The New Fortress Corfu is a mighty Venetian citadel rising above the old port of Corfu Town, built from 1576 to strengthen the city’s defences. With its tunnels, ramparts and superb rooftop views, it complements the Old Fortress across the town. This guide covers its history, what to see and how to visit.
The New Fortress is one of the capital’s great landmarks, a fixture of the wider Corfu tours and travel guide. It crowns Saint Mark’s Hill above the harbour. The sections below cover the visit.
What is the New Fortress?
The New Fortress is a Venetian fortification on Saint Mark’s Hill above the old port of Corfu Town, built to extend the city’s defences after a great Ottoman siege. Rugged and atmospheric, it is honeycombed with tunnels and crowned by wide views.
The New Fortress is the younger of the town’s two great citadels. Raised on Saint Mark’s Hill just above the old harbour, it was begun by the Venetians in the late 16th century to reinforce the outer city, complementing the older fortress on the sea-cut promontory to the east. Its sloping stone walls, bastions and gates, marked by the carved Lion of Saint Mark of Venice, climb the hillside in tiers, while beneath them run a maze of tunnels and galleries. Less polished and less visited than the Old Fortress, it has a raw, adventurous character all its own, set within the wider Corfu Town. Its history explains its scale.
What is its history?
The New Fortress was built by the Venetians on Saint Mark’s Hill, after the first great Ottoman siege exposed weaknesses in the city’s defences. Designed for artillery warfare, it strengthened the outer town beyond the Old Fortress.
The fortress was born of hard experience. The devastating Ottoman siege of Corfu in 1537 showed the Venetians that the Old Fortress alone could not protect the growing city, so they laid out a second, larger stronghold on Saint Mark’s Hill, building it in stages from 1576 to about 1645. Engineered for the age of cannon, with thick, angled walls and bastions, it guarded the landward and harbour approaches and tied into the town’s wider defensive system. Later occupiers, including the French and British, used and adapted it. The result is a masterpiece of military architecture that helped keep Corfu unconquered by the Ottomans, set out alongside the guide to the Old Fortress. There is much to explore inside.
What is there to see inside?
Inside you can explore the ramparts, the carved Venetian Lion of Saint Mark at the gate, and the warren of underground tunnels that once linked to the rest of the town. A café-bar at the summit serves drinks beside the fortress’s finest viewpoint.
The fortress rewards a wander. From the entrance, marked by the winged Lion of Saint Mark, paths and stairways climb through the tiered fortifications to the upper levels, passing vaulted chambers and barracks. The great draw for many is the network of tunnels and galleries burrowed through the rock, which once connected the fortress to the Old Fortress and the old town, giving the site an air of exploration and mystery. At the top, a café-bar offers a welcome drink with a spectacular outlook, and seasonal exhibitions sometimes occupy the interior spaces. Allowing an hour to an hour and a half covers it comfortably, set out alongside the guide to things to do in Corfu. The views are the highlight.
What are the views like?
The New Fortress offers one of the best panoramas of Corfu Town, over the red-tiled rooftops, church towers and the Old Town below, with the old port, the sea and the Old Fortress beyond. The summit café is a fine spot to enjoy it.
The rooftop view alone justifies the climb. From the upper ramparts the whole of Corfu Town unfolds: an intricate carpet of red-tiled roofs and chimneys punctuated by bell towers, the line of the Liston arcades and the green Esplanade, with the old harbour and the open sea beyond and the Old Fortress on its promontory closing the scene. It is a different, higher perspective on the town than the Old Fortress gives, taking in the dense heart of the Old Town from above. Lingering over a coffee at the summit café as the light softens is one of the town’s quiet pleasures, set out alongside a Corfu itinerary. A few practical points help.
How does the New Fortress compare to the Old Fortress?
The New Fortress is younger, larger and rougher than the Old Fortress, on Saint Mark’s Hill above the port rather than a sea-cut promontory. The Old Fortress is more polished and central, while the New Fortress feels raw, with wider tunnels.
The two citadels guard Corfu Town from opposite sides. The Old Fortress occupies a dramatic rocky headland east of the Esplanade, jutting into the sea and long the symbolic heart of the city’s defences. The New Fortress rises inland on its hill above the harbour, added later to close the landward gap that earlier sieges had exposed.
In feel they differ as much as in position. The Old Fortress is busier, better presented and rich with churches and museums, while the New Fortress is quieter, wilder and more of an explorer’s site, prized for its tunnels and its rooftop panorama. Seeing both, linked as they once were beneath the town by tunnels, gives the fullest picture of how the Venetians held the island through repeated Ottoman assaults, set out alongside the guide to the Old Fortress.
How do you visit the New Fortress?
You reach the New Fortress on foot, a short uphill walk from the old port and the Old Town, with entry at a small charge in season. Allow about an hour and a half and wear comfortable shoes for the ramps and steps.
The fortress is easy to add to a town visit. It stands just above the old port and the market, a short, steep walk up from the Old Town’s lanes, so no transport is needed within the compact centre. Entry is by a modest ticket in the open season, with the site sometimes free at quieter times.
Comfortable shoes help on the cobbled ramps and steps up through the tiers, and a bottle of water is welcome in summer. Around an hour and a half covers the ramparts, the tunnels, the view and a drink at the top. Visiting both fortresses in one day makes a rewarding history-focused outing, set out alongside the guide to where to stay in Corfu. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Old and New Fortress in Corfu?
The Old Fortress stands on a sea-cut promontory east of the Esplanade and is the older Venetian citadel, while the New Fortress sits on Saint Mark’s Hill above the old port and was begun later, in 1576. Both were built by the Venetians and both give fine town views.
Is the New Fortress Corfu worth visiting?
The New Fortress is worth visiting for its atmospheric tunnels and ramparts and, above all, for one of the best rooftop panoramas of Corfu Town from its summit. A café-bar at the top lets you enjoy the view over a drink, and it pairs well with the Old Fortress.
How long do you need at the New Fortress?
You need about an hour to an hour and a half at the New Fortress to explore the tunnels, climb the ramparts and enjoy the view from the top. Comfortable shoes help on the cobbled ramps and steps, and a summit café offers refreshments.
Can you walk between the two fortresses in Corfu?
You can walk between the New Fortress and the Old Fortress in a few minutes across Corfu Town, following the Old Town lanes and the Esplanade that separate them. The two citadels sit on opposite sides of the historic centre, making it easy to visit both in a single day on foot.