In ancient mythology, Poseidon, the god of the sea, fell in love with and abducted the beautiful nymph Korkyra to Corfu. Today the main town, Kerkyra, still carries her name.

The island of Corfu offers so much more than the 18-30’s image that may immediately come to mind. After all, this beautiful island was the birthplace of Prince Phillip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, in 1921 at the Villa Mon Repos. It is also the capital of cricket in Greece, with an oval and full scale cricket ground in the centre of Kerkyra square.

At night, the town is a magical sight of amber-lit Venetian architecture, the Saint Spyridon church tower and many monuments. The shops, restaurants, tavernas and bars buzz until well past midnight with people of all ages from children to grandparents, making for a lively, chaotic yet intimate atmosphere. The locals are friendly and the restaurant owners welcome tourists from all over the world. A must see is the breathtaking and intoxicating, uninterrupted view over the sea front, the Old Fortress, port and the old town experienced on the rooftop bar and restaurant of the Cavalieri Hotel. Succulent local dishes and fresh seafood are offered and can be enjoyed with a glass of your favourite local wine. The chocolate cake dessert completes the divine experience.

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By Anastasia Paphitis

There are not really mentionable ancient objects to be studied in Gythio. From its ancient past, only a small Roman theatre was left by an earthquake that destroyed the city in the 4th century. So, every visitor is free to just enjoy the Greek life of the present.

Gythio is protected by spurs of the mighty Taygetos mountain range. Its highest "Profitis Ilias", with 2.407 m the highest mountain on the whole Peloponese, makes a marvellous background scene. From November to May, the snow-white peaks are a magnificent sight behind the deep blue sea.

A little island called "Kranai" and connected with the mainlaind by a short dam, protects the port of Gythio town from the open sea. It is a beautiful place with pine-trees and an ideal view-point to overlook the gulf towards the Parnon mountain range in the east and Taygetos in the north-west. As it is reported by Homer, the island was the first refuge of Helen and Paris on their journey to Troy. According to the myth, Paris forgot his helmet on the islet as he was leaving - hence its name, since in Greek a helmet is calles "kranos". An interesting site on Kranai is the restored Tzannetakis Tower, a Maniot fortress-residence belonging to the Tzannetakis-Grigorakis families. It was donated to the state and currently houses the History and Ethnology Museum of Mani. Also worth visiting are the chapel of Agios Petros and the octagonal lighthouse of 22 m height, built in 1873 of tenarian marble.

There are many beaches around of Gythio and the largest one is Mavrovouni-beach. Because of its length of several kilometers it will never get crowded - just during the first half of August, when nearly all Greek people are on holiday, it may become a little more lively. In the afternoon, usually a perfect wind for wind-surfing will raise, and you can also hire a board and take lessons by the "Ocean Cafe". Mavrovouni beach is one of the favourite places for the "caretta-caretta" sea turtles to lay their eggs in the sand. The nests are surveyed and protected of the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece called ARCHELON.

In 2007 the beach of Mavrovouni was awarded the BLUE FLAG. The Blue Flag award is both based on all the bathing water quality results of the previous year and of the current year of the award. This means that only beaches with excellent bathing water quality standards in the previous year will be eligible for the Blue Flag award.

Source: Insidemani.gr

The city of Chania is built on the area of Minoan Kidonia, at the end of the homonym gulf between Akrotiri and Onicha peninsulas. It was the former capital city of Crete (from 1847 until 1972). Nowadays, it is the second largest city of Crete after Heraklion and capital of the homonym prefecture.

Chania includes the old and new city. It is one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities in Greece and for food lovers, it's a paradise!

Get familiar with the city of Chania by wandering around in its streets, visiting its museums and admiring the different architectural styles presenting the historical route of the city.

After Arabs and Byzantines it was conquered by Venetians in 1252 and was given to Turks in 1669, later it was annexed to the rest of the Greek State on December 1913 under the administration of Eleftherios Venizelos and King Konstantinos the 1st. The old town is an integral settlement with visible boundaries set by the Venetian walls surrounding it.


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The island experienced exceptional economic growth in the past thanks to its great naval and commercial activity. The Hydriots contributed significantly also to the 1821 War of Independence as their powerful fleet participated in crucial sea battles. It is a rather impressive fact that such a tiny island is the birthplace of five Greek Prime Ministers!

Lavish stone mansions owned by important families (Voulgaris, Kountouriotis, Tombazis, Kriezis, Bountouris, etc), and built by Italian artisans reveal the wealth that experienced the island in the past. Today most of these mansions house the island’s museums. 300 churches and 6 monasteries spread around the island as well as the cannons and the statues of the Independence War heroes still standing at the balconies of the islands create a romantic mosaic.

