{"id":4324,"date":"2018-10-23T19:14:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T19:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/?p=4324"},"modified":"2020-06-20T16:34:12","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T16:34:12","slug":"reisebericht-ionische-inseln","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/en\/travel-report-ionian-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel report IONIAN ISLANDS - Olive trees as far as the eye can see on the archipelago west of Greece"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in the Ionian Sea, northwest of Greece with around 250,000 inhabitants. The archipelago includes the larger islands of Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Peloponnese, Ithaca and Kythira.<\/p>\n

The smaller islands include Andipaxos, Pondikonisi, Lazareto, Mathraki, Errikousa, Vido, Othoni, Skorpios, Kastos, Kalamos, Meganisi, Arkoudi, Paxos, Atokos, Strofaden, Andikythira, Elafonisos, Saplentza, Schiza and Venetiko.<\/p>\n

The capital of the entire Ionian Islands is Corfu, on the island of the same name, with around 120,000 inhabitants. Corfu, also known as Kerkyra, is the second largest Ionian island, measuring around 60 by 10 kilometers.<\/p>\n

The green island of Corfu lies within a few kilometers of the Albanian mainland and consists of a continuously hilly landscape. The highest point on the island, at 911 meters, is located in the Pantocrator Mountains.<\/p>\n

Over half of Corfu's agricultural land is covered with olive trees, of which there are almost five million specimens scattered across the island. Due to the predominantly mild climate on Corfu, numerous types of wild flowers grow there, including around 40 species of orchids.<\/p>\n

The important sights of Corfu include the old town of Corfu Town, the castle of Mon Repos, the small port town of Kassiopi, the monastery of Panagia Mirtiotissa, the Serbian war mausoleum on the island of Vido, the harbor in Kouloura, the old village of Pala Perithia, the Cliffs of Sidari, the monastery on the peak of Pantocrator, the Komeno peninsula, the viewpoint "Bella Vista", the beach of Glyfada, the Achilleion palace, the small monastery of Pondikonisi on Mouse Island, the monastery island of Vlacherna, the monastery of Paleokastritsa and the Angelokastro castle ruins.<\/p>\n

The island of Corfu is one of the most popular destinations for European tourists. Arrival can be done via Corfu International Airport and with various ferries from mainland Greece or Italy.<\/p>\n

In June 2017 I visited the island of Corfu for the first and only time. My flight back from Corfu was also my last flight with the German airline Air Berlin before it later had to stop operating.<\/p>\n

Because of its breathtaking landscape and the peace and quiet that reigns there, the island immediately fascinated me. Corfu was not as overcrowded with tourists as some other Greek islands, and this also applied to the old town of Corfu Town. Sometimes there wasn't a soul there and it was great fun to stroll through the narrow streets.<\/p>\n

I would also recommend a tour of the island by bus, which leaves pretty much every corner of Corfu every hour and is also super inexpensive.<\/p>\n

For me, Corfu is the best of all the Greek islands in terms of the overall package. The holiday there is still really relaxing, which can no longer be said about some other islands.<\/p>\n\n