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
These Corfu shopping tips include advice on buying souvenirs like ceramics, jewelry, gold, silver, wood carvings, and food and drink, with tips on haggling.
North-West Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts, quiet beaches, hill villages, and places ideal for watching the sunset,
Paleokastritsa is on the west coast of Corfu and is one of the most popular holiday spots. This page gives information on beaches, boat trips, weather and map.
Corfu Town is the capital of Corfu and of the Ionian Islands and has museums, two forts, several museums, churches, and many other attractions.
These fun facts about Corfu include how the island got its name, who wrote the Greek National Anthem, and the eccentric Englishman, the Earl of Guilford.
Corfu’s special cuisine includes dishes like sofrito and pastitsade and the chance to try ginger beer and kumquats.
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.
From Nero to Nicolas Cage, the invasion of Corfu goes back to Roman times and through to Hollywood today!
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.
Corfu or Kerkyra is the main island in the Greek Ionian islands with Corfu Town being one of the most attractive of Greek island capitals.
There are three islands off the northwest coast of Corfu, Erikouusa, Othoni and Mathraki, popular with day-trippers from resorts like Sidari.
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Corfu, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Benitses is a popular resort town south of Corfu Town with its own marina, remains of a Roman Baths, an old town, and plenty of walks inland.
Greece Travel Secrets has its list of favourite places where you can eat in north-west Corfu, including in Paleokastritsa, Pelekas, and Ayios Stefanos.
Greece Travel Secrets’ pick of where to stay in southern Corfu including hotels in Moraïtika, Paramonas, Messonghi, Agios Georgios, and near Benitses.
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.
This Lawrence Durrell walk takes you from Kaminaki Beach in northern Corfu to the White House in Kalami where the writer Lawrence Durrell lived for four year.
The best things to do on Corfu include visiting Palaiokastritsa, a day trip to Albania, seeing the Achilleion Palace, and the museums in Corfu Town.
The Korission Lagoon on the west coast of Corfu is also called Lake Korission and has abundant wildlife, especially birds, and one of the best beaches on Corfu.
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.
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.
Northern Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts and secluded beaches, with several hill and mountain villages well worth visiting.
Information for travelers on Corfu Food and Drink including restaurants and tavernas, Corfiot specialties, desserts, wine and other Greek drinks like ouzo.
If you want to tour northern Corfu in three days you can see busy resorts, quiet fishing villages, Mount Pantokrator, and the Andinioti Lagoon.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
-
From world-famous giant beans and crisp mountain apples to alpine-raised beef and legendary chestnuts, Kastoria is a food lover’s paradise waiting to be explored.
Read More
-
The Kerameikos archaeological site provides a peaceful escape, transporting visitors to the history-rich northwestern gates of ancient Athens.
Read More
-
Greek hotels lead the pack with 87% guest satisfaction, surpassing Spain, Italy, and France, but challenges remain in peak-season management.
Read More
-
The honey derived from the wild lavender of Serifos is a premium Greek product. Beekeeper Nikos Kokolakis produces one of the finest varieties on the island.
Read More
-
From a mysterious Minoan structure to a rediscovered ancient city, these five archaeological finds from 2024 offer fresh perspectives on Greece’s rich history.
Read More
-
Greekality is a Greek company offering food tours in Athens including street food tours, wine and nightlife tours, vegan tours and cooking classes.
Read More
-
The 75-kilometer-long Patras–Pyrgos Motorway in the western Peloponnese is expected to be completed and open to traffic by December 2025, significantly upgrading the region’s road transport system and…
Read More
-
Greece continued to face severe weather conditions on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, as heavy rainfall, storms, and snowfall affected many areas. The Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) reporte…
Read More
-
Athens public transport is ushering in a new digital era this week with the introduction of its innovative “tap2ride” ticketing system.
Read More
-
Will there be a holiday or national celebration taking place during your trip to Greece? Find out here.
Read More