Palace of St. Michael and St. George

The Palace of St. Michael and St. George is a palace in Corfu City on the island of Corfu, Greece. Commissioned by Sir Thomas Maitland, it originally served as the residence of the British Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. It was built between 1819 and 1824, to a neoclassical design of Colonel George Whitmore.

The building is also known as the Royal Palace, the City Palace, or locally by the Greek name Palaia Anaktora (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα; literally “Old Palace”).

Gardens

The palace gardens, complete with old Venetian stone aquariums, exotic trees and flowers, overlook the bay through old Venetian fortifications and turrets. The local sea baths are at the foot of the fortifications surrounding the gardens. A café on the grounds includes its own art gallery, with exhibitions of both local and international artists. It is locally known as the Art Café. From the same spot, the viewer can observe ships passing through the narrow channel of the historic Vido island (Βίδο Κέρκυρας) to the north, on their way to Corfu harbour (Νέο Λιμάνι), with high speed retractable aerofoil ferries from Igoumenitsa cutting across the panorama. A wrought-iron aerial staircase is also to be found, closed to garden visitors, descending to the sea from the gardens, and formerly used by the Greek Royal Family as a shortcut to the baths. Following the end of the Greek monarchy, the old Royal Gardens are now known as the “Garden of the People” (Ο Κήπος του Λαού).

Contact

Municipality of Corfu
email
info@corfu.gov.gr
address
6A Alexandras Avenue, Maraslio Megaron
phone
+30 26613 62782