Sightseeing in Corfu   by Harry Lawrance

If you will be visiting Corfu on holiday this summer and fancy taking a break from the beaches and the bars, you will find there is plenty on offer to see and do. This is a guide to some of the most popular places of interest in Corfu for holiday makers...

If you are embarking on your first holiday in Corfu, Corfu town should probably be your first port of call. Corfu town is the commercial and cultural centre for the Corfiots and is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets. The town is dominated by a sixteenth-century fortress which offers splendid views over Corfu town. The shops found in Corfu town are diverse and plentiful with many of the shops selling good value jewellery, local ceramics, leather goods and sculptures crafted from olive wood. Also worth a visit in Corfu town is the striking Saint Spiridons church, where the mummified remains of Corfu's patron saint Spiridon lie, with the exception of the four occasions during the year when his remains are paraded around Corfu town. Holiday makers visiting the church must dress respectfully and it is essential that women keep their shoulders covered and men wear t-shirts.

One of Corfu's top attractions for holiday makers is the Achillion Palace, situated in the village of Gastouri in Eastern Corfu. Built in 1890 in the architectural style of Pompeii, Achillion was constructed as a summer palace for the Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The palace is an impressive, picturesque building both inside and out and features perfectly landscaped gardens filled with artistically sculpted statues of the Greek Gods. The palace is also famous as being the birthplace of Prince Phillip and appearing in the James Bond film, 'For Your Eyes Only'.

On the west side of the island you will find Paleokastritsa, considered one of the most beautiful spots in Corfu. The area consists of six bays surrounded by steep cliffs and it is possible to hire a boat to explore the sea caves surrounding the bays. The seventeenth-century monastery built on the headland is one of the main attractions of the area and visitors should be sure to venture inside to view the famous ceiling carving of the 'tree of life'. Again, visitors should ensure they are appropriately dressed. Around the headland you will find the Marina which will be of particular interest for the nautically inclined as it draws some extremely lavish yachts in the summer months.

The highest point on the island, Mount Pantokrator in the north east is nearly one thousand metres tall. If you have arranged car hire for your holiday, you can drive to the summit to enjoy the views over the whole of Corfu, with Albania and Italy both visible on a clear day. The road leading to the top of the mountain passes through the village of Strinalas which is well worth stopping in. At the peak you will find Pantokrator monastery, rebuilt in the seventeenth-century on the site of an older Angevin monastery.