Campiello: this, the Old Town, was founded during Angevin times (1267 - 1386) when overpopulation and pressure from the Catholic overlords forced the residents of Koryfo to build outside the city walls. Thus the Historic Centre of Corfu Town was established. In this period, the first Jews arrived, banished from Spain, and settled in the 'Ovrisvouni' (hill of the Jews), the area now known as Campiello. Today the Campiello is full of the atmosphere of that age, and a stroll through its labyrinth of alleyways is a priceless lesson in the understanding of the history of the island. The multi-storeyed Venetian buildings, a clear sign of urban overpopulation, were needed to house the residents within the available area of the Historic Centre.

The Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George: stands at the northern end of the Esplanade, and was built of Maltese stone between 1814 and 1824 in Georgian style, under the first Lord High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Maitland, to a design by Sir George Whitmore. Throughout the period of the British Protectorate it was the official seat of the Commissioner. It has two wings, dedicated to the Archangel Michael and Saint George, and the main entrance which looks towards the square is fronted by a colonnade in Doric style. The Palace, once a residence of the Greek royal family, was completely restored in 1994 to host the European Leaders Summit Conference..

Municipal Art Gallery: opened in December 1995 at the Palace. It has a noteworthy collection of works by 19th and 20th century Corfiot painters.

The Esplanade: is famed as 'the largest square in the Balkans' and owes its existence to a strategic manoeuvre. In 1576, the houses which huddled around the gate of the fortress began to be demolished to allow the defenders a better outlook over the area. In a period of twelve years, more than 2500 dwellings were pulled down, leaving a great space which the French later planted with trees, and which today forms the Esplanade Square. A walk around the square will lead you to the Rotonda (built in Ionian style in honour of the first British Lord High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Maitland) a popular meeting point for young people, and the Bandstand where, if you are lucky, one evening a band will be giving a performance of classical music or jazz. The bandstand is the focus for the Celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Saturday at midnight. On your stroll you may also meet a pedlar in summer, with a great, wide basket from which he sells refreshing prickly pears ( Frankish Figs).

Liston: The Liston forms the western boundary of the Esplanade. This terrace, with its series of arches fronting the road, was designed by the Imperial French after 1807, and is a typical example of its era. Strongly reminiscent of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, it was built at about the same time. Today the Liston is the town's most traditional meeting place, where people gather to read newspapers from the nearby kiosk and drink coffee or ouzo at the old-established cafes. Here you may watch cricket matches on summer afternoons while sipping ginger beer. Here you can watch parades by the philharmonic bands or the majorettes, as well as religious processions. Here also you may well run into an old friend you've not seen for ages. In the Venetian dialect, the word 'lista' meant a wide and completely straight road; another meaning was a long wooden measuring rod. Since people were in the habit of writing lists of names on interminable registers it became customary to use the word lista for these registers as well as for a straight street. The suffix -on denotes enlargement, thus Liston is a great register or a great street. In every Venetian town the most important street was called the Liston, just as in Venice there is the Liston in St. Mark's Square. When the buildings of the Corfiot Liston were constructed by the French (1807 - 1814) Venice no longer existed as a state, but the word had already entered the Corfiot vocabulary together with thousands of other venetian terms, and as a result this new straight and wide road was named the Liston.

Pentofanaro: divides the Upper and Lower Esplanade areas. It is now the favourite 'hang-out' for youngsters meeting between lessons at the local schools and institutes, and visits to nearby snackbars. At the corner of the Upper Esplanade you will find the Municipal Tourist Information Kiosk, where you may obtain information about forthcoming events, supply yourself with maps and tourist guides, and change money.

The Town Hall Square: was the town's most important community meeting place during Venetian times. The building which today houses the Town Hall functioned as a meeting place, or Loggia, for the local nobility. It was built in the space of thirty years (1663 - 1691) using the best building material in existence, stone from Sinies. There the cream of society would meet and in 1720 it became the first lyrical theatre in the East. Borrowing the name of the adjacent Catholic Cathedral of Agios Iakovos, the Theatre San Giacomo entertained the Corfiots with impressive performances of Italian opera for two centuries. Then in 1903 the theatre was moved elsewhere , another floor was added to the building, and it was opened as the Town Hall. Its two main sides are decorated with stone masks and various historical engravings and symbols. The emblem of Corfu is visible above the main entrance and the bust of General Francesco Morosini is set in the wall on the east side, with his virtues and achievements engraved in Latin characters. The 17th century saw the construction of the Residence of the Roman Catholic Archbishop, as well as of the nearby Catholic Cathedral. This subsequently housed a court, and is now the home of the Bank of Greece.

Plati Kandouni: this means 'wide alleyway, and is another name for the once even wider Moustoxidi Street, where in the old days games of skill would take place at Carnival time between noble knights , renowned then as 'tziostres'.

The Ionian Parliament: a neo-classical style building with a Doric entrance, built in 1855 by the architect John Chronis, it stands at the top of Moustoxidi Street. On each side of the main entrance are two marble plaques inscribed in Greek and English, commemmorating the vote which resulted in the unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece.

The Ionian Academy: formerly the Grimani Barracks, this building became, in 1824, the home of the first Greek university. When this closed down, the building was used as the Municipal Library, but it was destroyed by incendiary bombs on September 14th 1943, during an Italian air raid. It has now been restored, and houses school and university premises.

The Mourayia: one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods of the town, this is the first sight you see as the ferry boat sails in around the Old Fortress. Its official name is Arsenios Street, and it runs from the Palace along the top of the ancient sea defences, down to the Old Port.

The Reading Society: is located on Arseniou Street and is housed in a building dating from the 19th century. Founded in 1836 on the lines of the society of the same name in Geneva, it is the oldest cultural organisation in modern Greece, and had as members Kapodistrias, the poet Kalvos and other Ionian islanders. In an evocative library full of books, mainly relating to the Ionian islands, engravings, paintings, newspaper archives, documents and photographs, you will meet the kindly, affable characters who organise seminars and conferences, as well as lectures and every kind of musical and cultural event. Opposite, below the level of the road, is one of the gates of the Old Town, St. Nicholas Gate, which leads through to Faliraki, formerly a private swimming area called 'Aleko's Baths'.