Photo: Petalía in the mountains

The tours are marked in green in the Road Atlas

A

B

AN UNUSUAL WALKING TOUR AROUND KÉRKYRA

On this stroll you will remain within the boundary of the island’s capital but will experience its rural side far away from traffic. It not only offers beautiful natural scenery but also historical treats and will take you to a monastery as well as a lush, green bay for swimming. Time: 3–4 hours.

This walk with temple ruins and a sea view begins at the Corfu Stadium next to the airport. You can reach it on the number 2 bus. Starting out from the eastern side of the stadium, the route takes you first of all to the main cemetery with its church which you cross. A very narrow lane with some plain farmhouses leads out of the cemetery on the other side. Sheep graze, chickens peck and dogs laze about in the sunshine. After 100 m, you will reach the only remains of Corfu’s ancient city wall from the 5th century BC on the left.

A few minutes later, you will come across the scanty remains of the ancient Artemis Temple Germany’s Emperor Wilhelm II was especially interested in its excavation. It is right in front of the walls of the Ágii Theodóri convent. One of the nuns who lives there will be pleased to show you the convent church.

Stay on the small lane and turn right onto the main road, go past the agricultural research institute for olive cultivation and a classicistic primary school and you will find yourself in front of the entrance to Mon Repos Castle Park. Here, you can admire the view of the romantic, old walls from the wonderful, green area surrounding the Paléopolis Basilica before you go in. Start off by visiting the small castle and then follow the signs to the Doric Temple. At the first junction, take the shady path through the woods down to a small bay, completely enclosed by trees, with a wooden bathing jetty where you can take a quick dip.

The main path will take you past what is left of the Hera Temple to the extremely romantic foundations of an unnamed Doric temple from the 5th century BC. Some of its columns have been re-erected amidst the greenery and make a good photo opportunity. A path starting at the southeast corner of the temple area takes you to the low wall surrounding the castle park. If you climb over it and keep to the right on the path along the wall you will reach the tiny hamlet of Análipsi.

Here, you can follow the tarmac path along the castle wall back to the entrance and either take the bus back to the centre of town, climb up to Kanóni, or walk through the suburb of Anemómilos with the Byzantine church Ágios Jáson ke Soccípatros to the coastal road.

B

C

ONCE AROUND PANTOKRÁTOR

A good tarmac road leads up to Corfu’s highest mountain. The peaceful villages around the mountain invite you to take a rest and there is also enough time for a swim. The tour from and back to Kérkyra is 110 km (68 mi) long and will take at least 12 hours.

Your day in the mountains begins at the large village of Áno Korakiána. From here, follow the signs to Sokráki and Zigós. The road now becomes narrower and winds like a corkscrew up the steep slope. When you arrive in Sokráki, you might need to stop for a coffee or a glass of the typical Corfiot lemonade called tzizimbírra. Then drive up a bit further and start ascending the flank of Pantokrátor. Let yourself be tempted to take a break in the taverna under a more than 200-year-old elm tree in Strinílas. The entire island of Corfu lies spread out beneath you when you reach the summit of Pantokrátor .

The next destination is Ágios Spirídonas where you can choose to go for a swim and have something to eat. But, you might prefer to have lunch in the next village: the old Venetian settlement of Paleó Períthia in a high valley at the foot of Pantokrátor. After a stroll through the ghost village, carry on to Kassiópi on the coast. The best way to soak in the beauty of this place is to walk around the promontory; this will take about 25 minutes.

Drive back to the south along the coast road. Kulúra and Kalámi are at least worth a quick look and a photo. However, you should definitely drive down to the old harbour in Nissáki and let the day come to a close on the terrace of a taverna near the sea or go to the tiny beach for a last dip.

Impressive bird’s-eye view – but you can also walk around Kassiópi

C

C

L

SHOPPING BETWEEN GUVIÁ AND PALEOKASTRÍTSA

The shops along the main road on the east coast from Guviá to Paleokastrítsa will tempt you to buy some souvenirs or look over the shoulders of the craftsmen at work. Distance: 12 km (7.5 mi).

Soon after turning off the road around the island at Guviá, you can stock up with delicious baked Corfiot goods at the Emeral Bakery on the left. A good kilometre further on, you will arrive at Sofoklís Ikonomídis and Sissy Moskídu’s Ceramic Workshop where they create and fire colourful ceramic objects on the premises. After another 2.6 km (1.6 mi), visit the olive-wood carving exhibition on the left of the road followed, after only 900 m on the right, by the Mavromátis Distillery, where the company’s liqueurs can be purchased in the modern, air-conditioned showroom.

