Corfu town and archaeological museum, walking tour
Visit to the old town and walking tour with our guide to the main sights.
The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel is cut off from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a salt-water ditch at the bottom, that serves also as a kind of marina known as Contra-Fossa. The old city having grown up within fortifications, where every metre of ground was precious, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, sometimes tortuous but mostly pleasant, colourful and sparkling clean. These streets are called "kantounia" and the older ones sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground while many of them are too narrow for vehicular traffic. There is promenade by the seashore towards the bay of Garitsa and also an esplanade between the town and the citadel called Liston where upscale restaurants and European style bistros abound. The origin of the name Liston has several explanations: many former Venetian cities have a square of that name, coming from a Venetian word meaning evening promenade, but it can also refer to the closed-list aspect of an up-scale area reserved to the nobility registered in the Libro d'Oro.
In Corfu town you will enjoy the elegant architecture of the Palace of Saints George and Michael, the old Town Hall, the Liston in Esplanade square, the small squares and the two Venetian fortresses. In front of the old fortress you will find the only Cricket field in Greece due to British influence. You will have the chance to stroll around its narrow streets (kantounia),visit the Saint Spiridon church.
Achaeological museum
The new exhibition offers to visitors the chance to familiarize themselves with the cultural heritage of the island from Prehistoric to Roman times through a rich collection of exhibits that includes important works of art as well as objects of everyday use.
The exhibition unfolds on two levels.
On the ground floor, the prehistoric finds, many of which are displayed for the first time, travel visitors to the distant past of the island, from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. In the next gallery the exhibition narrates the history of the foundation of the ancient city in the late 8th century BC during the period of colonization and makes reference to its contacts with the other powerful Greek cities of the period.
On the floor, visitors have the opportunity to explore the historical course of Corfu from the 7th century BC until the 4th century AD. Key events in this timeline are the city's peak in Archaic and Classical times due to commerce, the turning point in the late 5th century BC as a consequence of the Peloponnesian war and the civil conflict, the uncertainty of the Hellenistic period with the successive claims of the island by various rulers, which gradually led to its decline and surrender to the Romans in 229 BC, and, finally, the island's short recovery under the Roman protection in the early post-Christian centuries.
The exhibition unfolds on two levels.
On the ground floor, the prehistoric finds, many of which are displayed for the first time, travel visitors to the distant past of the island, from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. In the next gallery the exhibition narrates the history of the foundation of the ancient city in the late 8th century BC during the period of colonization and makes reference to its contacts with the other powerful Greek cities of the period.
On the floor, visitors have the opportunity to explore the historical course of Corfu from the 7th century BC until the 4th century AD. Key events in this timeline are the city's peak in Archaic and Classical times due to commerce, the turning point in the late 5th century BC as a consequence of the Peloponnesian war and the civil conflict, the uncertainty of the Hellenistic period with the successive claims of the island by various rulers, which gradually led to its decline and surrender to the Romans in 229 BC, and, finally, the island's short recovery under the Roman protection in the early post-Christian centuries.
Of special importance among the exhibits of the Museum are the pediment of the temple of Artemis, where the goddess is portrayed as Gorgon, various funeral monuments of the same period, such as the 'Lion of Menecrates', and the important epigraphic monuments, such as the grave stele of Arniadas and the capital of Xemvares.
Duration: 2 hours
Meeting point front of Schulenburg statue, next to the old fortress entrance
Pick up service from accommodation or cruise port upon request
Included
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Bottled water
Professional guide
Exclude:
Food and drinks
Entrance fees.
Pick up / drop off service
