Why go?
Corfu has figured in our consciousness since Edward Lear visited and painted while it was a British possession from 1814 to 1864. The Durrell brothers (and Henry Miller) lodged it even more firmly in the Anglo-Saxon psyche with their 1930s sojourns, and subsequent rhapsodising in print.
Today the island has a somewhat chequered reputation, due in part to its associations with Peter Mandelson/Nat Rothschild (habitués of the north-east coast, popularly dubbed “Kensington on Sea”) but also the notoriously downmarket excesses of Kávos in the south.
Yet there is plenty in between for the rest of us, on one of the greenest of the Greek islands – thanks to intermittent but torrential rains from September to May, and the thousands of olive trees that carpet the landscape. It is also, perhaps surprisingly, one of the more rural, sleepy islands away from the touristic honeypots.
The old quarters of the east-coast capital, Kérkyra Town, has recently, and deservedly, been designated a Unesco heritage site. There’s nothing else quite like it between here and Dubrovnik.
When to go?
Corfu is “open for business” from Easter until early October. For discounted room rates, better taverna service and moderate weather, mid-May to late June, and all of September, are the best times; during July and August everything is fully functioning, and the sea thoroughly warmed up, but you’ll contend with crowds and either intense heat or the maïstros, the infamous north-westerly wind which buffets beaches all afternoon.
What to do
Besides the showcase main town and a handful of museums, there are waterparks, riding stables, scuba centres (especially at Paleokastrítsa), old castles to clamber over, sleepy villages to explore, and hiking.
Kérkyra old town
Kérkyra’s old quarter (1), with its arcades facing the Spianáda, its pastel-hued multi-storeyed dwellings, peaceful squares and slatted Venetian-style shutters, was clearly the basis for the Unesco heritage status, and amply rewards any time spent strolling.
Museums and forts
Kérkyra Town’s archeological museum closed indefinitely in autumn 2010; content yourself instead with the unexpected, and excellent Asian Art Museum (2) (Tues–Sun 8am–7.30pm, closes earlier winter; €3), artefacts from China, Japan, Tibet and Thailand amassed by two Greek diplomats and housed in a former palace, and the Byzantine Museum (Tues–Sun 9am–3pm; €3) on Arseníou, with unique icons, many Venetian- influenced, of the 15th to the 18th century.
Of the two forts which bracket the town, the Venetian-built Néo Froúrio (daily 8am–7.30pm, closes 3pm in winter; €3) is architecturally the more interesting, and affords superb views over the tiled roofs of the old town.
Hiking
The meandering, waymarked Corfu Trail – requiring eight to 10 days to cover its 137-mile course from one end of the island to the other – makes a prime introduction to every conceivable landscape, from bird-rich lagoons to the highest summits. The route avoids roads as much as possible, no mean feat in a society as bulldozer-crazy as Greece. Get the authorised map-guide for just €10 through www.corfutrailguide.com
Day trips
The most worthwhile, obvious day trips go to Ágii Saránda in Albania for the spectacular nearby Roman ruins of Butrint, and to the three inhabited Diapóndia islets just north-west of Corfu. Albanian excursions are best organised directly through Ionian Cruises (00 30 26610 251550, www.ionian-cruises.com); budget €70 (about £60) for the day, including coach transfers, lunch and boat fare.
Caique passage to the islets is most easily arranged in the north-westerly port resorts of Ágios Stéfanos or Sidári. Eríkoussa has the two sandiest beaches of the trio and is predictably popular with those merely after a lazy afternoon, though one can take more hurried three-islets-in-one-day cruises docking at Othoní and Mathráki also.
Book a horse trek through the lush foothills of Mt Pandokrátor at Sally-Ann Lewis’ well-established Trailriders stable outside Áno Korakiána village (tel: 26630 23090, www.trailriderscorfu.com). In season, rides (groups limited to 8) take place three days weekly along shaded tracks from 10am to noon and 5 to 7pm.
Full guide and source: The Telegraph
