Corfu (Private Driving Tour of Corfu Full Day)

Description

Tour Duration: Vehicle and English speaking driver at your disposal for 8 hours.

Pick-up Locations : Corfu - Hotels, Resorts, Airport , Port.

Note: This is a private driving tour which is not offered with a licensed tour guide service, in case you may need a private tour that include licensed tour guide, please select the corresponding private tour that includes licensed tour guide service.

The most famous ancient Greek poet, named Homer, sang the praises of the beautiful and rich land of the Phaeacians. Thousands of years later, Shakespeare also thought this island was the ideal setting for his play, "Tempest". Since these times Corfu has been known as an island that stands apart from other Greek Islands.

Suggested places to visit.

ACHILLION PALACE
Drive away from the city and into the fertile area of orange and lemon groves until you reach the Achillion Palace. You enjoy a tour of the villa which was built 100 years ago. The villa contains mementos of its former owners, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Kaiser Wilhelm II. The gardens are adorned with statues and the views over the densely wooded countryside are magnificent.
The Palace, located in the village of Gastouri, was erected in 1890 for Elizabeth (Sissy), the Empress of Austria as the solace of her soul. It was used as her summer retreat. Later the Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany bought the Palace. Directly below, on the coast, is the unusual Kaiser?s bridge, the stone built jetty where the Kaiser set out on his yacht for swimming trips. The Palace is definitely a place to take your camera. This beautiful building in picturesque gardens overlooks the sea and Corfu town.

Famous to the British public as the birthplace of Prince Phillip, Achillion Palace is one of the most popular tourist destinations on Corfu.

MON REPO PALACE
The Mon Repo Palace which was built in 1828 for the second British Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, Sir Frederic Adam. From then on the palace was used as the summer residence of the High Commissioners, while their official residence was the Palace of St. Michael and St. George in the town of Corfu. Many other important personalities stayed in the Palace after the Ionian Islands were ceded to Greece after 1864 whereupon it was donated to the Greek Royal family. In fact, the second son of King George I, George II was born here in 1869. In 1900, the wedding of Princess Maria, daughter of King George I and Olga took place here when she married the Archduke Georgio Mihailovic of Russia. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, the British Queen?s husband, was born (1921) and baptized here. The Greek Royal family spent their summer holidays at Mon Repos, hosting their guests until the last King Constantine, after a referendum in 1974, went into exile in England.

PALACE OF St. MICHAEL & St. GEORGE
The finest of the British buildings in Corfu, is located along the northern side of Esplanade. It was built on a site which was formerly occupied by a Venetian hospital and it was built under Sir Thomas Mainland according to the plans designed by Sir George Whitmore in the Gregorian style.
Palace of St. Michael and St. George, Corfu Island is built entirely in Maltese stone and the architectural style shows an influence of the British neoclassical patterns of the 19th century. The construction of the palace began in 1819 and it served as the residence of the British Lord High Commissioner till the end of the Protectorate in 1864. It was also the seat of the Ionian Senate and the headquarters of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. It is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent while he was acting as Prince Regent for George III, his father. The order was instituted to reward the services of British colonial officials serving in the Ionian Islands and Malta. The throne-room of the palace features robes, medals and other insignia of the order on display since April 1981.
A Doric colonnade graces the facade and its two entrances ending on the right and left with two tall gateways. One leads to the harbor inscribed the Gate of St. George and the other overlooks the palace gardens called the Gate of St. Michael. You will find the bronze statue of Sir Frederic Adams standing in a small garden in front of the main entrance. The statue was built to tribute Sir Adams for the construction of the city s water supply and it is a work of the Corfiot sculptor Pavlos Prosalentis.
Today, the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, Corfu Island is home to the museum of Asiatic Art, a museum of Christian Art, the Archives of the Ionian Senate and the Corfu Public Library with a collection of about 60,000 volumes of Greek and foreign books.

KANONI – PONTIKONISSI
Kanoni-Pontikonissi: is a modern tourist resort with several hotels and a view over the Halikiopoulos Lagoon and the airport. At the tip of the Kanoni peninsula a footpath descends to the Vlacherna Monastery, a tiny island linked to the shore by a causeway. The causeway is the mooring point for a number of small boats which will take you to Mouse Island (Pontikonissi) where you can visit the Byzantine Church of Pantokrator. The combined picture of Kanoni, Vlacherna and Pontikonissi has become the trademark of the whole island, and has been photographed, perhaps, by just about every camera in the world. Another causeway, for walkers or cyclists, links Kanoni with Perama on the opposite shore



CORFU TOWN

Esplanade Suare:
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.

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.

PALEOKASTRITSA
Leaving Corfu town you travel along the scenic West Coast to the hill top village of Lakones or Bella Vista as it is known. This impressive location offers the most spectacular views over the famous Bay of Paleokastritsa, its emerald seas and unusual rock formations. In the distance the old Monastery Panagia Theotokos founded in 1225 sits serenely over this popular bay resort.

Paleokastritsa is a nice place for lunch, swimming and visit the famous caves of the coastline near Paleokastritsa beach, formed both by karstic processes and erosion by the sea, can be visited on a short boat trip starting continuously all day from the beach. The local men with their small boats generally speak English and German. There is no shadow on the boat and the sun on the water is more intensive than on land, so we recommend a hat and sun protection for the trip.
One of the caves is called Nausica Cave, named after the daughter of the King of the Phaeacians. According to HOMER she found ODYSSEUS and nursed him back to health. Another cave is called Blue Eye due to a patch of incredibly blue water which resembles an eye.

Next you drive to inland to the inspiring scenic village of Makrades, the Troumbetta Pass and the village of Scripero leading through the fertile area known as the Ropa Valley. Your next stop is at a distillery which produces an island favorite, Koum Kouat Liqueur. Find time for tasting this specialty along with fruit glace

Included

Vehicle, fuels, tolls (wherever exist), parking fee,
English-speaking driver, insurance covery of the passengers up to 500,000 euro in total, VAT and all taxes.

Not Included:
*Entrance fees in archaeological and historical sites, licensed tour guide, hotel accommodation wherever needed, beverages and meals.

Entrance fee:
Achillion Palace - per Adult 8 euro
Achillion Palace - per Child (under 18 with passport) 5 euro
Mon Repos Palace - Closed on Mondays -per Adult 4 euro
Mon Repos Palace - per Child (under 18 with passport) Free

* NOTE: !!! Our Guides are LICENSED and Members of the Union official Guides in Greece.

** NOTE: !!! Our Drivers are Professionals and English speaking.


Important Note:
Please note that not allowed Taxi drivers, Minivan drivers and Bus drivers to do the job of the tour guides, this is prohibited by Greek law.
The tour guide profession is protected by the Greek legislation
Our Company from its establishment until now, works only with official, professional, licensed tour guides.

Please note that in case you may wish to book a private tour through our website, in no way means that you are obliged to follow the exact route of showing the proposed tour.
You have the ability to change the order of the sites, to remove or add attractions, provided it does not exceed the time duration and distances that you have already booked.
We are flexible to any changes that you may wish during your private tour, our aim is your complete satisfaction.
Our drivers and our licensed tour guides are at your disposal in order to provide you with the best service.