Corfu Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage)

The Old Town of Corfu is the historic core of Kerkyra in Greece, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2007. Its layout and architecture reflect centuries of Venetian rule from 1386 to 1797, followed by French, British and Greek periods, which left a mix of Italianate, French and neoclassical buildings. The district sits between two Venetian fortresses, the Old Fortress to the east and the New Fortress to the west, and is made up of a dense maze of narrow pedestrian lanes known as kantounia, tall pastel-coloured houses with laundry lines overhead, small squares and churches. Key sights include the Spianada and its Liston arcade, the Church of Saint Spyridon, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Palace of St Michael and St George, the Campiello quarter, and the Jewish quarter with the synagogue. The streets are filled with shops selling kumquat liqueur, olive-wood products and local sweets, as well as cafes and tavernas serving dishes such as pastitsada and sofrito. Visitors can follow the lanes without a fixed plan, stopping at squares such as Kremasti and Agios Nikolaos, and climbing to viewpoints on the fortress walls. Good photographs include the narrow lanes with laundry, the view of the Old Port from the New Fortress and the Liston arches in the evening. A visit can last from a half day to a full day, depending on how many museums and fortresses are included. The Old Town is busiest at midday, when cruise-ship passengers fill the lanes between about 10:00 and 16:00, and in the late evening when diners and strollers arrive. Early morning and early evening are calmer and cooler. Most shops and museums close in the mid-afternoon on Sundays. The area is pedestrian and can be reached on foot from the port or the Spianada.