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Corfu

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It lies off the coast of Albania, from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km (2 to 15 mi), including one near Butrint and a longer one west of Thesprotia. The island is part of the Corfu Prefecture. The principal town of the island is also named Corfu, or Kerkyra in Greek. Corfu is home to the Ionian University. The island is steeped in history and it is perennially connected to the history of Greece starting from Greek mythology.

Its Greek name, Kerkyra, is connected to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river. According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymph Metope, and abducted her, as was the custom among gods of that era's myths - Zeus himself was a serial offender. Poseidon brought her to the hitherto unnamed island and, being in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra, which gradually evolved to Kerkyra. Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes, that was then transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians. This myth, with its themes of romance between a powerful god and a beautiful nymph, with a trace of adventure, centred around the element of water, is suggestive of the special ambiance of the place.

The island's history is full of battles and conquests, indicative of Corfu's turbulent position in a historical vortex that lasted until modern times, when after the unification with modern Greece in 1864 the history of the island became one with the mainland's, with no more foreign intervention. The legacy of these struggles remains in the form of castles that exist in strategic locations all over the island. Two of these castles enclose the city. It is the only city in Greece to be surrounded by castles this way and as a result has officially been declared as a Kastropolis (Castle city) by the Greek Government. In 2007, the old town of the city was named to the UNESCO World Heritage List after a recommendation by ICOMOS.

Corfu Port
Corfu has ferry services both by traditional ferries to Gaios in the island of Paxoi and as far as Patras and both traditional ferries and advanced Russian, retractable airfoil, hydrodynamic flow, high speed ferries called Flying Dolphins to Igoumenitsa and to Sarandë in neighboring Albania. There is also a small port of Lefkimmi at the southern tip of the island on Cape Kavos, that offers a ferry service to the mainland.

Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport
The Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport, named after John Capodistria distinguished Corfiot European diplomat and first Governor of Greece, is located around 3 kilometres south of Kerkyra just half a kilometre north of Pontikonisi. The approach and landing, in a northeasterly direction, affords the flying passengers a spectacular aerial view of Pontikonisi and Vlaheraina Monastery as well as the hills of Kanoni as the runway used for landing is actually a few hundred meters away from these spectacular landmarks. The airport offers domestic flights with Olympic Airlines and Aegean Airlines. Air Sea Lines, a Greek seaplane operator offers scheduled flights from Corfu to Paxoi, Ioannina and Patras.

Corfu airport is also connected to EU countries through scheduled and chartered flights. This includes scheduled flights from Germany and the United Kingdom. British Airways started at the end of 2006 its first scheduled flights to Corfu.