She built it while in mourning for her son, and she dedicated it to Achilles, whom she regarded as the model of a hero destroyed by fate. That is not decoration; it is the organising idea of the whole house.
Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
Two owners, two Achilles statues, two arguments
The building’s history turns on a single disagreement, and you can see it in the garden.
Sisi commissioned The Dying Achilles: the hero collapsing, pulling at the arrow in his heel. Grief, not triumph.
After her assassination in 1898, the palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who found that reading uncongenial and commissioned an enormous Achilles Triumphant - armoured, upright, looking north. Both stand in the grounds.
Walking from one to the other is the most interesting thing on the site: the same figure, read as a defeat and as a victory, by two owners a decade apart.
The gardens are the visit
Be clear about expectations. The interior is a modest number of rooms with period furniture, portraits, and personal effects, and it is a short walk-through rather than a great house tour.
The gardens and terraces are the reason to come:
- Statues of the Muses and of classical figures along the terraces
- The peristyle with its colonnade
- Long views down over the coast and out to the mainland
- Formal planting on several levels
Allow an hour to an hour and a half for both together.
Later life, and the James Bond footnote
The palace has had an eventful century since: a military hospital in the First World War, a French and then Serbian facility, and for a period in the twentieth century a casino occupied part of it - which is how it appears in For Your Eyes Only, a fact the guides will not let you leave without hearing.
It is now a museum run by the state.
Practical notes
- Getting there. Around ten kilometres from Corfu Town at Gastouri, reachable by local bus, taxi or car. The road up is winding but short.
- Time of day. The terraces are exposed. Morning is more comfortable and photographs better.
- Combining. It pairs naturally with Kanoni and the Mouse Island viewpoint on the same side of the town, making a half-day.
- Accessibility. Terraced gardens with steps between levels; the house itself has stairs.
What to take from this page
Go for the gardens and the two Achilles statues, not for the interior. Give it an hour and a half, go in the morning, and read the site as one long argument between a grieving empress and a Kaiser about what a hero is.
Last checked August 2026. Opening hours and ticket prices change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Who built the Achilleion palace in Corfu?
Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, in the 1890s. After her assassination it was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Why is it called the Achilleion?
Elisabeth dedicated it to Achilles, whom she saw as a hero brought down by fate. The theme runs through the statuary and the decoration.
What are the two Achilles statues?
Elisabeth commissioned The Dying Achilles, collapsing with the arrow in his heel. Wilhelm II later commissioned a much larger Achilles Triumphant, armoured and standing. Both are in the grounds.
How long do you need at the Achilleion?
About an hour to an hour and a half for the house and the gardens together. The gardens take most of it.
Is the Achilleion worth visiting?
For the gardens, the statuary and the views, yes. The interior is a short walk-through of a few rooms rather than a full house tour.
How do you get to the Achilleion from Corfu Town?
It is about ten kilometres south at Gastouri, reachable by local bus, taxi or car in roughly twenty minutes.
Next
Read things to do in Corfu, Corfu old town, or choose a base with where to stay in Corfu.