The Rough Guide to Corfu 1 (Rough Guide Mini Guides) - Softcover

Edwards, Nick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843530384 ISBN 13: 9781843530381

Publisher: Rough Guides, 2003

Synopsis

INTRODUCTION

Dangling off the northwest coast of mainland Greece, at the point where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea, the lush green sickle of Corfu (Kérkyra) is the closest Greek island to Italy and almost brushes against Albania to the north. Historically, the island has always been on the margins of mainstream Greek history and at the mercy of northern invaders, whose cultures, particularly those of the Venetians and the British, fused with that of the island. Although not the largest of the Ionian Islands, it has long been the cultural heart of the group and the best known to foreigners, especially as it was one of the first Greek destinations to attract large numbers from abroad.

Corfu has some of the best beaches in the archipelago – no fewer than 33 of them were awarded blue flags in 2002 – with idyllic bays that still retain echoes of the "delectable landscape" Lawrence Durrell described in Prospero’s Cell. In the last decade islanders have worked hard to dispel the questionable reputation Corfu earned with the coming of mass tourism in the Sixties. Although there are a couple of destinations on the island where visitors still come to party hard, the majority of the resorts are relaxed, family-friendly affairs. These days you are as likely to meet someone visiting Corfu on a hiking holiday, or renting a villa, as holiday-makers on all-inclusive packages. Even the busiest resorts are only a few minutes’ walk away from quieter coastline and the interior. A little exploration further afield soon reveals authentic villages and unspoilt rural areas, where agriculture – the other mainstay of the island’s economy – thrives.

Corfu is a holiday destination that people return to again and again; many northern Europeans have been coming to the island for twenty or thirty years. One of the reasons they return – beyond the landscape, the sunshine and some of the finest swimming and watersports in the Mediterranean – is the welcome extended at all but the largest resorts. The Corfiots’ friendliness and kindness to strangers – the quality of filoxenía – can still astonish with its generosity and grace.

About this title

About the Author

Nick Edwards started exploring Greece independently while studying the Classics and modern Greek at Oxford, and went on to spend a decade living in Athens, teaching and traveling widely in Greece, where he first visited Corfu in 1983. Edwards is a long-standing Rough Guide author and is the author of The Rough Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area, the coauthor of The Rough Guides' Athens Directions (with John Fisher), and a contributor to the Rough Guides to Greece and India.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHERE TO GO

The only real urban centre, Corfu Town, home to nearly half of the island s 108,000 population, was renovated for the 1994 EU summit and is now one of the most elegant island capitals in Greece, with indubitable charm and a number of cultural attractions, ranging from impressive forts to excellent museums and galleries. Transport on the island s bus system is cheap, reliable and will get you to almost every village or resort. The services radiate out from Corfu Town, and small change will get you to the furthermost points of the island inside an hour and a half.

The island s finest scenery is in the northeast, along the coast between Barbáti and Kassiópi, where neat pebbly coves are tucked into a verdant mountain backdrop, and in the northwest, with towering cliffs and wide sandy bays such as Áyios Yeóryios Pagón. The north of the island is dominated by the bulk of Mount Pandokrátor, where foothills and summits offer great walks and even better views. Grouped in a triangle of dots off the northwest coast, Corfu s three inhabited satellite islands invite day-trips or, alternatively, make a great base for independent travellers with time on their hands. The centre and south is less hilly and more verdant: the lush farmland of the Ropa plain, which extends south from just below the resort of Paleokastrítsa, is the island s fruit (and vegetable) basket. The central west coast conceals one of the island s most picturesque beaches in Myrtiótissa, as well as Corfu s only inland resort, atmospheric Pélekas. Finally, the south has two distinct sides: narrow stony beaches and a few hidden beauty spots like Boúkari face the mainland, while the southwest-facing coast is backed by verdant countryside and features some of the best sandy beaches on the island, especially the twelve-kilometre stretch south from the Korissíon lagoon, a haven for waterfowl, to Ayía Varvára. Resorts for nightlife include Kassiópi, Sidhári, Ípsos and, notoriously, Kávos, still a favourite with teenage ravers. If you re on a tight schedule, spend a day in Corfu Town, move north to the vicinity of Kalámi, Kouloúra and Áyios Stéfanos, and then pick a spot on the west coast.

WHEN TO GO

If you can, it s best to avoid Corfu in late July and most of August, when holidaying Greeks and, to a lesser extent, Italians descend en masse to supplement the more steady flow of northern Europeans. Accommodation becomes scarce during this high season, and prices soar along with the temperatures. June and early September are just as good for those concerned about fine weather in fact, recent years have seen a number of fairly unstable high summers, with rainy Augusts followed by stunning Septembers and Octobers. In June, the sea has usually warmed up enough to make swimming a joy; in September it can be as warm as a bath.

The shoulder seasons of May, September and October are the times for bargain flights and packages, and, though you may risk short spells of inclement weather, they are arguably the best times to visit. In May many spring flowers are still in bloom, and villages and villagers alike are fresh from the winter. In late September and early October you can be blessed with fine weather, warm seas and almost no other visitors. However, bargain package deals in these low-season periods should be carefully scrutinized: some remote resorts close down early, leaving those without the wherewithal to rent transport with precious little choice for food and entertainment.

Early May and late October mark the beginning and end of charter flights to the islands, although there s a mini winter season around Christmas and New Year. Outside these times you have to fly via Athens, but at least Corfu Town hotels are open all year and some persistent searching may unearth suitable accommodation elsewhere on the island. When the rafts of knick-knacks are packed away until next season, even the most developed resorts regain something of their prelapsarian charm, and Corfu Town, in particular, is at its best. The only bars or tavernas will be those the Greeks themselves use, which is usually the best recommendation at any time of the year. The winter months, November especially, see spectacular storms in the Ionian, yet it is possible to spend Christmas Day on the beach. Off-season travel is also the only way to catch the two biggest festivals of the year: pre-Lenten carnival, a Venetian tradition maintained with parades, parties and mischief; and Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated for a full week and can be an extremely moving experience.

Prevailing northwesterly winds affect the whole island, commonly rising in the afternoon, occasionally developing into the refreshing maestro, which can blow for three days or more in summer. These winds make Corfu ideal for yachting holidays and watersports, but can render beaches at exposed resorts hellish. The island also has some micro-climates: most notably, storms that gang up on Mount Pandokrátor, particularly in low and shoulder seasons, and douse the northeast but often miss the flatter south altogether. The climate figures given below are official averages for Corfu, though the record wet summer of 2002 certainly washed the zero rainfall figures down the drain.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843530384
• ISBN 13: 9781843530381
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352