Corfu

Corfu, or Kerkyra, is the greenest and most cosmopolitan of the Ionian islands, lying just off the north-west coast of Greece opposite Albania. Ruled for centuries by Venice — and later by France and Britain — it escaped Ottoman rule and grew up looking west. The legacy is everywhere: in cricket on the esplanade, in ginger beer, and above all in an old town of tall Venetian houses and shaded arcades unlike anywhere else in the country.

Corfu Town is the island's centrepiece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, wedged between two fortresses with the elegant Liston arcade and Spianada square at its heart. Its narrow kantounia hide churches, cafés and washing strung between shuttered façades. It is one of the most rewarding old towns in Greece simply to wander.

Beyond the capital, the island is remarkably lush, its hills carpeted in a reputed four million olive trees and dark cypresses. The north-west coast around Paleokastritsa is the classic image of Corfu: cliffs, monasteries and clear coves. The south is flatter and sandier, while the Achilleion Palace and the postcard islet views at Kanoni sit close to town.

Corfu is also easy to reach, which shapes its character. Ferries hop across from Igoumenitsa on the mainland in well under two hours, and the airport sits beside the town, so weekend and package traffic runs heavy in summer. Yet quiet corners survive in the mountainous interior and the far north around Mount Pantokrator.

The island is at its loveliest in late spring, when greenery peaks, and in early autumn, when the sea stays warm and the resorts calm down. Corfiot cooking leans on its Venetian past — try sofrito, pastitsada and bourdeto. Three or four days is enough for the town and a stretch of coast; a week lets you slow down and explore the villages.