Corfu Town, the capital of Corfu in the Greek Ionian Islands, is a stylish city with British, French and Italian influences. Here's your travel guide to its best hotels

Corfu Town hotels range from cheap to chic, with some deluxe options too. There is also a wide choice of mid-range accommodation, offering clean and comfortable rooms at inexpensive prices when compared to many European cities. Budget hotels are plentiful, but for just a little bit more, visitors can find themselves something stylish and historical.

The central part of Corfu Town is only small, and all the main attractions can easily be reached on foot. The worst thing that can happen is getting lost in the back streets of the Old Town, which is a real warren of narrow, twisting streets. Not even the best local map will guide you through. But you'll always come out somewhere, and local people are happy to help and in the shops and restaurants they usually speak several languages.

If you're having a holiday in one of the Corfu beach resorts, it's easy to do a day trip into Corfu Town, but you might want to think about staying overnight. In the evening Corfu Town really buzzes, with the cafe life and some great restaurants. Those Old Town back streets are also very atmospheric, and there's plenty of affordable hotel accommodation.

Here are some personal recommendations of a few of Corfu Town's best chic and deluxe hotels, budget hotels, mid-range hotels and characterful places to stay.

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EXPENSIVE

Corfu Holiday Palace, Nafsikas, Kanoni

Not to be confused with the Corfu Palace hotel (see below), the Corfu Holiday Palace is out of the town centre on the Kanoni peninsula. If you want to be in on the Corfu town action you'll need to take a taxi back and forth, but if you want to soak up the sun and peace of a luxury holiday resort, then the Corfu Holiday Palace (once the Corfu Town Hilton) can't be beaten. It also has the island's only casino, if you enjoy a flutter.

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Corfu Palace, Leoforos Dimokratias 2

Combining luxury hotel accommodation with a great location, the Corfu Palace is right on the edge of the town centre, overlooking Garitsa Bay. It's one of the best hotels on the whole island, with a health and beauty spa, two restaurants, beautiful grounds and two swimming pools.

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MEDIUM

Bella Venezia, Zambeli 4

This neo-classical mansion was once a girls' school and today's hotel has kept that old-world charm and style. It also means many of the rooms are quite large with high ceilings, as opposed to today's rabbit-hutches. Another plus point is the separate breakfast garden beside the main building, which is in a quieter area but only a few minutes walk to the centre and the Old Town.

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Cavalieri, Kapodistriou 4

Local people love the Cavalieri, not just because it's a fine old hotel in a grand 17th-century mansion, but because its rooftop bar with panoramic views is considered one of the best places in Corfu Town to have an aperitif or a nightcap. Front rooms in the hotel also benefit from the views, and you should definitely try to book one of those.

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BUDGET

Atlantis, Xenofondos Stratigou 48

If you're taking an early ferry, or coming in on a late ferry, the Atlantis is perfectly placed near the port. Many of the rooms overlook the Ionian, and although it's a budget hotel, it's clean and comfortable, and all the 61 rooms and three suites have AC, TV, phone and ensuite bathrooms.

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Kontstantinoupolis, Zavitsianou 11

This is a C-class hotel which means inexpensive yet the facilities are excellent, as is the building itself. The hotel was originally built in 1862, and it still has its spiral wooden staircase and a wonderful old-fashioned lift. The rooms are modern, though, and charming, and the hotel is well-located near the port and on the edge of the Old Town.

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