Garitsa Bay, a picturesque promenade next to the sea, is one of the most interesting and colourful areas in the town of Corfu. It combines amazing nature, traditional architecture and the charm of Corfiot everyday life.
For centuries, Garitsa was the area of traditional pottery workshops in Corfu; first historical mentions are dated 1370. The name of the area is assumed to be connected with clay kitchen equipment – gastradika – produced in the workshops.
Today, Garitsa Bay is a modern suburb of Corfu with developed infrastructure and a well-organised park zone.
Garitsa is the longest pedestrian road alongside the sea in Corfu.
Garitsa is a wide boulevard with two different walking paths about two kilometres long.
It begins from the Old Fortress and continues to Anemomylos (the old windmill) next to the Royal Baths of Mon Repos Mansion.
The easiest way to reach Garitsa from any location in Corfu is to walk a few minutes from the central bus station at San Rocco Square.
Enjoy a stroll towards beautiful Alexandras Avenue until you reach the crossroads with Dimokratias Avenue and Douglas Monument, which is placed just in the middle of the bay.
Douglas Monument
This symbolic trifacial column is dedicated to Howard Douglas, who was Lord High Commissioner of Corfu and the Ionian Islands in 1841–1845 and played an important role in developing the infrastructure of the island.
Particularly, Howard Douglas was the founder of the prison and constructed the old psychiatric and general hospitals of Corfu.
Douglas Monument was built in 1843 and originally placed at Pano Plateia (Spianada), but was replaced in Garitsa because of landslide damage in 1907.
Nowadays, the column is a popular meeting point for Corfu locals and used to be called “Douglas”.
Walk, run, ride
Garitsa is a perfect place for absolutely any activity. You can choose a path among palm trees, pink oleanders and eucalyptuses and have a relaxed stroll or run while enjoying stunning landscapes changing one after another.
You can ride a bicycle – there is a special cycling path in Garitsa! If you don’t have one, you can rent a nice transport for an affordable price at XXX place (?).
Also, there is a kids’ playground and a field for pétanque where the local seniors play that weird ancient game with metallic balls.
Even if you’ve never heard of pétanque before, watching the game could be very amusing.
The path of white stones will guide you alongside the sea. The scenic view of the Old Fortress through Garitsa waters filled with yachts is definitely one of the most remarkable visual symbols of Corfu.
Swim
One more nice thing about Garitsa is that about every 200 metres along the seaside road, there are special points with stairs into the water.
They are equipped with sideboards where you can put your stuff while swimming.
The water in Garitsa is very clean compared to other beaches in town.
So if you want to refresh during your hot summer walk, it is nice and easy to go for a swim and continue your promenade immediately.
At the end of Garitsa, there is the old windmill Anemomylos and a small narrow path to the lighthouse.
The area is a popular swimming and hangout spot for locals during the whole year.
Exploring Corfu suburbs
Garitsa is a great place to explore the everyday life of Corfu Town. Even though a lot of the houses are now transformed into tourist hosting spots, there are still many locals living and working in Garitsa.
Their life remains very simple and you can observe colourful balconies full of flowers and drying laundry just next to the road.
In the morning, you can watch the awakening of life in Garitsa when the owners start to open their shops.
Bakeries and cafeterias, fish market, butcher’s shop, grocery store, small shop with spices, hairdressing salon, church, lottery kiosk and bookstore.
People running to start their working day and the air filling with sounds and scents.
There is a supermarket in Garitsa, but shopping in tens of small shops owned and maintained by local families for years is much more exciting.
You can bargain, learn some interesting stories or make a nice photo memory.
To continue your Corfu tour, visit the newly renovated Archaeological Museum of Corfu situated 300 meters from Douglas Monument and next to the old building of the Swiss Embassy.
And then relax with a cup of coffee and an unforgettable view of Corfu Old Fortress and Garitsa Bay!