it is still possible to escape the crowds, and some villages along the coast are not in the grip of tourism yet. An important attraction of Corfu is its beaches, some of which are considered to be amongst the best of Greece. The climate in Corfu is warm, but because it also regularly gets its share of the rain the island is very green and nature is at its most glorious here.

Crudely spoken Corfu falls apart in three parts: the mountainous north, the hilly middle and the low south. A large part of the coast consists of sand or pebbles and there are many large and beautiful beaches. The northwest next to the Antinioti lagoon, and the southwest along Lake Korission have the largest sandy beaches. Also there are vast cliffs, especially on the west coast and north of Ermones. The northern part of Corfu is dominated by the steep rising Pandokrator mountain in the north of the island, which is 906 meters high and on which you can sometimes see a small layer of snow during the winter months. In spring the slopes of this mountain are covered with flowers, amongst which are various kinds of orchids.

Corfu has an international airport, so check if there are direct flights from your country. For tickets from Athens to Corfu or for tickets from your home country to Athens, Corfu or any other island or destination in Greece check Aegean Airlines. They have been voted the best airline in Europe for many years.

The times and the tickets of the ferries from and to Corfu, also from Italy you can check or order here.

Below a small selection of hotels, apartments and studios in Corfu, including some of the places where we stayed during our trip to the island. There is more on my separate pages of hotels and villas in the menu on the top.

For all villas, hotels, apartments and studios on the island of Corfu or Korfoe in Greece - click here.

Situated in the beautiful village of Liapades on Corfu (Kerkyra), Anna pension offers relaxed accommodation in reasonable prices. The pension is located just above the beach of Liapades where you can enjoy spectacular views of sea and it is surrounded by a green environment.

Anna Pension includes three studios and two apartments occupying an area of 1,000 m2 on the hill just above the bay of Liapades which is 5 minutes on foot. If you drive to Liapades beach it is the last small road on the right hand side. From here it takes a minute over a curvy road. There is a parking at the accommodation for your car. The view from all the areas of the pension is fantastic overlooking the bay of Liapades.

The apartments and studios of Pension Anna are simple but spacious. You come here for absolute tranquility and for stunning views. At a distance of 5 minutes walk you will find the beach of Liapades, where you can also have a bite to eat. At a 20 minutes distance away is a maybe even more beautiful beach, Rovinia Beach (indicated by a sign along the road to Liapades Beach) where it is quieter. The area is also nice for walks. There are more quiet beaches that can be found and reached on foot.

Check availability and prices & book the Anna Pension - click here.

The Bella Vista Hotel & Studios is located on a quiet side street of the road that leads along the beach of Benitses. It consists of two buildings, one is the hotel and another building at a short distance away has studios and apartments. The complex is run by three super friendly sisters (Anthea, Christina and Marina). The reception is inside the hotel. Here you can also have breakfast if you choose to.

Benitses is actually much quieter than we had previously thought. There was a nice town square with restaurants and there were a few bars, but a disco we have not seen. The time of noise is over and the villagers have their original village back. There is something to do in Benitses, but still it is quiet.

We stayed here for a few days and we each had our own studio. These studios were very cheerfully decorated and the walls were painted in sunny colors. Each studio had its own mural painting, which was fun. The kitchenettes, refrigerators, etc. in both studios were brand new. There was TV, and both studios had a balcony. Around the corner at the road that runs along the seafront you will already find the first tavernas and there are several supermarkets and shops in the village.

Check availability and prices & book Bella Vista Hotel & Studios - click here.

Solaris Apartments are located in a side street off the main road that leads to the port of the lively and picturesque village of Kassiopi (in the northeast of Corfu). The complex consists of a few small buildings around two very large pools (one with a children's section). On site is also a snack bar where you can get great snacks for very little money. Around the corner at 20 meters distance are the shops, bars, taverns, a bakery and a supermarket. Five beaches in the area are within 10/15 minutes by foot. Kassiopi is a charming village where also a bit of life is going on.

In Solaris you can get a studio or an apartment (two bedrooms standard or luxury). We stayed three days in a luxury apartment and it looked really great. The beds were extra long (handy for me with my height), the bathroom was beautiful, a brand new kitchen with dining and sitting area, and we had two balconies: one looked out over the pool and the other over the village and the old Venetian castle.

Check availability and prices & book Solaris Apartments - click here.