Shopping
Greece is now one of the more expensive Mediterranean destinations, so don’t expect great bargains on Corfu – except perhaps during the August sales. In souvenir shops you might find that some good-natured bargaining is tolerated if you are buying more than one item or spending a reasonable amount, but don’t push it. Local profit margins have to cover not only the tourist months, but also the off-season when most shops are closed, and some shops even put up signs saying ‘Fixed Prices’ or ‘No Bargaining’.
If you are not a resident of the EU, you might be able to claim back the 23 percent VAT (sales tax) included in the price, but only if you spend over €120 in one day at a shop participating in the scheme – there are rather few of these on Corfu.
Where to Shop
By far the best range and quality of goods on the island are to be found in Kérkyra Town. Here, the elegant old-world atmosphere of evening shopping (even if you are only window-browsing) is not to be missed. There are also a number of specialist outlets on the road from Kérkyra Town to Paleokastrítsa or Róda. These are worth a visit, particularly the no-name olive-wood workshop just below Skriperó (look for the logs and power saws outside at the front).
Strolling around Corfu Town’s pretty streets
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
Corfiot villages produce handmade lace and embroidery
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
Best Buys
Gifts from the olive tree. Corfu’s most plentiful commodity – olive-wood prunings – provides the basis for many fine souvenirs. Local artisans carve attractive bowls, platters, trays, utensils, statuettes, jewellery, toys and all sorts of other ingenious olive-wood oddities. The island’s olives, olive paste and high-quality olive oil are appreciated worldwide, and a small bar of olive-oil soap, often tastefully gift wrapped, is an ideal, inexpensive present.
Pottery and ceramics. Corfu is home to many talented potters. You’ll come across some lovely ceramics, including museum copies (the shop in the Old Fort in Kérkyra Town specialises in the latter).
Gold and silver. Silversmiths still create bowls and trays using centuries-old Greek and Venetian patterns, beating out the silver much as their ancestors would have done. Many of the jewellery designs are based on archetypal symbols from the earliest years of Greek civilisation, including the lion, dolphin, ram and bull. Evgeníou Voulgáreos Street, off the Listón, is the place to find silver in Kérkyra Town.
Leather. Leather is one of the few areas where prices are advantageous on Corfu. Handbags, sandals, shoes, gloves, wallets and belts are often very good buys in Kérkyra Town. Agíon Pándon Street is home to many young and creative fashion designers; more traditional outlets are found on Nikifórou Theotókou.
Weaving and embroidery. There’s a good selection of hand-woven and embroidered items. Colourful woollen shoulder bags called tagária, hand-woven floor mats in muted colours, tablecloths, napkins, aprons, skirts and blouses of lace and cotton (in particular those woven in Corfiot villages) are always popular. The best buys in this category are probably cotton needlework shawls and bedspreads. The village of Kassiópi is home to a traditional industry of lace and crocheted goods.
Icons for sale
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
Reproduction icons. These are on sale all over Kérkyra Town and vary greatly in price according to size and quality. Icons are also sold at the monasteries at Mt Pandokrátor and Paleokastrítsa.
Other specialities. Kumquat liqueur is a novelty made from a small southeast Asian citrus fruit grown on Corfu (locally spelled as koum quat). There are medium and dry varieties of this sweet, orange-coloured drink, though the clear extract is considered the best quality. It is sold throughout Corfu, and the Mavromatis factory on the Paleokastrítsa road is a popular stop with tour groups. You can also sample crystallised kumquat fruits.
Another particularly sweet treat worth trying is nougat of almonds or sugared nuts (mandoláto). In addition, the rich island flora ensures that its famous honey always possesses a distinctive character. In the fruit and vegetable markets, look for bags of herbs and spices.
Although not ranked among the better Greek DOCs, Corfu does produce wine of quaffable quality, and you can purchase a number of local brands, for example from the Theotoky Estate (www.theotoky.com) near Giannádes. Other drinks available include oúzo (the national aperitif) and Greek brandy, particularly Metaxa, rated from three to seven stars according to quality and strength.
Other typically Greek souvenir ideas include strands of worry beads (kombologiá); CDs of quality Greek music (best for this is Ihos 65, at Agíon Pándon 4, near the Listón); or a bríki, a long-stemmed copper coffee pot used for making Greek coffee, which also makes an attractive ornament.
Corfiot Easter
Kérkyra Town stages the most colourful Easter (Páskha) celebration in Greece. Here it is often called Lambrí (‘brilliance’), and the spectacle attracts throngs of Athenians and other mainlanders, with all town hotels full for the duration. Every church has its Good Friday procession of the epitáfios or funeral bier of Christ. The best starts after nightfall, departing from the cathedral with the bishop, dignitaries and Corfu’s famous ‘philharmonic’ (brass) bands.
