Corfu has its famous beaches, villages and monuments, but there is another side of the island that is easier to miss. Some places are hidden in the landscape, some survive as pieces of the island’s industrial past, and others are simply unusual places that most visitors never think to look for.
Here are some of the less obvious corners and experiences worth seeking out when you want to see a different Corfu.
Hidden Corners in the Town
Patounis Olive Soap Factory
In the middle of Corfu Town, not far from San Rocco Square, an old industrial building still produces soap much as it did generations ago.
The Patounis soap-making business has operated in Corfu since 1891, when the family established its workshop here.
What makes the place particularly interesting is that the traditional production method has survived rather than being replaced completely by modern industrial equipment. Olive oil and olive-pomace oil are heated in large open cauldrons, and the soap is processed, cooled, cut and left to mature.
The workshop is an unusual survivor of Corfu’s old manufacturing world. It is not a grand monument or palace, but a working piece of the island’s industrial heritage, still connected with the local olive-growing economy. The traditional soap-making practice has also been officially recognised as part of Greece’s intangible cultural heritage.
Kremasti Square
Kremasti Square is one of those tiny places in Corfu Old Town that can easily disappear among the better-known streets and squares.
Its centrepiece is an old Venetian well, around which the little square developed its intimate character. Today the square is particularly atmospheric in the evening, when the surrounding old buildings and the well give it a very different feeling from the larger and busier parts of the historic centre.
The square is also home to the Venetian Well restaurant, whose address is literally 1 Kremasti Square.
It is not a place you need half a day to visit. That is precisely the point. Kremasti is the sort of small urban detail that rewards anyone who explores Corfu Town on foot instead of simply following the main sightseeing route.
The British Cemetery
Another easily overlooked corner of Corfu Town is the British Cemetery, a peaceful green space connected with the period of British rule over the Ionian Islands.
The cemetery was opened as a British military cemetery around 1855, when Corfu was still under British administration. Among the graves are servicemen and civilians from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including graves connected with the two World Wars.
It is a very different historical experience from Corfu’s Venetian fortresses and churches. The cemetery preserves a quieter chapter of the island’s past, when Corfu was part of the British protectorate between 1815 and 1864.
For anyone interested in the layers of history that have shaped Corfu, this is an unexpectedly atmospheric place to wander.
Crab Lake (Kavourolimni)
Crab Lake, or Kavourolimni in Greek, is one of the stranger names on this list—and one of the places that is much easier to miss than the famous beaches of Corfu.
The lake lies in the northern part of the island near Poulades, away from the conventional sightseeing circuit. Is associated with the crabs that live in its shallow waters, giving the otherwise unremarkable lake its unusual name.
The surrounding landscape is green and relatively wild, with meadows and stands of oak and holm oak giving the area a very different character from the developed coastal resorts.
It is the kind of place that makes sense for someone who has already seen Corfu’s famous coastline and wants to explore the quieter interior.
There is no grand monument here. The attraction is the landscape itself—and the fact that such an unexpected little wetland exists in an island better known for beaches and olive groves.
Glyko Cove near Liapades
Between Liapades and Rovinia on the west coast lies Glyko, a small cove far less conspicuous than the nearby major beaches. It lies opposite Paleokastritsa.
“Glyko” means “sweet” or “fresh,” referring to the non-salty water in the cove. Freshwater rises from underground sources beneath the seabed, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding Ionian Sea. This natural freshwater flow is what gave the cove its name.
Glyko can be reached on foot from the Liapades area, with paths leading down towards the coast, or by boat from nearby resorts. Its position between larger and better-known destinations helps explain why it can feel like a separate little corner of the coastline.
The setting is typical of the west coast at its best: steep green slopes, rocky surroundings and clear Ionian water.
The attraction is therefore not simply the small beach itself, but the unusual natural feature that explains its name: fresh water emerging where you would normally expect nothing but salt water.
It is not necessary to pretend that nobody knows about Glyko. It is simply one of those smaller coastal places that can easily disappear from a visitor’s itinerary when the famous beaches receive all the attention.
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