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Private Corfu Town And Achilleion Palace

Day Trip, Private Tour

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Visit the beautiful Achilleion Palace and gardens and enjoy a walking tour of the Old Town on this half day program.

Private Corfu Town and Achilleion Palace

After meeting your professionally trained guide on the pier, you will depart Corfu Town and drive through the lush countryside. Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek) is the most verdant of all the Greek islands; this becomes apparent as you drive through orange, lemon, cypress, and olive groves, interspersed with vineyards and fields carpeted with beautiful wild flowers

Approximately 20 minutes later you reach the old traditional village of Gastouri, where you will visit the Achilleion Palace, built by Empress Elisabeth "Sissy" of Austria in 1891, and later owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. In addition to visiting the interior rooms that are open to the public, you will also see some of the beautiful gardens full of exotic trees and flowers, which the Empress brought with her from her trips around the world. The gardens also feature several classical statues, as she was very fond of Greek ancient history and mythology. The main Terrace of the Muses is decorated with statues of the Nine Greek Muses and the imposing figures of Achilles Victorious and Achilles Dying. From several places in the garden, you will also have spectacular views over the Ionian Sea.

Leaving the Achilleion Palace, you will drive past the coastal resort of Perama, from where you will enjoy some excellent views of the Convent of Vlacherna and the picturesque Mouse Island. According to the legend, Mouse Island was formed when the ship that had taken Odysseus back to Ithaki was turned to stone by Poseidon. On the tiny island you can see the Convent of Vlachernas, linked to the mainland by a causeway.

Once in the Old Quarter of Corfu Town, you will drive to the front of the Old Venetian Fortress (14th Century UNESCO World Heritage site), opposite the central Esplanade Square. From here, your guide will lead you on a beautiful walking tour of the historic center of the Old Town. Walking through the maze of winding narrow cobbled streets known as "kandounia," you will visit some of the most elegant quarters of this Venetian-built town, which competes with Napoli, Florence, and Venice in terms of beauty, style, character, and charm.

Walking along the old cricket grounds, a tradition left over by the British, you see the Royal Palace of St. George and St. Michael, an imposing building built entirely of yellow Maltese stone by the first British Commissioner of the island. You will also see the spectacular arcades of the Liston Piazza, a down-sized replica of the Rue de Rivoli of Paris, built by the French in the 19th century. You will then walk to the heart of the Old Town where you will visit the 300-year-old Church of Saint Spiridon, with its priceless collection of icons and gifts offered to the Patron Saint of the Island. You will also explore the old flea market, pass by the old Town Hall and find yourself in the busy shopping district, where you will have some free time for shopping. At the appointed time, you will meet your driver for the return transfer back to your ship.

Please Note: The Achillion Palace is closed until further notice. As a substitute, we will visit Mon Repos Palace, built in 1826 by the British Commissioner Frederic Adams as a gift to his Corfiot wife, Nina Palatianou. This tour offers customized departure times between 7:30 AM and 7:00 PM. If your preferred departure time is not listed, please contact us to place your request.

Starting At
 
Tour Type
Private
 
Group Size
Private
 
Activity Type(s)
Private Sightseeing
 
Tour Duration
4 Hours
 
Activity Level
Moderate
 
Tour Leaves From
Cruise Ship Pier
 
Food/Beverage Provided
Not Included
 
Special Instructions
As you will be visiting a religious site, you may wish to have your shoulders and knees covered out of respect. Comfortable sensible, flat-soled walking shoes, sun glasses and sun screen are suggested.
 
Restrictions
Guests must be able to walk over paved, and cobblestone surfaces. Some of these are uneven. There are some steps at sites visited.
Location Overview
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About Shore Excursions Group
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Learn More About Shore Excursions Group
More trips from Shore Excursions Group

About Us
Shore Excursions Group is the market leading and world's largest shore excursion company. Since 2008, we've provided cruise passengers with higher-quality, lower-priced, and smaller group shore excursions from a portfolio of nearly 4,000 tours in over 300 ports. Over the last 16 years, we've delivered more than 4.6M excursions with a 4.7 out of 5 star rating from more than 47k reviews.

Exceptional travel experiences are created by exceptional people. Our incredible team of cruise and travel experts has more than 100 years of combined industry experience, and we work in close collaboration with a network of exceptional tour operator partners dedicated to providing personalized and immersive excursions to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world.

