Kassiópi
Kassiopi is a popular tourist resort on the northeast coast of Corfu with a sandy beach, Byzantine fortress, old church, and lots of places to stay and to eat.
Kassiopi
Photo by Marc Ryckaert
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The former fishing village of Kassiópi seems at first glance to have been entirely taken over by modern tourist development, but a look beneath the surface shows a place of great history, a beautiful harbour, a fascinating old church and a community as vibrant and as busy as ever it was. Today, though, the local industry is catering to the town's many visitors.
People come from all over Europe to holiday here, and especially from Italy and Britain. The bars and restaurants line the main streets, offering food and films, karaoke nights, and English breakfasts. Yet at the same time the old ladies will be crossing themselves as they pass the main church, and the old men sitting as old men have always done, in the old-fashioned kafenion right on the main square.
Top Tip
Traffic can be bad along the narrow streets of the town's miniature one-way system (one way in and one way out!) and it is much easier to park on the wide main coast road, when you see the turn-off for Kassiópi.
It’s little wonder that people started to come to Kassiópi, as it has a very appealing setting between two low, green headlands, with the slopes of Mount Pantokrátor inland and across the sea Albania seems almost close enough to touch.
The harbour is fairly large and still has fishing boats bobbing there, to show that the old trades of the town continue.
Church of the Panagía Kassiópitra
In the centre of town just before you reach the harbour on the main road, the church of the Panagía Kassiópitra stands on the right. A shady, leaf-covered arbor and stone steps lined with flower pots lead down to the church entrance and courtyard, past a walled garden.
Stone arcades alongside the church form a little courtyard, with a wooden roof where numerous swallows nest in the spring. There are little niches for candles in the stone wall, and religious paintings above. It is a serene and peaceful place here.
Must See
The church of the Kassiópitra, which preserves the town's traditions in among the modern developments.
Feast of the Assumption
On August 15th the church and town really come alive, right in the middle of the busiest holiday period, to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, a national holiday in Greece. Kassiopi has some of the biggest celebrations on the island, and lucky is the visitor who is here on that day.
Byzantine Fortress
Opposite the church is the path that leads up to the Byzantine Fortress, another link with antiquity. It was built in the 13th century, later captured by the Normans and finally destroyed by the invading Venetians. Today it looks out over the more peaceful invasion of foreign tourists, out to enjoy Kassiópi, not destroy it.
Kassiopi as seen from its Byzantine Fortress
Photo by Bejo
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Hidden Gem
The ruins of the Byzantine Fortress on the headland to the west of the harbour are evocative at dusks when owls can be heard hooting.
Where to Stay in Kassiopi
Other Corfu pages
The best things to do on Corfu include visiting Palaiokastritsa, a day trip to Albania, seeing the Achilleion Palace, and the museums in Corfu Town.
The Corfu Climate page describes the hours of sun, the rain, the winds, to help you plan the best time to visit this Ionian island.
Information for travellers to Greece on Corfu festivals and events including Easter, the Feast of St Spiridhon, Carnival and Name Days.
Information for travelers on Corfu Food and Drink including restaurants and tavernas, Corfiot specialties, desserts, wine and other Greek drinks like ouzo.
Corfu or Kerkyra is the main island in the Greek Ionian islands with Corfu Town being one of the most attractive of Greek island capitals.
Paleokastritsa is on the west coast of Corfu and is one of the most popular holiday spots. This page gives information on beaches, boat trips, weather and map.
The First Corfu Beer Festival took place in Arillas in North West Corfu and celebrated the beer of Bavaria and of Corfu, in the Ionian islands of Greece.
Corfu olives are an important part of this Greek island's economy, with an estimated 3-4 million trees producing olive oil of exceptional quality.
Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets visits Albania by boat from Corfu Town, staying overnight and seeing archaeological sites with Sipa Tours.
The best beaches on Corfu, chosen by Greece Travel Secrets, include Paleokastritsa, Mirtiotissa, Sidari and Cape Asprokavos.
There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.
Corfu Town is the capital of Corfu and of the Ionian Islands and has museums, two forts, several museums, churches, and many other attractions.
Southern Corfu has busy beach resorts like Benitses, historical buildings like the Achilleion Palace and Gardiki Castle, and wildlife at the Korision Lagoon.
Northern Corfu is the most diverse part of the island, with Corfu's highest point, Mt Pantokrator, and beach resorts like Sidari and Palaiokastritsa.
There are three islands off the northwest coast of Corfu, Erikouusa, Othoni and Mathraki, popular with day-trippers from resorts like Sidari.
Corfu writers and artists inspired by the island include both residents and visitors, like Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, Edward Lear, and Henry Miller.
The main two Corfu saints are Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu who saved the island four times from disaster, and Saint Theodora Augusta.
From Nero to Nicolas Cage, the invasion of Corfu goes back to Roman times and through to Hollywood today!
The Corfu Trail runs from the southernmost point of Corfu at Cape Asprokavos and winds for 220km (137 miles) to the northernmost point near Andinioti Lagoon.
Corfu’s special cuisine includes dishes like sofrito and pastitsade and the chance to try ginger beer and kumquats.
Corfu’s wildlife includes rare and colourful birds, snakes, lizards, fireflies, and insects, with plenty of places to watch the wildlife like lakes and lagoons.
Corfu’s marine life includes dolphins, loggerhead turtles, and rare Mediterranean monk seals.
The history of Corfu and cricket goes back to 1823 when the island was under British rule, which left them with a legacy of loving both cricket and ginger beer.
The Achilleion Palace is one of the most visited sights on Corfu and contains a museum and impressive gardens with wonderful views over the coast.
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