Corfu

Corfu's UNESCO-listed Old Town is a web of Venetian lanes strung between two fortresses. Largely pedestrian and shaded, it is easily explored with a leashed dog, early in the morning before the cruise-ship excursions arrive.

The elegant Liston arcades, built under French rule on the model of the rue de Rivoli, line the vast Spianada esplanade. The cafes are welcoming to dogs on their terraces, and the esplanade offers one of the largest urban promenades in Greece.

Empress Sisi's neoclassical palace, dedicated to Achilles, overlooks the sea from Gastouri with its statue-filled gardens. Dogs are not admitted to the palace or the enclosed gardens: admire it from outside and continue to the olive-grove trails in the nearby hills.

Six turquoise coves at the foot of hills covered in olives and cypresses: Paleokastritsa is the island's most famous landscape. With a dog, favour the less developed coves and the trail climbing to the village of Lakones for an unforgettable view.

This wooded estate south of town, birthplace of Prince Philip, hides a neoclassical villa, the ancient ruins of Paleopolis and shaded paths down to the sea. The park can be walked on lead; the villa museum itself stays closed to dogs.

The Old Venetian Fortress, set on a rocky islet linked by a bridge, has guarded the entrance to the old town since the 15th century. A ticketed, enclosed site, it does not admit dogs: the Faliraki harbour walk just below offers the best view of its ramparts.