Corfu

The old town of Corfu is a dense, beautiful tangle of tall pastel houses, marble-paved lanes and stepped alleys known locally as kantounia, squeezed between two fortresses on a promontory. Its shape is the work of Venice, which fortified the town against the Ottomans from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, and later layers were added by the French and British. UNESCO listed it in 2007 as a rare example of a fortified Mediterranean port town that kept its historic fabric largely intact. Laundry strung between balconies, tiny squares with Venetian wellheads and the Catholic and Orthodox churches side by side all reward slow wandering with no plan at all.

TipThe main shopping streets fill up when cruise ships are in. Explore early in the morning or in the evening, and duck into the Campiello district, the oldest corner of town, behind the Old Port, for quieter lanes.

Despite its name, the New Fortress dates from the late sixteenth century, when the Venetians realised that the town had grown beyond the protection of the older citadel. Its massive brick and stone walls rise above the Old Port on the north-west side of town, and the winged lion of Saint Mark still guards one of the gates. Inside, tunnels, vaulted galleries and ramps lead to the upper ramparts, which give the best overview of the old town's rooftops, the harbour and the mountains of the mainland. The fortress is used partly for exhibitions and events, and opening times vary with the season.

The red-domed bell tower of St Spyridon, the tallest in town, is the old town's most useful landmark. The church, built at the end of the sixteenth century, holds the relics of Saint Spyridon, a fourth-century bishop from Cyprus whom Corfiots credit with saving the island from plague, famine and an Ottoman siege. His silver casket lies in a side chapel, and the interior glows with icons, hanging lamps and a painted ceiling. Four times a year, on Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday, 11 August and the first Sunday in November, his relics are carried through the streets in a procession with brass bands.

TipThis is a working place of worship, often busy with local people paying their respects. Dress modestly, keep your voice down and don't take photographs during services.

Spianada, the great open esplanade between the old town and the Old Fortress, is one of the largest squares in the Balkans. The Venetians cleared it to give their cannons a line of fire; today it is lawns, a bandstand, a circular colonnaded memorial to the first British High Commissioner and, most surprisingly, a cricket pitch, where local clubs still play in summer. Along its western edge runs the Liston, an arcaded row of tall houses built during the brief French occupation in the early nineteenth century and inspired by the rue de Rivoli in Paris. Its cafés are the town's living room, and an evening coffee or ginger beer under the arches is a Corfu ritual.

TipCafé prices on the Liston are high, but you are paying for the view. A match on the Spianada cricket ground is a uniquely Corfiot sight; check locally for fixtures.

At the northern end of the Spianada stands the neoclassical Palace of St Michael and St George, built in the 1820s for the British High Commissioner. Its elegant state rooms now house the Museum of Asian Art, which began in 1928 with a donated collection of Chinese and Japanese art and has grown to roughly 15,000 objects. Expect Chinese ceramics and bronzes, Japanese woodblock prints, screens and samurai armour, and works from India, Tibet, Nepal and South-East Asia. It's an unexpected collection to find on a Greek island, and the palace itself, with its throne room and ballroom, is worth the visit.

TipFrom April to October the museum opens daily from 8am to 8pm; in winter it closes earlier and on Tuesdays. Check the museum's website for current exhibitions and tickets.

The Old Fortress occupies a rocky double-peaked promontory east of the Spianada, cut off from the town by a sea-filled moat, the Contrafossa, where small boats moor below the walls. Its defences grew from Byzantine beginnings into one of the strongest Venetian strongholds in the Mediterranean, and it resisted repeated Ottoman sieges. Inside, paths climb past barracks and powder magazines to a lighthouse on the higher peak, with sweeping views over the town and the channel. Near the entrance, the Church of St George, built by the British in the form of a Greek temple, is one of the island's most unusual buildings.

TipGo in the late afternoon, when the stone glows and the heat eases. Opening hours and ticket prices are set by the Ministry of Culture and change with the season, so confirm them before you go.

South of town, past the long seafront of Garitsa Bay, a wooded estate hides the villa of Mon Repos, built around 1830 for a British High Commissioner and later a summer home of the Greek royal family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born here in 1921. The villa now holds a museum of the ancient city of Corfu, whose remains lie scattered through the surrounding park: shady paths lead past the ruins of Doric temples and down to a small bathing spot on the sea. It's a peaceful counterpoint to the busy old town and a pleasant walk or short bus ride away.

The view from Kanoni, at the tip of the Kanoni peninsula, is the classic Corfu postcard. Below the viewpoint, the small white monastery of Panagia Vlacherna sits on a rock in the lagoon, joined to the shore by a narrow causeway, and beyond it the islet of Pontikonisi, or Mouse Island, rises dark with cypresses around a little Byzantine chapel. Local legend says it is the ship of Odysseus, turned to stone. You can walk out to Vlacherna, and in season small boats shuttle across to Pontikonisi.

