Corfu itinerary: five days of town, villages and sea
Five full days in Corfu, grouped by region: Old Town, Paleokastritsa, Kassiopi, Afionas and a southern day of olive oil and open landscapes.
Explore the Liston and Campiello, browse the central market and discover Corfiot cooking, with practical ideas for a day in the Old Town.
Coffee on the Liston, a walk through the market and a lunch of Corfiot home cooking: a visit to Corfu Old Town can easily fill a day. The fortress and historic buildings tell part of its story. Shops, kitchens and the streets between them tell the rest.
We suggest making time for three sides of the town: its history and culture, its market and local businesses, and its food. These are the places that bring each one into focus.
History and culture: from the fortress to Campiello
The Liston and Spianada: coffee overlooking the square
The Liston is the row of arcaded buildings beside Spianada Square. Its cafés face the open space, with the Old Fortress beyond. Start here to get your bearings before heading into the lanes.
The buildings date from French rule. Later, among the narrower streets, the contrast with this open stretch of town becomes striking.
Find the Liston on Google Maps
The Old Fortress: views and music
For a view over the town, visit the Old Fortress. Cross the bridge over the sea moat to a complex of walls and buildings from different periods. The columned façade of St George’s Church recalls a Greek temple.
There is another side to the site: the Ionian University’s Music Studies Department occupies part of the complex. Alongside its military history, the fortress has a present-day role in study and music. Reaching the upper viewpoint involves a climb and steps, so allow time and avoid the hottest part of a summer day.
Find the Old Fortress on Google Maps
Campiello and Kremasti Square: a walk through the neighbourhood
Campiello is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the Old Town. Tall buildings line narrow streets that open onto small squares. Look above the shop windows at balconies, shutters and the gaps between houses.
Kremasti Square, with its Venetian well, gives your walk a useful destination. From there, follow the surrounding lanes back towards the shopping streets without planning every turn.
Find Kremasti Square on Google Maps
The market and local businesses
The central market: come for the ingredients
Corfu’s market sits below the New Fortress. Stalls sell fish and seafood, vegetables, herbs, local products and traditional sweets. Even without shopping, there is plenty to notice: what is in season and which ingredients appear on several stalls.
We suggest visiting in the first part of the day. If your accommodation has a kitchen, you could pick up ingredients for a meal. Remember that fresh food needs appropriate storage if you plan to keep exploring afterwards.
Find the central market on Google Maps
Patounis: a working soap factory
Near San Rocco, on the edge of the Old Town, the Patounis family continues making soap in its historic factory at 9 Ioannou Theotoki Street.
The interest is in the craft: ingredients, equipment and work passed down through generations. The business publishes guided-visit arrangements on its website. Check and book ahead if you want to see the factory rather than just shop.
Where to eat in Corfu Old Town
Rouvas: a lunch of Greek home cooking
Rouvas is a family-run restaurant near the market area, serving Greek and Corfiot cooked dishes. It makes a useful lunch stop after a morning exploring this part of town.
Its website describes dishes including stuffed vegetables, moussaka and pastitsio. Ask which dishes have been prepared that day before choosing your meal.
Marina’s Taverna: Corfiot cooking and pies from Epirus
Marina’s Taverna is in the Spilia area and the old Jewish quarter. Greek Gastronomy Guide describes a kitchen combining Corfiot recipes, seasonal ingredients and pies from Epirus.
That connection with another region’s cooking gives the recommendation a particular focus. The guide mentions aubergine with cheese and basil, and sardines; ask what is available when you visit.
Find Marina’s Taverna on Google Maps
The Venetian Well: dinner on Kremasti Square
The Venetian Well faces the historic well on Kremasti Square. Consider it for a planned evening meal, with a contemporary menu and a wine list, after a day on foot.
The restaurant publishes menus and offers table reservations on its website. Look through the current dishes and prices before deciding whether it suits your evening.
Find The Venetian Well on Google Maps
What should you look for on the menu?
Pastitsada is one of Corfu’s characteristic dishes: meat slow-cooked in a spiced tomato sauce and served with pasta. Recipes vary, and the spice mixture is central to its flavour. It offers an introduction to the island’s cooking beyond the familiar Greek standards.
Papagiorgis: dessert on Nikiforou Theotoki Street
At 32 Nikiforou Theotoki, the family-run Papagiorgis patisserie has been serving sweets since 1924. It makes ice cream as well as cakes and confectionery.
