Mount Pantokrator Drive
This Mount Pantokrator drive takes you to the top of Corfu’s highest mountain with wonderful views to Albania, mainland Greece, and around Corfu.
The View from Mount Pantokrator
At 906m (2,972 ft), Mount Pantokrátor is Corfu’s highest mountain. This drive to the summit takes you along a winding but surprisingly good mountain road, through an ever-changing landscape and a handful of lovely old villages. At the top you’ll be rewarded with stunning views over the coastline in all directions, and a beautiful monastery to explore.
NOTE: Directions were correct at the time we did the drive but roads and signs can change.
Mount Pantokrator Drive
We start and end this drive at Nissaki, about 20 km (12.4 miles) north of Corfu Town on the east coast. It should take about 2.5 hours, and covers a total of 66 km (41 miles).
Leave Nissáki on the main coast road, heading south. After about 4 km (2.5 miles), take the right turn to Spartílas. This narrow, one-lane road passes through olive groves and stone-walled terraces, dotted with ruined buildings and wildflowers. At the stop sign, it joins the road coming up from Pyrgí. Turn right onto this road.
Spartilas
As you climb uphill, there are fine views back over Ípsos Bay. Five kilometers (3.1 miles) of sharp switchbacks bring you to Spartílas. The town is fairly large, with pretty homes and gardens surrounded by olive trees and wildflowers. The road narrows through the town centre, where it is lined with quaint old buildings. Here there is a picturesque pink bell tower with a red dome, the church and town hall. It’s worth a stop to walk back for a closer look.
Leave Spartílas passing more olive groves and beehives making mountain honey. After 1 km (0.6 miles), take the right turn towards Petália, also signposted to Pantokrátor. Now olive and cypress give way to lower growing shrubs and sage and other wild herbs along the roadside, and bright yellow gorse in spring.
After 6 km (3.7 miles) you reach the small village of Strinílas, with a shady taverna at its centre. Outside of town, where the road forks before reaching Petália, bear right to Pantokrátor.
Mount Pantokrator
The View from Mount Pantokrator
From here it’s another 5 km (3.1 miles) to the summit. Soon the bald crown of Pantokrátor comes into view, topped by the plain façade of the monastery and unsightly broadcasting masts. As you near the top, park on the roadside.
Monastery of Ipsilos Pantokrátor
The Monastery of Ipsilos Pantokrátor is lovely inside, with a silver iconostasis and beautiful frescoes on the arched ceiling. But it has to compete with the marvellous views across the water to Albania and mainland Greece, and views all around Corfu. On a clear day you can even see the islands of Páxos and Antípaxos further south.
Return back down the mountain. At the fork, turn right into Petália. As you leave the village there are more views of Albania, looking northeast over the Bay of Apraos.
As the road descends towards the coast, the hillsides become more lush and are dotted with trees. Pass through the hamlet of Trimódi, where old stone houses cling to the hillside. Two kilometres (1.2 miles) urther on is the pretty village of Láfki.
Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides
To Acharavi
The coastal resort of Acharávi is signposted from the village on the road out of town. After the village of Ágios Martínos, 2 km (1.2 miles) ahead, you find yourself back in the olive groves and you can smell the sea. Follow the signs for Acharávi, which is 3 km (1.9 miles) away. Here you reach the main coast road. Turn right to return to Nissáki, 18 km (11.2 miles) away.
Print This Drive
If you want a print-friendly PDF of this drive to take with you in the car then click here.
Other Corfu Pages
North-West Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts, quiet beaches, hill villages, and places ideal for watching the sunset,
This guide to southern Corfu’s beaches and villages includes busy resorts, quiet beach, hill villages and the southernmost tip of Corfu at Cape Asprókavos.
Angelokastro is a 13th-century hilltop fortress with breath-taking views near Paleokastritsa on the Greek island of Corfu in the Ionian Islands.
This is the Greece Travel Secrets selection of where to eat in northern Corfu, from classy restaurants and traditional tavernas to beachside fish tavernas.
There are three islands off the northwest coast of Corfu, Erikouusa, Othoni and Mathraki, popular with day-trippers from resorts like Sidari.
These Corfu shopping tips include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, jewelry, gold, silver, wood carvings, and food and drink, with tips on haggling.
Mount Pantokrator is the highest mountain on Corfu and it’s easy to drive to the top for spectacular views of Albania, Corfu, and even sometimes to Italy.
From Nero to Nicolas Cage, the invasion of Corfu goes back to Roman times and through to Hollywood today!
Corfu writers and artists inspired by the island include both residents and visitors, like Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, Edward Lear, and Henry Miller.
The history of Corfu and cricket goes back to 1823 when the island was under British rule, which left them with a legacy of loving both cricket and ginger beer.
Northern Corfu is the most diverse part of the island, with Corfu's highest point, Mt Pantokrator, and beach resorts like Sidari and Palaiokastritsa.
Greece Travel Secrets’ pick of where to stay in southern Corfu including hotels in Moraïtika, Paramonas, Messonghi, Agios Georgios, and near Benitses.
Greece Travel Secrets has its list of favourite places where you can eat in north-west Corfu, including in Paleokastritsa, Pelekas, and Ayios Stefanos.
Kalami in north-west Corfu is a hidden gem which many people know about because writer Lawrence Durrell once lived here in The White House.
The main two Corfu saints are Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu who saved the island four times from disaster, and Saint Theodora Augusta.
Corfu’s wildlife includes rare and colourful birds, snakes, lizards, fireflies, and insects, with plenty of places to watch the wildlife like lakes and lagoons.
Sidari is a popular holiday resort on the north coast of Corfu with beaches and unusual rock formations as well as plenty of places to eat and to stay.
There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.
The Corfu Climate page describes the hours of sun, the rain, the winds, to help you plan the best time to visit this Ionian island.
Southern Corfu has busy beach resorts like Benitses, historical buildings like the Achilleion Palace and Gardiki Castle, and wildlife at the Korision Lagoon.
Information for travellers to Greece on Corfu festivals and events including Easter, the Feast of St Spiridhon, Carnival and Name Days.
The Achilleion Palace is one of the most visited sights on Corfu and contains a museum and impressive gardens with wonderful views over the coast.
Corfu Town is the capital of Corfu and of the Ionian Islands and has museums, two forts, several museums, churches, and many other attractions.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in north-west and central Corfu including luxury mansions, inexpensive rooms, and resort hotels.
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