Our excursions are higher quality, lower priced, and travel in smaller groups averaging just 12 guests per departure, allowing our guests to truly connect with the local culture and enjoy a more enriching travel experience. Our website provides a personalized shopping experience highlighting the top-rated and most popular excursions in each port of call with authentic photos, videos, and reviews from other guests.

Our proprietary itinerary search technology makes booking easy by displaying the excursions guaranteed to work for your ship's scheduled arrival and departure into each port of call. We also feature hand-curated multi-port packages with the top-rated excursion for each port bundled together at an additional discount.

Our Unique Approach
While the cruise lines and other companies also offer excursions, we are the experts and our experience and approach set us apart. Our exceptional excursions travel in smaller groups and visit more interesting and authentic locations, using more personalized tour guides.

Our team uses a comprehensive approach to select the leading guides and best tour providers around the world. Every excursion is carefully curated and closely monitored through quality control and customer feedback.

In today's fast paced world, vacations are an important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and discover new and interesting places - and our portfolio of the highest quality tours was created to provide authentic and rewarding travel experiences on your next trip.

High quality service is very important to travelers and leads to better experiences with higher satisfaction. We encourage you to call us, so our experts can answer your questions and help you select the best excursions for your cruise.

Our Exceptional Tours
Our priority is providing cruise guests with exciting and enriching tours with personalized service and smaller groups.

Our small group tours range from 2-12 people - far less than other tour companies with larger tours up to 50 people. We also offer outstanding private excursions - exclusive experiences for only you and your group with options to fully customize your tour.

Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean.

Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece.

Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France.

Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our Guarantee
We stand by our excursions, and we're committed to meeting your expectations. Our team and our guides are dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences, which we've achieved consistently over many years and millions of tours. To the extent you are in any way dissatisfied with the experience we deliver, we will work to resolve your concerns - up to and including a full refund of your tour price. For more information visit the Shore Excursions Group website.

Read More

About Shore Excursions Group

About Us
Shore Excursions Group is the market leading and world's largest shore excursion company. Since 2008, we've provided cruise passengers with higher-quality, lower-priced, and smaller group shore excursions from a portfolio of nearly 4,000 tours in over 300 ports. Over the last 16 years, we've delivered more than 4.6M excursions with a 4.7 out of 5 star rating from more than 47k reviews.

Exceptional travel experiences are created by exceptional people. Our incredible team of cruise and travel experts has more than 100 years of combined industry experience, and we work in close collaboration with a network of exceptional tour operator partners dedicated to providing personalized and immersive excursions to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world.

Our excursions are higher quality, lower priced, and travel in smaller groups averaging just 12 guests per departure, allowing our guests to truly connect with the local culture and enjoy a more enriching travel experience. Our website provides a personalized shopping experience highlighting the top-rated and most popular excursions in each port of call with authentic photos, videos, and reviews from other guests.

Our proprietary itinerary search technology makes booking easy by displaying the excursions guaranteed to work for your ship's scheduled arrival and departure into each port of call. We also feature hand-curated multi-port packages with the top-rated excursion for each port bundled together at an additional discount.

Our Unique Approach
While the cruise lines and other companies also offer excursions, we are the experts and our experience and approach set us apart. Our exceptional excursions travel in smaller groups and visit more interesting and authentic locations, using more personalized tour guides.

Our team uses a comprehensive approach to select the leading guides and best tour providers around the world. Every excursion is carefully curated and closely monitored through quality control and customer feedback.

In today's fast paced world, vacations are an important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and discover new and interesting places - and our portfolio of the highest quality tours was created to provide authentic and rewarding travel experiences on your next trip.

High quality service is very important to travelers and leads to better experiences with higher satisfaction. We encourage you to call us, so our experts can answer your questions and help you select the best excursions for your cruise.

Our Exceptional Tours
Our priority is providing cruise guests with exciting and enriching tours with personalized service and smaller groups.

Our small group tours range from 2-12 people - far less than other tour companies with larger tours up to 50 people. We also offer outstanding private excursions - exclusive experiences for only you and your group with options to fully customize your tour.

Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean.

Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece.

Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France.

Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our Guarantee
We stand by our excursions, and we're committed to meeting your expectations. Our team and our guides are dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences, which we've achieved consistently over many years and millions of tours. To the extent you are in any way dissatisfied with the experience we deliver, we will work to resolve your concerns - up to and including a full refund of your tour price. For more information visit the Shore Excursions Group website.

Read More

Learn More About Shore Excursions Group
More trips from Shore Excursions Group
Prices are per-person based on double occupancy, unless otherwise noted.