Achilleion Palace

The beautiful Achilleion(Achillion) Palace sits 10 km south of the city of Corfu and three km north of the village of Benitses on the edge of Gastouri village.
It was built at 1890 by Empress Elizabeth of Austria.

The stunning appearance of this stately palace takes the visitor back in history to when the palace was inhabited by two great figures from European history whose only common bond was their adoration for Corfu, Greece and its culture, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as 'Sissi') and Kaiser William II of Germany.

Empress Elisabeth built the palace to escape the tragedies of her life, and William II purchased it after her untimely death. William II, however, never had a chance to enjoy the palace’s beauty because of a war that broke out, from his own doing.

During the First and Second World War the palace was abandoned and inevitably pillaged by the enemy. After years of rebuilding and restoration, the palace was finally restored to its former beauty.