Travel Guide Island Corfu with travel tips for Island Corfu
The island of Corfu, off the west coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea, is one of the most beautiful sports in Greece. Corfu offers everything a vacationer could imagine for a perfect get-away, such as lovely sunshine, sandy beaches, an exciting nightlife, and even a casino. Corfu also provides an opportunity to explore old palaces, ancient ruins, museums, and aged churches.
History
The Greek city of Corinth established a colony on Corfu around 735 BC. After hundreds of years of wars with various Greek city-states, Corfu was absorbed into the Roman Empire approximately in 228 BC, and remained a part of the Roman Empire until 1024 AD, when as a reward for supporting the Crusades, Corfu was given to the Venetians. For the next 800 hundred years, the Venetians and French fought over Corfu and traded control of the island. In 1814, the British took over control of Corfu for fifty years, and finally in 1864, Corfu became part of Greece once again.
Art & Museums
Archaeological Museum exhibits an extensive display of various art forms as it showcases the diverse history of Corfu.
The Byzantine Art museum is located in an elaborate old church with a quantity of Byzantine icons displayed.
There are two old fortresses in Kerkyra, Corfu, with battlements and bastions worth exploring.
Two old palaces, Achilleon Palace, which was Empress Elizabeth’s summer residence, and Mon Repos, a former British palace, are also museums which exhibit how royalty enjoyed Corfu.
In September, the capital city, Kerkyra, hosts the Corfu Festival, a celebration of concerts, ballet, opera, and dramatic performances.
Nightlife
The capital of Corfu, Kerkyra, offers many choices of style and music in its nightclubs, bars, discos, and restaurants. The resort towns also offer many choices of entertainment. In the summer many towns offer free concerts by the towns’ bands. A casino at the Corfu Holiday Palace, south of Kerkyra, is a favorite sport for evening gamblers.
How to get there
Kerkyra, Corfu can be reached by plane via Athens; Corfu is an hour flight from Athens. Corfu can also be reached by boat. Ferry service is available between Italian Cities on the Adriatic Coast and the Greek mainland. Also a thirty minute hydrofoil express is available between Corfu and Igoumenitsou twice daily.