The best Greek island?

Different strokes for different folks. With so many Greek islands to choose from, it's pretty much impossible to say which is the best. Mykonos has great partying. Santorini has the best views. Rhodes or Crete have wonderful history. And Lesbos has... well... But it might just be the island of Corfu that wins the prize. It is one of the most accessible, with a great old town and plenty of beaches.

Being part of Greece, the islands history is of course long and torrid. Great battles, conquering, independence, more battles... it goes on and on. But it's the history of the last couple hundred years that has the most visible impact on the island. From about 1400 to 1800, the Venetians built numerous houses and fortresses. Most certainly in the islands main town of Corfu City (Kerkyra in Greek). Walking though the old town of the "new Fort" is a wonderful experience. The meandering cobble-stone or marbled alleyways criss-cross through well restored architecture. With countless piazzas, churches, cafes and bars, it's easy to see why Corfu is one of the most visited islands in Greece.

Unless you fly, you'll arrive by ferry. In my opinion the best way to arrive anywhere. As you pull closer to Corfu, the first thing you'll see is likely the Old fort. While it might be more impressive than the New Fort, it lacks the life that surrounds it younger brother. With plenty of hotel options, Corfu city is probably the best place to base any visit to the island, although I CouchSurfed there. To top it all off, I just happened to arrive on December 11th, the day before the name day of Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu. On the 12th, people queue at the saints church as Orthodox priest reveal the corpse of the saint for the faithful to kiss. I've been a lot of places and done a lot of things, but this was the first attempt at necrophilia for me. Not sure it's too habit forming.

But the main city is not the only attraction of the island. Being quite a religious island, there are a few of Orthodox monasteries to visit. Each with wonderful settings. None are particularly big or impressive, if compared to others, but nice all the same. Be advised though, if visiting in summer, they can become very busy thus losing the tranquillity you might expect. But probably the biggest draw to the island is the beaches. With sandy beaches, hidden coves and azure water, they are the kind of beaches which might grace the cover of "Beaches Galore" magazine (not a real magazine, not yet at least). While I didn't do much beach hopping in December, they were still nice to look at.

There are numerous ferries from Corfu to the mainland port of Igoumenitsa. Not to mention international ferries to places like Venice. Even if you're not much of an island person, I'm usually not a fan, Corfu has a little bit of something for everyone. And if visiting in the shoulder season, you get all the perks of it's beauty, without the stifling crowds.