The Liston is the row of arcaded buildings along the western edge of the Spianada in Corfu Town, built under French rule from 1807 and modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Under its arches, cafés spread their tables across the pedestrian street towards the square. For two centuries this has been where Corfiots come to stroll, meet friends and be seen.
The Liston at a glance
- Where: on the western side of the Spianada, between the old town and the square; the pedestrian street is about 150 metres long.
- Built: 1807–1814, during the second period of French rule over the Ionian Islands.
- By: Mathieu de Lesseps, the French imperial commissioner on Corfu and father of Ferdinand de Lesseps, who later built the Suez Canal.
- What it is today: a pedestrian promenade with cafés and restaurants under the arcades, and Corfu Town's favourite place for an evening walk.
- Time needed: 15 minutes to walk it, and as long as you like over a coffee.
A piece of Paris on a Venetian island
Venice ruled Corfu for about four centuries, until 1797. The open ground in front of the Old Fortress, the Spianada, was kept free of buildings for defence, and the strip where the Liston now stands was even used as a firing range by Venetian troops. After a first French spell and a few years as the Septinsular Republic, the French returned in 1807 and began a row of buildings on the western edge of the open ground, designed by Mathieu de Lesseps on the model of the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. They were completed in 1814, the year French rule ended.
The British, who governed the Ionian Islands from 1814 to 1864, made the Spianada their stage. They built the Palace of St Michael and St George at its northern end, next to the Liston, and brought cricket to the lawn in front of it. The Liston became the place for the evening stroll, and its cafés became the town's meeting place; Corfiots still call the walk under the arches the 'volta'. On feast days, the processions of Saint Spyridon pass this way too.
What to look for
- The arcades: a long line of arches on the ground floor, with café tables partly under them and partly across the street, facing the green of the Spianada.
- The façades above: plain, regular French-style fronts with long rows of windows, very different from the Venetian houses in the lanes behind.
- The view across the square: from the café tables you look over the cricket ground towards the Old Fortress and its sea moat.
- The Palace of St Michael and St George: the British neoclassical palace that closes the northern end next to the Liston, now home to the Museum of Asian Art.
- The street lamps: the old-style lamp posts along the pedestrian street, which give the Liston its glow in the evening.
Where does the name come from?
There are two explanations. The one you will hear most often in Corfu says the name comes from the 'list' of noble families written in the Venetian Libro d'Oro (Golden Book), who alone were allowed to stroll here. The other points to the Venetian word 'liston', used in Venetian towns for a broad paved promenade; Verona still calls the pavement of its Piazza Bra the Liston. The Liston is also part of Corfu's best-known Easter custom: on Holy Saturday at 11 am, people throw large clay pots, the botides, from balconies in the old town to smash on the street below.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the evening, when Corfiots take their volta and the arcades are at their liveliest.
- Coffee on the Liston costs more than in the lanes behind; if you only want to see it, walk the arcades and sit on a bench on the Spianada instead.
- At Easter, find a spot early on Holy Saturday morning: the pot-smashing draws big crowds.
- For a photo of the whole row, step back into the middle of the Spianada and look west.
Nearby
- Spianada: the great square right in front, with the cricket ground, the bandstand and the Maitland Rotunda.
- Church of Saint Spyridon: the church of Corfu's patron saint, with the tallest bell tower in the Ionian Islands, a minute's walk into the old town.
- Old Fortress: the Venetian fortress across the sea moat on the eastern side of the Spianada, with views back over the town.
- Campiello: the oldest quarter of the old town, a maze of narrow lanes and stairways a few minutes' walk to the north-west.
See Corfu with World City Trail
Our Corfu scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 26 minutes of walking. The Liston arcades are one of the stops, along with the Spianada. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch or Greek.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Corfu.
Play the Corfu scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Corfu →
Play the outdoor escape game in Corfu →
Facts checked in October 2026.