Mon Repos Palace is located on top of Analipsis, a low hill in the south of Corfu Town, at the entrance of the Kanoni Peninsula. The area overlooks the Ionian Sea among magnificent nature and archaeological settlements of the ancient Paleopolis (Old City) and it is worth visiting any time of the year.
This estate has a peculiar character due to its enchanting atmosphere, which blends olive groves and centennial trees from all over the World with Corinthian remains dating back from the 7th Century before Christ.
The Mon Repos Palace open area has a free entrance and is excellent for a walk, especially during the warm summer months. Many locals and visitors enjoy strolling through the area for activities such as sports, dog-walking, nature watching or even swimming in Kardaki Beach.
Mon Repos Palace History
Built for the British Commissioner Sir Frederick Adams in 1831 as his second residence on the island, Mon Repos Palace is a charming building, though not as grand as the Achilleion Palace but much easier to reach and visit all year round. With colonial architectural features, it is a tiny yet exquisite palace which houses an interesting ethnographic and archaeological museum.
This urban park features well-maintained gardens surrounded by ancient Greek monuments from Corfu and offers spectacular views of the island’s East coast and the Greek Mainland.
Pavlos Prosalentis, a sculptor from Corfiot, was appointed director of the School of Fine Arts, which was moved to the estate in 1833. Public gardens were established on the estate’s farmland the next year, in 1834.
During Lord Howard Douglas’s time as High Commissioner in 1840, the Theological Seminary was also relocated to the estate, where it stayed for two years.
After the union with Greece in 1864, Mon Repos Palace was handed over to the former Greek royal family, who used it as their summer residence. This decision faced protests from the island’s citizens, who had been promised by the British that they would have the right to use and enjoy the building once the British left the island and ended their Protectorate.
The villa was visited by Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria, in 1863 and on other occasions thereafter. She developed a deep affection for the island throughout her visits, which eventually inspired her to construct the Achilleion Palace near the village of Gastouri.
This palace served as the home of Parini, the Italian governor of the Ionian Islands during the Second World War when Corfu was occupied by Italy.
In 1974, Papandreou’s administration seized the vacation palace of the Greek royal family. Mon Repos was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and is now home to a part of Corfu Archaeological Museum, which opened in 2000.
Royal Births in Mon Repos Palace
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark was born on June 26, 1914, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, on June 10, 1921, and Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark on July 10, 1965, were born in the villa. Interestingly, Philip was born at the table in the dining room. Nothing else in the building connects to the Duke of Edinburgh’s birth in 1921, except for a front plaque at the entryway.
Today, Mon Repos Palace is owned by the Greek state and is managed by the Municipality of Corfu, primarily for official and ceremonial meetings.
Mon Repos Palace Museum
The museum is open to the public and the general admission fee is 10€.
The summer program is the following: From 1/4 until 31/10. The opening hours are 08:00 – 20:00, Tuesdays closed.
The Museum Exhibition
On the first floor, visitors will find several palace rooms with an ethnographic exhibition containing the oldest surviving photographs of Corfu, including the Old Town, the first excavations by English and German archaeologists in the 19th century, and several traditional and wedding dresses of Corfiot high society ladies of the time.
The second-floor houses a fine collection of small Roman-era artefacts found during excavations in the area. The objects found in the Roman baths are very interesting and help us discover that the ancients also left things at the sites, such as coins, buttons, and clothing buckles.
Mon Repos Open Areas
The open area can be visited at no charge. The opening times change throughout the year, depending on the dusk/sunset times.
You can’t miss: Kardaki Beach
You can’t miss: the Temple of Zeus
How to Get to Mon Repos Palace Estate
The best choice is buying a Hop-On Hop-Off ticket, which allows you to visit the Old Town and stops at the entrance of the property. You can buy the tickets online here.
There are also public buses that connect Mon Repos with the Old Town if you prefer not to walk. In any case, the distance between Garitsa Bay and Mon Repos is a 15-minute lovely walk by the seaside.