As you walk along the waterfront, the heart of the town, you encounter monuments, churches, canons, museums, old mansions, statues of famous heroes, the old gunpowder store, shops and cafes, while picturesque winding streets lead you to neighborhoods located at the upper part of the town, as well as to the old neighborhood of Kiafas.


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The road leading to the village of Papigo is a feast for the senses.

The feature of this road, crossed by the Voidomatis River, is picturesque, creating great natural scenery that attracts the visitor’s eye. The view of the Vikos gorge is also stunning. However, if you drive, it is important to pay attention on the road, because it is narrow and very zigzagging. Once in Papigo, great strolls around its stone-alleys can be held, as its two-stored mansions have been declared a national historical monument. Their construction materials are mainly stones. In fact, this is the main material on the village and is used almost for everything. These constructions are also unusual because they do not have a balcony.

Another interesting point is the natural fountains –also made of stone, located close to the village. They are ideal for refreshing in the hot days. Another interesting activity that can be held in Papigo, more specifically in Megalo Papigo, is to visit the personal library of Micheal Anagnostopoulos. It includes around 1250 volumes of books –most of them in foreign languages, published between 1750 and 1906.On the other hand, Mikro Papigo is 3 km further up after Megalo Papigo. It is amphitheatrically built on the steep slopes of the mountain and leads to the popular Dragon Lake, placed on the edge of a great limestone cliff overlooking the Aoos Valley.


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Previously it had been known by its Slavic name, Tsimova.

In the last decade Areopolis has seen something of a boom. The central square, dominated by a statue of Petrobey Mavromichalis, has been repaved, a new police station and town hall built, a number of new bars and cafes have opened along with hotels to accommodate visitors and on the outskirts of the town are a number of recently built, huge stone shops and supply yards. However it has by no means lost its quality of an atmospheric gateway into Mesa Mani and no tour of Mani is complete without stopping here. At the very least it warrants a coffee stop or lunch. The main square is the centre of life in the town and is a great place to ‘people watch’.

There is a market every Saturday, mainly selling fruit and vegetables, turning the square into a hive of activity. However, Areopolis deserves a little more time. Its narrow alleys and cobbled streets are a photographer’s dream and, being a historic town, there are a number of places worth visiting. There is a great bookshop on the square, next to the cake shop. Its owner, Georgios, is a real Mani enthusiast and has a good stock of maps, books and recently a DVD as well as his own Mani magazine (in Greek). A Byzantine museum is located in the restored tower next to the church of Ioannis O Prodromos. It promises to ensure that local treasures housed in locked churches will now be on permanent display beyond the grasp of unscrupulous thieves.

By following the map out of Areopolis on the road to Omales, it is possible to walk down to the pebbly beach of Pyrgos and then on the caves of Pyrgos Dirou. Once you come to the T-junction marked on the map of Areopolis, simply turn left and follow the road all the way down to the beach. The concrete gives way to a dirt road and as you near the sea, it swings right. To get to the beach you have to hop over the wall by the house and walk down some steps to get on to the rocks. You will see steps ahead of you on the other side of a very small beach that bring you out onto the tarmac road to the beach. It should take just over an hour to here from town. There is no café on the beach so you will need to take plenty of water. It is also possible to cut across the small headland at the far end of the beach to get to the caves of Pyrgos Dirou. An earth path runs around the back of the concrete hut – simply follow it for 5 minutes to get to the caves. The ticket office is 100m up the road.

Source: Insidemani.gr

The first traces of habitation go back to Prehistoric times. Ayios Efstratios was named after Saint Efstratios the Miracle-worker, who came from Vithynia during the Iconoclasm and became a hermit. The island was liberated in October 1912, and from 1928 until 1963, it was a place of exile for political prisoners. The 1968 earthquake altered the architectural features of the village. There are connections by boat to the ports of Lavrio and Limnos.

Agios Eftratios village, is the only one on the island, located on the North West side. The small harbour with a wonderful view of the sunset is suitable for fishing boats and small vessels. This is the departure point for trips to the Island's beaches.

Points of Interest:

Maraslios School operated as a primary school until 1968, having been built in the years 1906-1909, at the expense of the expatriate community in Egypt from Agios Efstratios. Today, it houses the "Museum of Democracy" with exhibits, photographs, original objects, hand written newspapers and video projections from the lives of people exiled on the island.

The churches of Christ, Ayios Nikolaos and Ayios Vassilios. The latter was built in 1727.

The rural Ayios Minas chapel was built on a hill where ancient relics have been discovered. In the same area, there is the Cenotaph of the Exiled (1941-1942) and the grave of a German officer who died during the Second World War.

The Nikos Sialmas Monument; he was a First Lieutenant in the Air Force, who died when his plane crashed in June 1992.

The Sea Caves and interesting geological formations along the coastline.

Source: Visitgreece.gr