On Holy Saturday morning, the body of the patron saint, Spyridon, is paraded at length around town in honour of his miraculous intervention in 1553, which saved Corfu from famine. Then, at 11am, police clear the streets. Suddenly pottery, old plates, vases and other breakables are hurled from the upper storeys of houses. The best explanation of this old and unique Corfu custom is that it banishes misfortune, including Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.
The Catholic Easter Saturday evening mass takes place somewhat before the Orthodox one. At midnight, when the Orthodox bishop intones ‘Hristós anésti’ (‘Christ is risen’), every electric light goes on, fireworks soar overhead, church bells ring and – most memorably – everyone lights a candle. On Easter Sunday at noon, lambs are put to the spit, wine flows like water and men perform traditional Greek and Corfiot dances.
Entertainment
Corfu is indeed a very musical island. Thanks to the Venetian legacy, Kérkyra Town alone boasts three orchestras, with nearly a dozen more spread over the island, representing several hundred musicians in all, as well as a municipal choir and a chamber-music group; it is claimed that nearly half the Athens Symphony Orchestra is Corfu Conservatory-trained. Marching brass bands (the somewhat confusingly called filarmonikés orhístres) are a regular fixture at festivals, and often give summer Sunday concerts on the Spianáda. Despite current funding problems, summer still sees some festivals, notably the Ágios Ioánnis soul, rock and folk festival (www.agiotfest.com) and Paleokastrítsa’s Varkarola Festival in mid-August.
The Corfiots’ love of music runs deep
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Theatre lovers might attend summer performances (often of ancient Greek plays), either in one of Kérkyra Town’s two fortresses or at the Mon Repos outdoor theatre. Other venues for quality events include the auditorium of the Ionian Academy, the somewhat grim Municipal Theatre (a replacement for the one bombed in September 1943), the New Fort, 7Arts (Epta Technon Topos) in Víros near the airport, and Lucciola Bar-Bistro in Sgómbou. For details of all concerts, festivals and theatre pick up a cultural events leaflet from the airport or the local tourist information office. The website http://corfuwall.gr is also very useful, as are posters announcing village panigýria during the summer.
Authentic performances of songs and dances occur at village festivals throughout the season, with both young and old dressed in the traditional costumes of their ancestors. Otherwise, Kérkyra Town hosts ‘Cultural Evenings’ on Tuesdays during summer, at Platía Dimarhíou, Platía Ionikí and the Old Port plaza in Spiliá, featuring folk dancing, classical music and traditional choral music.
For less formal happenings, look no further than the nearest musical bar or dance club in any major resort like Kávos or Sidári – though in these tough times the emphasis is more on small, often weekends-only spots like DiZi Beach Bar at Érmones, the Stablus complex on Solomoú below the New Fort, or Café del Arte on Kandoúni Bízi in Kérkyra Town. The formerly lively mega-nightclub strip along the main road (Ethnikís Antistáseos) west of the New Port has pretty much withered away since the 2010–11 Greek debt crisis, but a new addition is 54 Dreamy Nights at no. 54.
The island has one casino (www.casinocorfu.gr) that operates in the Corfu Palace Hotel (8pm–3am; formal dress code; minimum age 23 and ID required). It offers roulette, blackjack, baccarat and chemin de fer.
Greek Nights
During your stay you will probably come across a ‘Greek Night’, though these are not nearly as widespread as in the past. They generally comprise of a traditional meal (more or less), with Corfiot music and dancing touted as the main attraction. Traditional Corfiot and national Greek dances are taught from an early age, and the dancers – whether specially hired performers, restaurant staff or simply locals doing their bit – can almost always be relied on for an energetic performance.
Corfiot men revel in athletic, fast dances with high-kicking steps and not a little bravado. Dancing in a ring of fire to the accompaniment of plate smashing is quite typical. Another stunt involves picking up a glass of wine with the mouth from a press-up position. The wine is downed with a jerk of the neck; more macho types bite a chunk out of the empty glass before tossing it contemptuously aside. Another crowd pleaser has a dancer bending back to apparently pick up a heavy table only with his teeth (he’s actually taking the table’s weight on his chest and stomach.) Expert practitioners extend this feat to a table with a chair on top, and some go for broke by getting a young child to sit on the chair.
By the end of the evening, the dancers will probably have cajoled everyone onto the floor to join in a version of the syrtáki, Greece’s best-known line dance; steps are simplified for visitors. Accompaniment is usually provided by a bouzoúki, which has become synonymous with all Greek music. In fact, the instrument (of Middle Eastern origin) is a very recent import to the island, though the popular melodies of Manos Hatzidakis, Mikis Theodorakis and the great composers of rebétika have made it an intrinsic part of Greek – and Corfiot – folklore.
Renting a boat
The best way to enjoy the coastline is by boat. You can rent all types of motorboats, from a small outboard to a 10m (33ft) caique.
