Kerkyra (
Corfu island) is the second largest of the Greek
Ionian islands (after
Kefalonia)
located off the west coast of
mainland Greece and Albania. It's one of the
greenest and loveliest of all the
Greek islands and was among the first to
attract package holidaymakers in the 1960s. For centuries illustrious writers
have been waxing lyrical about the island's considerable charms. The blind
poet Homer, one of the greatest writers of the ancient world, described it as
a "beautiful and rich land". Gerald and Lawrence Durrell encouraged the masses
to fall in love with the place with their best-selling books about life on
Kerkyra
island. And Shakespeare allegedly used Kerkyra as his inspiration for
The
Tempest.
Kerkyra island is without doubt one of the top holiday spots in the whole of
Greece and it's easy to see why.
Kerkyra offers brash, noisy seaside resorts where
you can party all night (and all day too if you're strong enough). There are
leisure and entertainment facilities galore but you don't have to travel far
to find unspoilt countryside, traditional villages, wonderful mountain walks
and secluded coves. The capital is one of the most beautiful of all the Greek
island towns and if you fancy playing Robinson Crusoe for a day or two you can
take a boat trip over to one of the Diapondia Islands off the north west coast
of
Kerkyra. The package holiday hordes arrive on cheap flights from northern
Europe (mainly the UK) at the island's international airport which is located just
outside the capital. Hourly ferries connect the island with the mainland port
of
Igoumenitsa (journey time one and three quarter hours) and international
ferries run regularly to and from Brindisi and Venice in Italy and the
Albanian port of Saranda.
