Things to do in Corfu

Four administrations, one street plan

Corfu Town looks Italian because it was governed from Venice for four centuries. France followed, then Britain until 1864. Each left work on the same lanes, which is why a guide earns the fee here.

The old town is a UNESCO site wedged between two fortresses. Houses climb six storeys, shuttered and hung with washing. Between them run the kantounia, alleys narrow enough that two people pass sideways.

The fortresses and the square

The Old Fortress stands on a rock promontory. A seawater channel was cut across the neck to separate it from the town. The New Fortress, begun in 1576, holds the landward side.

The open ground between them was cleared as a field of fire and became the Spianada. The French built the arcaded Liston along one edge on the model of the Rue de Rivoli. The British left cricket, and it stuck.

What to go inside

• St Spyridon. The island's patron lies in a silver casket and is carried through the streets four times a year.
• Palace of St Michael and St George. Built for the British high commissioners, and now a museum of Asian art that nobody expects.
• The Achilleion. Up at Gastouri, built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria and bought after her death by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
• Kanoni. The causeway out to Vlacherna and the view across to Pontikonisi, with aircraft passing low overhead on their approach.

Practical

• Shade. The alleys trap the heat and also the shade, so August is easier here than on any open square. May and September are the comfortable months.
• Ship days. The cruise berths sit a kilometre north of the centre, and the lanes clog through the middle of the day.
• No driving. The old town is closed to cars and the seafront parking fills early. Leave the hire car where you slept.
• Two ports. Mainland and Albanian ferries use the new port; the small boats go from the old one. They are nowhere near each other.
• Prices. A table under the Liston arcade runs to roughly double the same plate two streets behind it.
• Cash. Small tavernas still prefer it, and the church takes nothing else.