TipThe airport runway runs right across the lagoon, so planes come in very low overhead. For many visitors that's part of the fun; photographers time their visit for landings, and the light is best early or late in the day.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the restless "Sisi", built this summer palace in the early 1890s on a hillside above the village of Gastouri, dedicating it to her hero Achilles. After her assassination, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II bought it and added the huge bronze statue of a victorious Achilles that dominates the terraced gardens. The gardens, with their statues of the Muses, the famous Dying Achilles and wide views down the coast, are the highlight.

TipBecause of restoration work, only the outdoor areas and the imperial gardens are currently open; the interior is closed. General admission is 7 euros, with e-tickets available, and the site opens daily from 8am to 8pm from April to October and until 4pm in winter.

Facing the open sea on the west coast, Agios Gordios is a long sandy bay backed by steep, olive-covered hills, with a striking rock pinnacle, the Ortholithos, standing off its southern headland. The west coast catches the sunset and generally has clearer water and bigger waves than the east, and this is one of its most scenic beaches. The village has grown into a resort, but the setting still impresses, and paths climb into the hills above for views and walks.

TipHead up to the hill village of Pentati or Sinarades for lunch in a taverna away from the beach crowds.

Paleokastritsa is Corfu's most celebrated stretch of coast: a cluster of small coves of turquoise water, framed by wooded headlands and towering cliffs. On the highest headland stands a monastery founded in the thirteenth century and rebuilt in the eighteenth, with a peaceful courtyard of flowers, a small museum of icons and views straight down to the sea. Below, boatmen run trips into the sea caves that riddle the cliffs, where the water turns an extraordinary blue.

TipPaleokastritsa gets crowded and parking is tight in summer. Arrive early, and dress modestly for the monastery, where wraps are usually provided at the door.

Perched on a sheer crag above the sea north of Paleokastritsa, the ruined Byzantine castle of Angelokastro is one of the most dramatic sights on the island. Built in the thirteenth century, it was never taken, sheltering local people during Ottoman raids, and served as a lookout over the whole north-west coast. A path climbs from the village of Krini to the gate, then steps lead up past cisterns to a tiny church cut into the rock and the summit, with a vast panorama of coves, cliffs and, on clear days, the hills of the mainland.

TipThe final climb is steep and exposed to the sun. Wear sturdy shoes, take water, and pair the visit with lunch in Krini or Makrades, known for their views and local produce.

On the north coast, the sea has sculpted the soft sandstone cliffs at Sidari into a maze of ridges, coves and narrow channels. The most famous, the Canal d'Amour, is said to bring lasting love to couples who swim through it together. Sidari itself is a busy package resort, but the rock formations along the shore to the west are photogenic, especially in the late afternoon. Further west, the coast continues to the long beaches of Peroulades, beneath pale cliffs that glow at sunset.

TipThe sandstone is crumbly and some cliff edges are unstable; keep to paths and obey warning signs.

At just over 900 metres, Pantokrator is Corfu's highest mountain, a bare limestone summit topped by a monastery and a forest of telecom masts. The masts are an eyesore, but the view is magnificent: the whole island laid out below, the Albanian coast across the strait and, on clear days, the mountains of mainland Greece and even the Italian heel. A narrow road climbs almost to the top, passing pretty hill villages, and on the northern flank lies Old Perithia, a stone village abandoned by its families as they moved to the coast and now partly revived with tavernas and guesthouses.

TipThe final stretch of road is narrow and steep with few passing places. Go early in the day for the clearest views, and combine the summit with lunch in Old Perithia.

Kassiopi is a former fishing village on the north-east coast, now a lively but attractive resort around a horseshoe harbour. On the headland above it stand the overgrown walls of a medieval castle, and coastal paths lead round the point to small pebble coves with very clear water. The coast between here and Corfu Town, often called the Kensington of Corfu for its smart villas, is a string of pretty bays such as Kalami and Agni, with the hills of Albania only a short distance across the water.

TipKalami's White House, once the home of the writer Lawrence Durrell, is now a taverna and holiday rental; it makes a good stop on a drive or boat trip along this coast.

The small island of Paxos, south of Corfu, makes a superb day trip. It is covered in ancient olive groves and dry-stone walls, with three harbour villages: Gaios, the main port, sheltered behind two islets; Loggos, tiny and picturesque; and Lakka, set on a round bay in the north. The west coast is a wall of white cliffs pierced by sea caves and arches, best seen by boat. Just to the south, little Antipaxos has vineyards and beaches of pale sand and startlingly clear water.

TipFast boats and excursion boats sail from Corfu Town in season, with fewer crossings in winter and cancellations in rough weather. A day is enough for a taste, but Paxos is worth a night or two if you can spare them.