Corfu Old Fortress

What it is

The Old Fortress occupies the rocky peninsula that closes Corfu town on the east, facing the Spianada. Its two peaks, koryfi in Greek, gave the town its name: Koryfo, from which Corfu comes. The Byzantines first fortified the eastern peak, the Old Castle or Sea Tower. The Venetians, from the 15th century, dug the moat that turned the peninsula into an artificial island, fortified the western peak, the Land Tower, and reinforced the whole complex.

It worked: the fortress withstood three Ottoman sieges and was never taken. Its worst destruction came not from the Turks but from the explosion of the Old Castle's powder magazine in 1718, which killed hundreds of people and flattened almost all the buildings. It then passed through French, Russian, British, Italian and German hands, and after the Asia Minor catastrophe it sheltered refugee families. It is run by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corfu.

What you see inside

Before going in, on the Spianada, the statue of Count von der Schulenburg, by the sculptor Antonio Corradini, who defended Corfu in the siege of 1716, the last Venetian victory against the Ottomans. Then you cross the bridge over the sea moat and pass the main gate.

Inside:

• The church of Saint George, of 1840, in Georgian style, built as an Anglican church during the British protectorate and later Orthodox, with an iconostasis brought from Saint Spyridon.
• The British barracks and the Venetian prisons.
• The Latin chapel of Our Lady of Carmel, from the early 17th century.
• The winged lion of Saint Mark on the half-moon of the Land Tower.
• The summit: climb to the highest point. On one side you have the Ionian Sea; on the other, the rooftops of the old town.

If you hear music, do not be surprised: the old British officers' barracks houses the Music Department of the Ionian University. Other buildings hold the Corfu Historical Archive, the Public Library and the Byzantine Collection.

Opening hours

• 1 April to 31 August: 8:00 to 20:00.
• September: until 19:30 in the first half and until 19:00 in the second.
• October: until 18:30 in the first half and until 18:00 in the second.
• 1 November to 31 March: 8:30 to 15:30.

Open every day; last entry is 20 minutes before closing. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday and 25 and 26 December.

Tickets

General admission costs €10 and reduced €5. Buy at the box office or online on the Hellenic Heritage ticketing website. It is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October and the first and third Sunday of each month from November to March.

Getting there

On foot, it is five minutes from the Spianada: if you stay in the old town, you need nothing more. By bus, blue line 2A stops at the Platia – Liston stop. By car it is about ten minutes from the airport and the port, but parking in the centre is difficult: better leave the car outside and walk in.

How long and tips

Allow an hour and a half or two hours to walk round unhurried and climb to the summit. There are slopes, stairs and uneven stone floors; with a pushchair you see the lower part, but not the summit. In summer go early or late to avoid the midday heat.

It fits into the same day as the stroll through the old town, the Liston and the Spianada. If you stay for lunch, Rex is in the centre, beside the Liston.