  We have obtained deep near-infrared images in J and K filters of four fields
in the Sculptor Group spiral galaxy NGC 247 with the ESO VLT and ISAAC camera.
For a sample of ten Cepheids in these fields, previously discovered by
Garc{\'i}a-Varela et al. from optical wide-field images, we have determined
mean J and K magnitudes and have constructed the period-luminosity (PL)
relations in these bands. Using the near-infrared PL relations together with
those in the optical V and I bands, we have determined a true distance modulus
for NGC 247 of 27.64 mag, with a random uncertainty of $\pm$2% and a systematic
uncertainty of $\sim$4% which is dominated by the effect of unresolved stars on
the Cepheid photometry. The mean reddening affecting the NGC 247 Cepheids of
E(B-V) = 0.18 $\pm$ 0.02 mag is mostly produced in the host galaxy itself and
is significantly higher than what was found in the previous optical Cepheid
studies in NGC 247 of our own group, and Madore et al., leading to a 7%
decrease in the previous optical Cepheid distance. As in other studies of our
project, the distance modulus of NGC 247 we report is tied to an assumed LMC
distance modulus of 18.50. Comparison with other distance measurements to NGC
247 shows that the present IR-based Cepheid distance is the most accurate among
these determinations.
  With a distance of 3.4 Mpc, NGC 247 is about 1.5 Mpc more distant than NGC 55
and NGC 300, two other Sculptor Group spirals analyzed before with the same
technique by our group.
