Attractions

The Achillion Palace comprises one of the most famous royal mansions in Europe and it is located about 10 kilometres from Corfu Town, at Gastouri. It was built in 1890 by the Italian architects Raffaele Caritto and Antonio Landi on the order of Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria, better known as Sissy. It is one of the most significant architectural and historical buildings on the island of Corfu. The palace is dedicated to Achilles, after whom it was named, and among other statues inspired by Greek mythology that decorate the mansion's leafy gardens, there is the striking Marble statue of Dying Achilles.The statue depicts the last moments of the Greek hero of the Trojan War after being struck by an arrow on the heel of his foot, his famous weak spot. In the interior neoclassical halls of the mansion there are numerous important paintings and artistic decorations from the 19th century adding to the elegant atmosphere of the palace. Its densely wooded grounds and elevated position offer the visitor charming views of the sea and the surrounding hills and valleys. A relaxing stroll in the well-tended gardens reveals colourful exotic flowers, palm trees and aromatic bougainvilleas. Achilleion, Gastouri, Corfu. Tel.:+30 26610 56245

Angelokastro or the Castle of the Angel is a Byzantine castle, located at the top of the highest peak of the island's shoreline in the northwest coast near Paleokastritsa and built on rocky terrain. It stands 305m on a steep cliff above the sea and surveys Corfu town and the mountains of mainland Greece to the southeast and a wide area of Corfu toward the northeast and northwest. Angelokastro is one of the most important fortified complexes of Corfu. It was an acropolis which surveyed the region all the way to the southern Adriatic and presented a formidable strategic vantage point to the occupant of the castle. Angelokastro is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands along with Kassiopi Castle, Gardiki Castle and the two Venetian Fortresses of Corfu City, the Citadel and the New Fort.

Corfu Gallery is the first private institution exhibiting corfiot art. It was established in order to house and exhibit the private collection of the corfiot engineer and collector, Michail Aggelos Vradis, with paintings from the 19th , 20th and 21th century. Corfiot painters and artists who lived in Corfu and have been inspired by its beauty have found their new, permanent place. The gallery offers the possibility to accommodate permanent and periodical art exhibitions and cultural events.
Working in accordance with the Municipal Art gallery of Corfu, which has a collection of works dating from the 16th century up to the and of 20th, we hope to give and provide a full scope of art in Corfu.
http://www.corfuartgallery.com/collection/kallitexnes/

Isle of Vidos is a small island (less than a kilometre in diameter) at the mouth of the port of Corfu town. The island can be visited during summer for a very reasonable price with a “kaiki” from the port of Corfu. Leaving opposite the BP station, the little ferry runs on the whole hour and returns every half from the island. Once you arrive on the Island you can choose to have a refreshment or coffee at the terrace next to the little port or start with a 45minute walk, following a trail bordered by pine trees, mainly next to the sea, passing from the Serbian mausoleum. During your stay on the island your will see wild rabbits and pheasants. Two isolated beaches and a tavern from where you can enjoy a beautiful view over the old town of Corfu make this excursion complete.

Mon Repos and Palaeopolis, Corfu Town The Palace of Mon Repos, surrounded by extensive gardens lies south of Corfu town in the forest of Palaiopolis.
The villa was built as a summer residence for the British Lord High Commissioner of the United States of the Ionian Islands, Frederick Adam and his wife in 1828–1831. In 1833, it housed a school of fine arts, while in 1834, the park was opened to the public. Empress Elisabeth of Austria stayed there in 1863. Here she fell in love with the island, where she later built the Achilleion Palace.
After the union with Greece in 1864, the villa was granted to King George I of the Hellenes as a summer residence; he renamed it Mon Repos. The royal family used it as a summer residence up until King Constantine II fled the country in 1967. The villa subsequently became derelict, but was restored in the 1990s.
The villa and its gardens are the property of the Corfu municipality, and are now being used as a museum. The Mon Repos Museum contains a large variety of exhibits including archaeological finds, Byzantine remains, furniture and dresses from the period of British rule, paintings and other mementoes of Corfu's history. Close by are the excavated remains of Palaeopolis, the ancient city of Corfu. The first antiquities on the site were discovered during the British Protectorate. Excavations carried out between 1936-1955 brought to light sections of the ancient Agora and the early Christian basilica. Recent excavations revealed the Roman baths, the dockyards of the harbour of Alkinoos and a large section of the stone pavement in the Agora.

The Municipal Gallery of Corfu has been in operation since 1978 in a building which is a legasy of the Dalietos family.
When the gallery became a leggaly-recognized public institution in 1991, an effort was made to make its collection, mainly constituted by donated works, more widely known. Among the most important collections are those of the Samartzis collection (42 works), the Aglaia Papa (23 works) and Philippos Makotsis (12 works) collections; while there are also two works donated by Nikolaos Ventouras.
The greater part of the collection of the Municipal Gallery of Corfu consists of works by 19th-century Corfiot painters (Haralambos Pachis, Pavlos Prossalendis the younger, Angelos Giallinas, Vicentios Boccaciampis, S. Skarvelis, Lyk. Koyevinas, G. Samartxis); this is the period which produces some of the most representative painters of the Ionian islands. https://artcorfu.gr/en

The iconic rock of Corfu comprises a natural museum of virgin vegetation and it is one of the most popular and recognised monuments of the island. Pontikonissi, which means the Mouse Island, is situated at the Chalikiopoulos lagoon, across the international airport of Corfu, and it can be reached only by boats leaving from Kanoni and the monastery of Vlacherna, as well as from Perama. Its name refers to its tiny size and the only building that stands within this leafy islet is the Byzantine Church of Pantokrator. With only exception the 6th of August, when is the celebration of the monastery, people are not allowed to reach the islet as it is strictly protected in order to maintain its unique natural landscape. During the rest days of the year, people can arrange a short visit at the rock of Pontikonissi, but they are permitted to explore only specific parts of it. According to Homer, Poseidon turned the islet into stone during the great storm that led the legendary Odysseus to the Emerald Island, Corfu, his last destination before his final return to Ithaka. After this, Poseidon transformed the stoned islet into a green-covered paradise.

The Venetian arsenal at Gouvia is a shipyard built by the Venetians during their rule of Corfu on the west side of what used to be called Govino Bay, the current location of the modern village of Gouvia. The remains of the old arsenal still exist at the Bay of Gouvia and are located approximately 8 km from Corfu town. The ruins are behind the modern Marina of the port of Gouvia and are separated from it by an iron fence. The Venetians used the bay as a port and their arsenal was built near the water. The Venetian shipyard features three arched docks which were used to service their two fleets which were stationed in Corfu. The columns, walls and arches of the arsenal survive almost intact but the roof is missing. The arches with Gouvia Bay in the background. The use of the arsenal was officially discontinued when theTreaty of Campo Formio, which was signed on 18 October 1798, signaled the end of the Venetian Republic.

The old and the new fortress both at one side of the old centre of Corfu town, once connected via a wall, were built by the Venetians during the 15th and 16th century to defend the town from the Turks. Today you can visit both fortresses; it’s worth climbing to the fop for amazing views over the town and across the sea to the Greek mainland and Albania. The old fortress has a museum and there is a wonderful located café where you can enjoy the quiet atmosphere overlooking the Garitsa Bay.