600 m further on, a no-through-road off to the left to Hotel Fundána will lead you past a traditionally painted country house. This is where Níkos Sakális produces and sells high quality leather bags, glasses cases, backpacks and book covers (follow signs to ‘Leather Workshop’). All of his products bear the ‘Seminole’ trademark. The visit to the leather workshop ends our shopping tour. Perhaps now you’re ready for a relaxing swim, or just enjoy the countryside or a bit of culture with a visit to Paleokastrítsa Monastery.

D

k

BOAT TRIP TO PÁXOS ISLAND

Páxos is only one twelfth the size of Corfu but, just like its big sister, it is also covered with olive groves. This boat trip will not only show you the island town of Gáios but also the impressive towering coastline and sea caves. There is often a stopover at the much smaller island of Antípaxos, which is only inhabited in summer, for a swim. Departures: daily from Kérkyra, Messongí-Moraítika and Kávos; Price. approx. 35 euros. Time: 8–9 hours.

The Ipapánti Grotto is the first highlight on this trip around the island; small boats can even go into it. In World War II, a Greek submarine lay in hiding there for months. The arrow-like pinnacle of the Orthólithos rock rising out of the sea is a popular photo spot. You will have plenty of time to wander through the streets of the main town, Gáios, and have a meal at one of the tavernas on the platía at the harbour. From your table, you will be able to see the neighbouring island, Ágios Nikólaos, and through a narrow inlet the ruins of a Venetian fortress. The small island of Panagía, with its snow-white church dedicated to the Virgin Mary – the site of an annual pilgrimage with thousands of followers – borders to the north. Some of the excursion boats sail from Gáios to the village of Párga on the mainland (instead of cruising around the island) where you can either go for a swim or walk up to the medieval castle.

The boat takes you to Gáios on Corfu’s little sister island

E

k

BOAT TRIP TO ALBANIA

Corfu’s northeast coast doesn’t face Greece, but Albania. Until 1990, this neighbouring country was completely cut off from Corfu, but now ferries and hydrofoils travel daily between the two. This excursion will take you to a country in which, so far, almost nobody spends their holidays and to the most magnificent archaeological sites in the region. Departures: daily at 9am from Kérkyra, price: 38 euros (return ticket), duration approx. 9 hours, passport required.

Depending on the ferry, the crossing takes from 30 to 75 minutes and ends in the small town of Sarande, which the Greeks call Agía Saránda, in Albania. Although it only has 35,000 inhabitants, the many new eight-to-ten-storey buildings give it the appearance of being much larger. However, there is no life in many of the apartments; Albanians working abroad have bought them as an investment and are seldom here. It is only a 10-minute walk from the ferry harbour along the narrow city beach and shore promenade to the new harbour that, with its cafés, is the most attractive area of Sarande. After leaving the harbour, walk past the Hotel Porto Edo on the left and then turn left at the first crossing. This will lead you to the town’s main square with a small green area and the fenced-in ruins of the early-Christian Ágia Saránda Basilica from the 6th century. This is also the site of the tourist information office and taxi rank. If you haven’t already booked a bus excursion, you can make a tour by taxi with a one-hour stop at your destination for 30–40 euros.

The 24 km (15 mi) road takes you past substantial building activity to the narrow strip of land between the sea and Lake Butrint. The entrance to the excavation site of ancient Butrint lies next to the Vivarit Channel that connects the lake with the sea. The mountains you can see across the water are on mainland Greece.

Butrint was founded around 1200 BC and was inhabited for more than 2800 years until well into the 16th century. It experienced its golden age in the Roman period and most of its – often, well preserved – historical monuments, which Italian archaeologists excavated and restored before World War II, date from that era. Today, Butrint is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site (daily 9am–6pm | Entrance: approx. 6 euros).

The excavation site is on a peninsula jutting into Lake Butrint that rises up to a height of 30 metres. It is densely wooded and the 50-minute walk seems like a stroll through a park. There are boards with detailed information in English, ground plans and sketches of the reconstruction of everything that can be seen here: Roman baths and a Roman theatre, the baptistery of an early-Christian basilica from the 5th/6th century that has been preserved up as far as roof level, the partially very well preserved city walls and several city gates from various periods.