This walk in Old Corfu Town, or Campiello, takes you from the Liston through the narrow back streets and alleyways and should take about one to two hours.
One of the highlights of a visit to Corfu Town is a walk through the atmospheric streets of the old town, known as the Campiello, with its narrow alleyways, tall shuttered buildings, ornate balconies and steep stairways.
Start at the southern end of the Liston and walk west down Voulgareos Street. If it’s hot or wet, walk beneath the shopping arcades – they were built for protection from the weather. Silversmiths have traded along this street since Venetian times, and there are many jewellery stores.
Take the first left, just before the flags which mark the entrance to the Town Hall. This leads into Town Hall Square, also known as Plateía Demarchíou or M Theotoki Square. On the left is the Catholic cathedral. Paved terraces adorned with gardens and a fountain rise up the steps to the former archbishop’s palace, which now houses the Bank of Greece.
Leave the square on the other side of the Town Hall, cross over Voulgareos Street, and continue straight ahead on M Theotoki Street. Pass little Pinia Square with its replica Venetian well, and turn right on N Theotoki Street which leads to Iroon Square. The yellow church on the east side of the square is the Faneromenis Church, built in 1689. Its ornate interior is decorated with gilded wood and icons by Cretan painters.
Opposite is the Ionian Bank, home of the Banknote Museum. On the square’s south side is St John the Baptist church, Corfu’s former cathedral built in 1520. In the middle of the square is a statue of the politician G. Theotoki. You will have gathered by now that the Theotoki family was an important Corfu dynasty, with numerous streets named after different members.
Exit the square along the narrow street behind the statue to the left, and go up the steps and into the church of St Spyridon. Leave through the opposite door and turn left down Spyridon Street. At the end, turn left on Filarmonikis Street. See our full page on the Church of Saint Spyridon.
Cross N Theotoki and take the narrow street between the cigarette and grocery shops. Bear left and return to Pinia square. Turn right at the far end down Vrahlioti Street. It leads to tiny Evangelistrias Square, overlooked by a crumbling bell tower, all that remains of the 16th-century church of Evangelistrias.
Cross over the square and continue down Voulgareos again. Take the first right on Palaiologou Street, signposted to Spilia and the Jewish Community. Bear left after the flower bed, beside the little bakery, Rosy’s. This narrow street is lined with interesting shops and small cafés.
It is almost inevitable that you will get lost in the confusing warren of streets in the Old Town. Accept it as part of the experience. A compass would really help, as you are not always walking in the direction you might think you are. If confused, simply stop and ask a shopkeeper.
Just before the end, turn left on Solomou Street. On your right along here is a small square covered in café tables. At the far end is a moving monument to the 2,000 Jews of Corfu who perished in Nazi concentration camps in 1944. Solomou Street continues uphill past a pink church to the entrance to the New Fortress.
Walk back down Solomou to the end, where you turn left and immediately right down a tiny alley, Prosalendiou. Take the first right onto Alipiou, and bear right past the palm tree, walking uphill. Take the second left, at the top, onto Ag. Theodoras (unmarked), which leads to the top of the Cathedral steps.
Continue on Ag. Theodoras, past the front of the cathedral and swerving around the cafe tables of a small square. The second left, Komninon Street, takes you under a huge arch and up a flight of steps to Kremasti Square. Here you’ll find the delightful Venetian Well, and the restaurant named after it.
Beyond the well, take the first right turn back down to Ag. Theodoras, cross over and continue down Ag. Nikolaou. Ahead you can just see the top of the spire for St. Spyridon’s. When you reach a small square, turn right and immediately left down towards Dousmani.
When you reach the shops at the T-junction, turn right and go down the steps. At the bottom bear right down the shopping street and take the first left into Spyridon Street. This leads you back to Kapodistriou Street, where you turn right to return to the start of the walk.
You can download a PDF of this walk to print out and take with you by clicking here: