Most of the previous reviewers visited Corfu as a day trip from Albania or arrived directly by plane. This is reasonable, as the Old Town of Corfu is a remote site for WHS travelers in Greece. For a long time, it was the only WHS in the northwest, the sites in Albania are much closer. But since Zagori Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the list in 2023, more visitors may be heading to Corfu from mainland Greece.

I visited Corfu as a day trip from Ioannina. I left Ioannina early in the morning by rental car to catch the first ferry from Igoumenitsa at 7am. The drive to Igoumenitsa takes an hour, the ferry to Corfu takes about an hour and twenty minutes. I left my car at the large free parking lot right next to the ferry port, very convenient. It seemed that I was the only day tourist on this first ferry in the morning, otherwise only a few campers and some backpackers. The majority of the vehicles were vans and trucks.

The visit to the Corfu WHS actually begins on the ferry ride as soon as the eastern tip of the peninsula with the Old Fortress comes into view. The ferry sails towards the Old Fortress (photo) and then along the north side of the core zone to the landing stage.
I enjoyed my first walk through the old town early in the morning. There were only a few people around, the shops on Nikiforou Theotki had not yet opened, no displays of postcards, sunglasses and other merchandise on the street and under the arcades. The old town has a very Italian flair, the Venetian influence is visible, as are British and French elements such as the neoclassical Palace of St. Michael and St. George and the buildings on the Liston.
Examples of Ottoman architecture are missing, as Corfu was able to successfully ward off all attacks by the Ottoman Empire. This is mainly due to the two Venetian fortresses that watch over the old town. Climbing to the top of both the Old and the New Fortress is worthwhile, not only because of the fortifications, but mainly for the beautiful views of the old town, the coast and the opposite fortress.
But my real highlight was the labyrinth of narrow alleys with its countless small churches. I like it when at least parts of such old towns are still inhabited by locals despite the crowds of visitors. In Corfu, this is particularly true for the south-west corner of the core zone, south of Nikiforou Theotki street and west of the town hall. Even if this means that some buildings are run-down and in poor condition, it is still better than historic town centres turning into pure museum towns. One eyesore is Spaniada Square, or more precisely the part used as a parking lot. In my opinion the core zone of such a WHS should be closed to car traffic.

The area around the Central Market, just outside the core zone, is also worth exploring. Here you will find normal shops, different from the souvenir shops in the centre. As an example, I would mention the Patounis' Soap Factory, the olive oil soap is a nice souvenir. But I would not recommend the olive oil from Corfu, even though the island is full of olive trees. As I learned from a colleague in Ioannina, almost all of the oil production is shipped to Italy, where it is mixed with other low-quality olive oil and sold as "extra virgin" without a protected designation of origin. The stuff that fills the shelves of our supermarkets. There are certainly producers of high-quality olive oil on Corfu, but you first have to find these exceptions.

All in all, my day trip to Corfu was very enjoyable, even though or rather because the Old Town of Corfu is atypical for a Greek city centre.