Sports and Recreation
Snorkelling and diving. A clear, salubrious sea laps the island’s innumerable rocky inlets, and you will find small, fascinating grottoes and offshore rocks near Paleokastrítsa, Sidári and Perouládes. Paleokastrítsa is considered to be one of Europe’s best diving locations, though the water can be chilly year-round, and per-dive prices are expensive by Mediterranean standards. Don’t be put off by Neptune grass at certain east-coast points; beds of the plant (Posidonia oceanica) serve as a nursery and browsing ground for some of the most colourful fish, and indicate lack of pollution.
A range of motorboats are available to rent
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
All scuba-diving schools have qualified instructors who will choose dive locations according to the amount of experience you have. Extended boat trips are available for advanced divers. For the more advanced trips, or to hire equipment on your own, you will need to show an appropriate diving certificate. West-coast schools to single out include Diving Fun Club at Ágios Geórgios Págon (www.corfudivingfunclub.gr); Achilleon Diving Center at Paleokástritsa and Érmones (www.diving-corfu.com); and Korfu Diving at Ambelákia cove, Paleokastrítsa (www.korfudiving.com).
Water sports. Dassiá and Ýpsos are established water sports centres, and along with Kalámi are some of the few locations where waterskiing (in decline) is still practiced. Windsurfing equipment is available for hire at every beach on the island where the right conditions prevail, and instruction is offered at many places, in particular Surf4Fun at Íssos (www.surf4fun-korfu.de). Parasailing is available at several beaches, as is kitesurfing; there’s a dedicated kite school at Halikoúnas beach (www.kite-club-korfu.com).
Golf. The acclaimed Corfu Golf Club (tel: 26610 94220; www.corfugolfclub.com), in the Rópa Valley near Érmones, is rated as one of the best in the Mediterranean. The 18-hole course features water hazards and a design that provides a real challenge for seasoned golfers. You can arrange lessons with qualified pros (it’s best to book ahead); clubs and other essentials are available for hire. You’ll also find a good shop and clubhouse with a bar and restaurant.
Hiking. Corfu is an excellent place for avid walkers who may follow a 220km long footpath that runs the length of the island. It takes about 10 days to complete the trek. Check www.thecorfutrail.com for details.
Horse riding. There are two bona fide stables on the island: Rópa Valley Riding Stables (same phone number as Corfu Golf Club, above), offering one- to two-hour rides, and Trailriders in Áno Korákiana (www.trailriderscorfu.com), offering two-hour morning or evening rides, Monday to Saturday, in season.
Cricket. Cricket was introduced by the English and is now an integral part of Corfu’s summer scene. Matches take place at the cricket ground at Gouviá Marina on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Corfu clubs frequently play against visiting teams from Britain and Malta. There is another pitch at the Corfu Golf Club in Rópa Valley, while youth teams play at the pitch on the Spianáda in Kérkyra Town. Keen cricketers might be able to play with one of the Corfu teams (tel: 26610 47753).
Activities for Children
Corfu is a very popular holiday spot for families, and most newer resorts are designed with children in mind. Many larger hotels have separate, shallow children’s swimming pools and play areas, and most of the more luxurious hotels have limited-hour crêches and/or ‘kids’ clubs’ with a full range of activities.
Corfu has many beaches suited to young children
Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications
While most beaches are perfectly safe for children, those with sandy shores and/or very shallow water will appeal most to families with very young children. These include Róda, Sidári, Aharávi, Arílas, Moraïtika, Mesongí and Kávos, though the latter is also known for its decadent nightlife.
Kérkyra Town is largely for adults, but kids might enjoy a ride in the colourful 19th-century horse-drawn carriages. The Kalypso Star glass-bottomed boat leaves the Old Port hourly (11am–6pm) in season for a trip around Vídos Island, where domesticated sea lions perform for the passengers. In Paleokastrítsa the short boat trip to the caves and grottoes is also a winner with kids.
The most popular children’s day out (and a great day for all splashaholics) is at the Aqualand water park (www.aqualand-corfu.com), with many thrill rides, the gentle ‘Lazy River’, the bouncy castle, swimming pools and special children’s play area. Located at Ágios Ioánnis in the centre of the island, some 12km (7.5 miles) west of Kérkyra Town, the park is open daily (10am–6pm) from May to October. It’s quite expensive, but children under four are admitted free and there are reduced rates after 3pm. Special buses make the trip from all over the island. A rival, cheaper water park – Hydropolis – has opened at Aharávi.
If your children love nature and horses, take them pony trekking, a good outing for the whole family. This can be booked through most tourist agencies.
Most children love ‘Greek Night’ entertainment, with whirling dancers, rings of fire, smashing plates, tables picked up with teeth and other denture-defying acts. Most tend to start at around 10pm.