A Tour of Corfu's Palaces

Departing from the port or from your holiday accommodation we drive to the hilltop village of Gastouri and Achilleon Palace. This magnificent building was built between the years 1890 and 1892 by the Empress Elizabeth of Austria (known as Sissi) after one of her visits to Corfu. The large building, in neoclassical style, has three floors adorned with many statues and paintings. The vast gardens surrounding the building, with a wonderful view of a large part of the island, run down to the coast road. They are decorated with many statues, the most famous of which are the two bronze runners, the dying Achilles (the mythological Greek hero) and the statue of Achilles Triumphant. After the assassination of Empress Elizabeth in 1898 in Geneva, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany purchased the palace in 1907 and used it as a place for relaxation. All of the rooms contain personal items of the former owners and their original furniture.

We continue to The Palace of Mon Repos, surrounded by extensive gardens. It was built under British rule and later used by Greece's King George as a summer villa. It is the birthplace of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Mon Repos Museum contains a large variety of exhibits including archaeological finds, Byzantine remains, furniture and dresses from the period of British rule, paintings and other mementoes of Corfu's history.

We then drive to Corfu town to visit the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, the finest of the British buildings in Corfu. The construction of the palace began in 1819 and it served as the residence of the British Lord High Commissioner until the end of the Protectorate in 1864. It was also the seat of the Ionian Senate and the headquarters of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, instituted to reward the services of British colonial officials serving in the Ionian Islands. Today, the Palace is home to the museum of Asiatic Art, a museum of Christian Art, the Archives of the Ionian Senate and the Corfu Public Library. At the end of the tour we will return you to your cruise ship or holiday accommodation.

For full details and prices please email us or call (+30) 26610 94368.