Must-see attractions in Ionian Islands

  • CORFU,GREECE-APIRL 16,2019 : Tourists walking around Palaio Frourio in corfu city; Shutterstock ID 1545626501; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi
1545626501

    Palaio Frourio

    Corfu Town

    The rocky headland that juts east from Corfu Town is topped by the Venetian-built 14th-century Palaio Frourio. Before that, already enclosed within…

  • Corfu Museum of Asian Art

    Corfu Town

    Home to stunning artefacts ranging from prehistoric bronzes to works in onyx and ivory, this excellent museum occupies the central portions of the Palace…

  • Petani Beach

    Kefallonia

    The highlight of the Paliki Peninsula is breathtaking Petani Beach, a spectacular strand of white sand and pebble that’s enough to entice a jaded mermaid…

  • Byzantine Museum

    Zakynthos

    This magnificent museum of ecclesiastical art is housed in a beautifully restored building on the central waterfront plaza. Almost everything here was…

  • Achilleion Palace

    Corfu Town

    Set atop a steep coastal hill 12km south of Corfu Town, the Achilleion Palace was built during the 1890s as the summer palace of Austria's empress…

  • Kastro

    Kythira

    Crowning the rocky headland that soars at the southern end of Hora, this tumble-down 14th-century fortress was built by Kythira’s first Venetian governor…

  • Myrtos Beach

    Kefallonia

    From the road that zigzags down to it, you'll understand why Myrtos is touted as one of the most breathtaking beaches in all of Greece. From afar it's…

  • Myrtiotissa Beach

    Corfu

    Writer Lawrence Durrell hailed Myrtiotissa as arguably the best beach in the world. Now dominated by nudists, it remains relatively pristine because it’s…

  • Palace of St Michael and St George Corfu

    Palace of St Michael & St George

    Corfu Town

    Beyond the northern end of the Spianada, the smart Regency-style Palace of St Michael and St George was built by the British from 1819 onwards, to house…

  • Liston, a pedestrian street with arcaded terraces and fashionable cafes in the western edge of Spianada Square in the center of the city.

    Liston

    Corfu Town

    Corfu Town owes the elegant, photogenic Liston, the arcade that lines the northern half of the Spianada, to neither the Venetians nor the British but to…

  • Aerial drone bird's eye view photo of iconic historical small island of Vidos a few nautical miles away from Corfu old town, Corfu island, Ionian, Greece; Shutterstock ID 1201132525; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Vidos Island

    Corfu Town

    Hourly boats from the Old Port make the 10-minute crossing to tiny, thickly wooded Vidos Island (€4 return), immediately offshore. The island is the final…

  • Colourful rooftop view, Corfu Town, Corfu, Greece

    Church of Agios Spyridon

    Corfu Town

    Pilgrims and day-trippers alike throng this Old Town landmark. As well as magnificent frescoes, the small 16th-century basilica holds the remains of Corfu…

  • Shipwreck Beach Viewpoint

    Zakynthos

    The most dramatic sight along the west coast is magnificent Shipwreck Beach. A favourite of Instagrammers travelling through the Greek islands, the beach…

  • Mon Repos Estate

    Corfu Town

    This park-like wooded estate 2km around the bay south of the Old Town was the site of Corfu’s most important ancient settlement, Palaeopolis. More…

  • Church of St Dionysios

    Zakynthos

    Devoted to Zakynthos' patron saint, the Church of St Dionysios (1948; rebuilt following the 1953 earthquake) stands at the southern end of the waterfront,…

  • Moni Agiou Gerasimou

    Kefallonia

    Dedicated to Kefallonia’s patron saint, Moni Agiou Gerasimou is maintained by nuns. The large complex contains pretty gardens, a big, modern church and a…

  • Corfu Living History

    Corfu Town

    This town house has been remodelled to illustrate the daily lives of a fictitious merchant family from the mid-19th century. Enthusiastic guides make the…

  • Agios Georgios Kastro

    Kefallonia

    This 16th-century Venetian castle enjoys stellar views from atop a conspicuous pyramid-shaped hill 7km southeast of Argostoli. Kefallonia's capital for…