Ask whether kumquat ice cream is available. You can also look for mandolato, an almond nougat, and mandoles, almonds coated in caramelised sugar.
Find Papagiorgis on Google Maps
How to arrange your visit
If the market is a priority, start there in the morning and have lunch nearby. Afterwards, explore Campiello and the Liston, with the Old Fortress later when the heat eases, subject to opening hours.
For an afternoon arrival, focus on the fortress, lanes and dinner. Save the market for another morning. You do not need to fit everything into one day: a good meal and time in the streets deserve room too.
More useful questions before you go
Are Corfu Old Town and Kerkyra the same place?
Kerkyra is the Greek name for Corfu Town. The Old Town is its historic centre, rather than a separate town. Maps may show Corfu Town, Kerkyra or Corfu Old Town; the last refers specifically to the historic area.
What can you do without visiting museums?
The Liston, Spianada, Campiello’s lanes and Kremasti Square provide several hours of walking, cafés and shopping. Add the central market for a morning visit. A museum visit is optional.
Which museum shows everyday life in the past?
Casa Parlante recreates the life of an affluent Corfiot family in the 19th century. Period furnishings, moving figures, sounds and scents bring the historic house to life. Consider it if you enjoy learning about a period through a household and its daily routines.
Find Casa Parlante on Google Maps
What is in the Museum of Asian Art?
The museum occupies the Palace of St Michael and St George at the northern end of Spianada. Its collections include art from China, Japan and other parts of Asia. It suits visitors who want an art collection beyond the island’s own history.
Can you combine the Old Town with a swim?
Faliraki is an urban bathing spot reached through St Nicholas Gate. Visitors sit on a short quay, with stone steps leading into the water. Keep that setting in mind and check sea conditions on the day.
Where can you learn about a local craft?
Patounis introduces visitors to the family’s soap-making tradition and production process. Check the business’s current tour arrangements if you want to visit the factory as well as the shop.
What local souvenirs should you look for?
Consider olive-oil soap from a local maker, kumquat products and almond sweets such as mandolato and mandoles. Check the producer and manufacturing location on the label if buying something made on Corfu matters to you.
Where can you buy ice cream and sweets in the Old Town?
Papagiorgis at 32 Nikiforou Theotoki sells ice cream, cakes and local confectionery. Ask about the day’s flavours; kumquat products and almond sweets also make purchases to take home.
For the rest of your trip, explore our Corfu destination guide.
Questions and answers
How long should you spend in Corfu Old Town?
We suggest at least half a day for a first visit, allowing time for the lanes, coffee and a meal. Set aside a full day if you also want the market, fortress and dinner. This is a planning recommendation; the time you need depends on your pace and interests.
Is morning or evening better for visiting Corfu Old Town?
Choose the morning if the market is part of your plan. Afternoon and evening suit a walk through the lanes, a café on the Liston and dinner. Check attraction opening hours if you also want to enter the fortress or a museum.
Where is Corfu’s market and what does it sell?
The central market is below the New Fortress. Stalls sell fish and seafood, vegetables, herbs, local products and traditional sweets. Visit in the morning, or shop for ingredients if your apartment or villa has a kitchen.
Where should you eat in Corfu Old Town?
Consider Rouvas near the market for Greek cooked dishes at lunch, Marina’s Taverna for Corfiot food and pies from Epirus, or The Venetian Well on Kremasti Square for a contemporary dinner and wine list. Check current menus before visiting.
What local food should you try in Corfu?
Try pastitsada: meat slow-cooked in a spiced tomato sauce and served with pasta. For something sweet, look for kumquat confectionery, almond mandolato or caramelised almonds called mandoles. Ask at Papagiorgis whether kumquat ice cream is available.
Does the Old Fortress visit involve steps and a climb?
Yes. Reaching the upper viewpoint involves a climb and steps. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. You can explore other parts without going all the way up, but visitors who need an accessible route should confirm access arrangements in advance.
Do you need a ticket to enter Corfu Old Town?
There is no admission ticket for the Old Town itself. Its streets, lanes and squares can be explored freely. Individual attractions, including the Old Fortress and museums, have their own tickets and opening hours.
Do you need a car to explore Corfu Old Town?
You do not need a car for the Old Town visit itself. Plan to explore the Liston, squares and shopping lanes on foot. Getting there from your accommodation is a separate question and depends on where you are staying.
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