Corfu. The Island That Not Only the Famous Sissi Fell in Love With
It is the greenest Greek island, which earned it the epithet “Emerald”. It offers a peaceful navigation in waters with smaller waves, which makes it ideal for example for families with children. The island is inhabited by extremely hospitable people who are also excellent cooks. On top of that, you will also enjoy gorgeous bathing in a crystal clear emerald sea. We are talking about Corfu, the northernmost of the large Greek islands in the Ionian Sea.
The Ionian Sea is one of the most beautiful destinations for cruising on a ship in Europe. Without wishing to neglect the beauties of Lefkada or Zakynthos, we will dedicate this article only to Corfu, and nothing more.
Even the Empress Sissi had her palace built on Corfu
Thanks to its favourable climate conditions, Corfu is less parched than most of the Greek islands. It is covered with dense vegetation, mainly olive trees, conifers, eucalyptus, citrus and palm trees. You will also find here plenty of blooming plants, including orchids. The coastline is over 200 km long, with lots of coves, secluded beaches and caves. The advantage of the island is that you can plan trips from it very well, either to Parga on the mainland or the little town of Sivota (where you can find excellent beaches) or a small island nearby called Paxos.
The Old Town Will Captivate You
The beaches on Corfu (or Kerkyra if you want) are tempting, nevertheless be sure to make some time also for visiting the capital city of the same name. Its old part is included on the world cultural heritage list of UNESCO and there is really a lot to see there. In the city, you will find for example two Venetian fortresses (the Old and the New one), the Royal Palace or the Church of Saint Spyridon, patron saint of the island. You can have lunch or just sit down for a while for example on the Liston colonnade (we recommend for example the Aegli restaurant) or in some of the taverns in the crooked streets of the city.
The Liston Promenade was constructed as a copy of Rue de Rivoli in Paris
Old Venetian Fortress Museum of Asian Art Streets in Corfu
In addition, the Kanoni peninsula with two small islands nearby is situated just outside the capital city. You can use a pier to reach one of the small islands where you will find the picturesque monastery of Vlacherna. The Pontikonisi Island is situated just beside it. Here, you will find the monastery of Pantokrator for a change. Both of them belong among the most photographed buildings on Corfu. And if you move on a bit further to the south, you can also make a tour of Achilleion, the palace that the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as “Sissi” had built for herself. By no means is she the only famous face that is associated with the island. Among others, Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was born here, and the famous writer Gerald Durrell spent a part of his childhood here and often remembered the island in his books later.
The monastery of Vlacherna is situated on a small island
Beaches? Pick one!
There are so many beautiful beaches on Corfu that it is very difficult to select just a few tips for you. In the north-west of the island, you will find the beautiful semi-circular Agios Georgios beach, which is several kilometres long. Another beauty known from picture postcards, Porto Timoni, is located on its north tip. When you drive on a bit further to the south, you will come across the little town of Paleokastritsa. Its surroundings are considered to be the most beautiful part of Corfu. Apart from the main beach, you will find here a number of coves with more remote but no less beautiful beaches you will not be willing to leave!
The beaches in Paleokastritsa belong among the most beautiful on Corfu
Agios Georgios Beach Porto Timoni Beaches Canal d'Amour
The seaside resort of Sidari, with its famous beach hidden in Canal d'Amour or the Canal of Love, is situated on the north coast of the island. This canal, hollowed out in the rock by sea water, is associated with a famous legend. It says that when a man and a women sail through it together, they will fall in love with each other. Then, there is no shortage of couples in love who wish to secure their happiness here. In addition, there are beautiful underwater caves here, which you can explore. Very similar wild rocks can be seen also at the nearby Cape Drastis. Also here, you will find beautiful, much calmer beaches, although the sea here is a bit colder.
The rocks at the Cape Drastis offer much wilder sceneries
And the last good news? There is a twice daily scheduled airline service operated from Prague to Corfu. So if you have decided to sail into the Ionian Sea this summer, you can start hatching a plan immediately!
In this destination, we can offer you for example a brand new Lagoon 40 (the year of manufacture 2019/2020), which can accommodate up to 12 people. In the popular holiday term from 4 July, you will pay € 4,940 for a week’s rental (plus the fees in the amount of € 240, or € 1,190 for the captain’s services). If you are tempted to take a beautiful one-way cruise from Lefkada to Corfu in the same term, you will pay € 4,730 for the rental of the same catamaran (plus € 240 for the fees and € 1,190 for the captain’s services). For those who love sailing boats, we have here Oceanis 41.1. You will pay € 2,820 for its one week’s rental (plus € 130 for the fees, and € 1,190 for the captain’s services if you opt for them).
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