  • Antivouniotissa Museum

    Corfu Town

    Home to an outstanding collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons and artefacts, the exquisite, timber-roofed Church of Our Lady of Antivouniotissa…

  • Erimitis Beach

    Ionian Islands

    At the foot of huge cliffs on the west coast of Paxi, Ermitis is about as dramatic as beaches come. The waters sparkle in a surreal, almost unnatural blue…

  • Municipal Art Gallery I

    Corfu Town

    Make the effort to find this gallery – it's entered from the exterior on the eastern side of the Palace of St Michael and St George. You’ll be rewarded…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Corfu Town

    Built in the 1960s, Corfu Town’s Archaeological Museum has finally reopened after nearly a decade of renovations. The result of this work is a modern and…

  • Logothetis Organic Farm

    Zakynthos

    The 80-hectare Logothetis farm produces purely organic olive oils (some flavoured with orange, lemon and other fruits) as well as olive-oil products. You…

  • Monastery of St George

    Zakynthos

    In an evocative clifftop site, the Monastery of St George has an interior covered in faded frescoes. The strange tower at the centre of the complex was…

  • Egremni Beach

    Lefkada

    Long famed as one of the best beaches in Greece, remote Egremni was devastated by an earthquake in 2015. Both the road that ran to the clifftop above it…

  • Neo Frourio

    Corfu Town

    The forbidding Neo Frourio is in fact only a little younger than the Old Fort across town. Surrounded by massive walls that crown the low hill at the…

  • Kastro

    Zakynthos

    A ruined Venetian fortress sits atop the wooded slope that looms over the town centre. Reached by a steep but enjoyable 15-minute hike or a circuitous 2…

  • Moni Faneromenis

    Lefkada

    Set in beautiful hilltop gardens 3km west of town towards Agios Nikitas, Moni Faneromenis was founded in 1634 and rebuilt following a fire in 1886. The…

  • Drogarati Cave

    Kefallonia

    A popular stop for round-island coach tours, Drogarati Cave is a natural cavern hollowed into the hillside 4km south of Sami. A short, steep stairway…

  • Fortress of Agia Mavra

    Lefkada

    Guarding Lefkada at the start of the causeway, 1.4km from town, the Agia Mavra fortress was constructed in the 14th century and later expanded by the…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Lefkada

    This excellent museum, west along the waterfront in the modern cultural centre, illuminates island history from the Palaeolithic era to the Romans. Prize…

  • Moni Theotokou

    Corfu

    On the headland above Paleokastritsa's western end, this Orthodox monastery dates from the 13th century, although the current buildings are more recent…

  • Archaeological Museum of Kythira

    Kythira

    Hora’s impressive archaeological museum, beside the main road at the northern end of town, traces the history of ‘this small island’ in two rooms. Among…

  • Porto Katsiki

    Lefkada

    The once-spectacular beach at Porto Katsiki, near the island's southwestern corner, sustained major earthquake damage in 2015. As the debris washes away,…

  • Greek Orthodox Cathedral

    Corfu Town

    Corfu Town’s Greek Orthodox cathedral, or Mitropolis, stands atop a flight of steps leading from the Old Port. Festooned with huge chandeliers, its wide…

  • Gerakas Beach

    Zakynthos

    The best beach in the south, Gerakas is a strand of fine sand that faces the Bay of Laganas. It's also a crucial turtle-nesting site, so visitor numbers…

  • Municipal Art Gallery II

    Corfu Town

    At the eastern (seaward) end of the front terrace of the Palace of St Michael and St George, the Municipal Art Gallery II holds some fabulous exhibitions…

  • Cephalonia Botanica

    Argostoli

    This lovely botanical garden, designed for the study, preservation and display of the island's plants and herbs, is located 2km south of central Argostoli…

  • Lourdas Beach

    Kefallonia

    Attractive, expansive and busy white-pebble beach (sadly often largely covered in sunloungers!), set against a mountainous green backdrop. Just 16km…

  • Kathisma Beach

    Lefkada

    The captivating white-pebble beach of Kathisma is more easily accessed than many of Lefkada's west-coast beaches and so can get busy, but with scattered…