Rainy Day in Corfu? 9 Things to Do in Corfu Town
Corfu gets far more rain than most Greek islands. That's why it's so green, and it's also why some days, mostly in spring and autumn, the beach simply isn't an option. Strong wind can do the same in high summer: when there are red flags on the west coast and the east side is packed, it can be easier to give the sea a day off.
Corfu Town is the answer. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the main sights are within a 15-minute walk of each other, and most of them have a roof. Here are nine of them, in an order that works as a walk from the Archaeological Museum, through the Old Town, to coffee on the Liston.
1. Archaeological Museum
The museum's star is the Gorgon pediment, carved around 590–580 BC for the Temple of Artemis just south of town and one of the oldest stone temple pediments in Greece. The Gorgon Medusa stands in the middle, several metres high, flanked by her children and two crouching panthers.
The museum reopened in 2018 after years of renovation. The rest of the collection comes from ancient Korkyra, the city that stood on the Kanoni peninsula, and you can see it all in an hour.
Good to know: It's on Garitsa Bay, a short walk south of the Esplanade. State museums keep shorter hours from November to March, so check the times before you go.
Open Archaeological Museum in Google Maps →2. Palace of St Michael and St George
The British built this neoclassical palace at the north end of the Esplanade between 1819 and 1824, when the Ionian Islands were a British protectorate. Today it houses the Museum of Asian Art, Greece's only museum of its kind, with Chinese porcelain, Japanese prints and screens, and art from India, Tibet and Southeast Asia.
The state rooms are worth seeing on their own, and the Municipal Art Gallery in the east wing shows Corfiot painting.
Good to know: From April to October the museum opens daily, 08:00–20:00; from November to March, 08:30–15:30 and closed on Tuesdays.
Open Palace of St Michael and St George in Google Maps →3. Corfu Reading Society
Across the road from the palace, up an outside staircase, the Reading Society has been meeting since 1836, which makes it the oldest cultural institution in modern Greece. Its library holds more than 35,000 books, maps and engravings, some from the 16th century.
It's a quiet, old-fashioned place, and the short guided tour of the building is a good way to understand the island's Venetian and British past.
Good to know: Tours in English run at 11:00. Book ahead by email or phone; the details are on the Society's website.
Open Corfu Reading Society in Google Maps →4. Antivouniotissa Museum
A 15th-century church above the old harbour holds one of the finest collections of icons in Greece. Most of the roughly 90 icons are by painters of the Cretan school, such as Michael Damaskinos and Emmanuel Tzanes, who stopped in Corfu on their way to Venice.
The church itself, with its carved and gilded ceiling and wooden screen, is half the reason to come. It's small and calm, a good place to wait out a downpour.
Good to know: Look for the stairway up from Arseniou Street on the seafront. It closes in the afternoon outside summer.
Open Antivouniotissa Museum in Google Maps →5. Old Fortress
The Venetians turned this rocky headland into a fortress cut off from the town by a sea moat. Inside are tunnels, barracks and the Church of St George, which the British built in the form of a Greek temple.
Much of it is outdoors, so save it for a dry spell between showers. The climb to the top is short and the view over the town, the bay and the Albanian mountains is the best in Corfu, especially when storm clouds are breaking up.
Good to know: Below its walls on the north side is Faliraki, the town's swimming spot, with a café on the rocks.
Open Old Fortress in Google Maps →6. Church of Saint Spyridon
The red-domed bell tower is the tallest in the Ionian Islands and the easiest landmark in the Old Town. Inside lie the relics of Saint Spyridon, the island's patron saint, who Corfiots believe saved the town from plague and from the Ottoman siege of 1716.
The painted ceiling, the silver lamps and the steady stream of locals lighting candles make it one of the most atmospheric places on the island. Four times a year the saint is carried through the streets in procession.
Good to know: Entry is free. Cover your shoulders and knees, and keep your voice down: it's a working church.
Open Church of Saint Spyridon in Google Maps →7. Casa Parlante
The talking house is a 19th-century aristocratic home where animated figures act out a day in the life of a Corfiot noble family, with sound, light and even smells from the kitchen.
It's done with a sense of humour and is the best rainy-day choice with children. The visit is a guided tour of about half an hour.
Good to know: It's at Nikiforou Theotoki 16, just off the Liston, and usually opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00.
Open Casa Parlante in Google Maps →8. Shopping in the Old Town
The kantounia, the narrow Venetian alleys of the Old Town, are a good place to be when it rains, because the tall houses shelter you. Nikiforou Theotoki is the main shopping street; the lanes around it are full of small shops.
Look for things made on the island: kumquat liqueur and sweets (Corfu is one of the few places in Europe where kumquats are grown), olive-wood bowls and boards made from the island's old trees, olive oil and local honey.
Good to know: Mavromatis has made kumquat liqueur since 1933 and has shops in town. For food, the central market by the New Fortress is busiest in the morning; bring cash.
Open Shopping in the Old Town in Google Maps →9. Coffee on the Liston, then a long lunch
The Liston is the arcaded terrace along the Esplanade, built under French rule in the early 1800s and modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Under the arches you stay dry with a coffee or a ginger beer, Corfu's own soft drink, while the rain falls on the cricket pitch in front.
A rainy day is also the perfect excuse for a long taverna lunch. Ask for the Corfiot dishes: sofrito (veal in garlic and wine sauce), pastitsada (spiced beef or rooster with pasta) and bourdeto (spicy fish stew).
Good to know: Liston cafés charge for the view. For lunch, walk a few lanes back into the Old Town, where tavernas are cheaper and fuller of locals.
Open Coffee on the Liston, then a long lunch in Google Maps →