As a quick getaway for the long Ascension weekend, I jumped on a plane to Corfu. My original plan had been to travel cross-country from Corfu to Skopje. When this didn’t pan out due to travel times, I shortened my trip and visited Corfu and the neighboring sites in Albania.

Corfu has a nice old town and a great Mediterranean fortification. It exceeds what you will find in the Venetian Works of Defence inscription being a Venetian fortification itself. You will find the Venetian lion adorning its fortification walls. It’s not, though, on the scale of Vallletta. But honestly, what could be? With Malta, it shares a British past. You will find several British buildings scattered around town.

While you can roam the city for a few hours, I am hard pressed to name a true highlight. In summary, Corfu is nice enough, but not great.

Getting There

Several low budget carriers and charter airlines serve Corfu. Corfu is a standard package holiday destination, so you may find cheap flights. In my case, the flight stayed flat at €150 until the day I flew. I know, because jokingly I asked a friend if he wanted to jump onboard to Corfu the same day. From the airport, you can walk to the old town. There are also buses or cabs if you have luggage are staying somewhere else on the island.

Alternatively, you can arrive by ferry from Albania or Greece. If you are traveling to Albania (you should), note that Albania is in a different time zone and outside of the EU. While the border guards won’t give you much hassle, the roaming charges are exponentially higher.

While You Are There

The island is popular with package holiday tourists. There are plenty of beaches to explore. You can also board the ferry to Albania (Saranda) and visit Gjirokaster or Butrint. Personally, though, I found Albania much more enticing than Greece and would recommend doing Corfu as a day trip.

Disclaimer and Rant

By now, I have been multiple times to Greece. If you haven't noticed: I am not a fan. Prices are substantially higher than in Spain or Italy. And the infrastructure, the overall level of organization and services are worse. In addition, I hate Greek food and can only stand it for a few days.