Corfu in 2 days
The first day is the town and the fortress on foot, the second is zone A by bus to Mon Repos and Kanoni, then zone B to the Achilleion.
- Old Fortress
- €6, a visit takes 1 h 30–2 h
- Mon Repos
- €10, 8.30–15.30, closed Tuesday
- The Achilleion
- €7, 1 Apr–31 Oct: 8–20
Two days on Corfu rest on two sets of opening hours and one closing day. Mon Repos and the Museum of Asian Art are closed on the same day, Tuesday, and from November to March the Achilleion closes at 4 p.m., so the order of the second day turns round. The first day is spent entirely in town, on foot; the second goes south on the city bus.
All on foot, from the Spianada
The Old Fortress at opening, while there is still shade. Entry €6, a visit takes 1 h 30–2 h. The Contrafossa canal stays behind you: it is what the Venetians used to cut the fortress off from the town.
The Spianada and the Liston, then into the kantounia, the narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town. Lunch goes here, without vehicles and without a clock.
The Museum of Asian Art, in the Palace of St Michael and St George of 1818–1823. It holds more than 11,000 objects from China, Japan, India, the Himalayas and Central Asia, and follows seasonal hours (1 Apr–31 Oct: 8–20; 1 Nov–31 Mar: 8.30–15.30), closing at 3.30 in winter; entry €10.
Back to the Liston. Dinner is on the same stretch, in the streets behind it.
By bus, zone A first, then zone B
Mon Repos, on the zone A bus, €1.30. The villa was built between 1828 and 1831 by the British High Commissioner Frederick Adam. The ground floor holds objects of the British administration, the upper floor finds from Palaiopolis. Entry €10, open 8.30–15.30.
Kanoni, on the same line. From the lookout you see Pontikonisi, an islet with a Byzantine chapel of Christ Pantokrator; the ashes of Gerald Durrell and his sister Margaret were scattered around it. Entry free.
The Achilleion, in the village of Gastouri, on the zone B bus (€1.80). Entry €7; open 1 Apr–31 Oct: 8–20; 1 Nov–31 Mar: 8–16, daily.
In winter the second day turns round
From November to March the Achilleion closes at 4 p.m., while Mon Repos closes at 3.30 all year. So in winter you start with the Achilleion, around 8, while both palaces are open. Mon Repos and Kanoni follow, on the zone A bus.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Can you see Corfu in two days?
The town, the Old Fortress, Mon Repos, Kanoni and the Achilleion fit into two days without rushing. The coves of the north-west and Paxos need a third.
What is closed on Tuesdays?
Mon Repos, and from November to March the Museum of Asian Art. The Old Fortress, the Achilleion and Kanoni have no closing day.
How do you get to the Achilleion?
By city bus, zone B, €1.80. Entry is €7, and it is open 1 Apr–31 Oct: 8–20; 1 Nov–31 Mar: 8–16, daily.
Ready for Corfu?
Where to next
Day trips from Corfu
→Glyfada, Paleokastritsa with Angelokastro and Sidari by land, Paxos and Saranda by sea — from nearest to…
Zagori · 80 km
→Stone villages and a gorge that holds a Guinness record
How well does Corfu suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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