Northern Corfu Drive
The Two Faces of Corfu
There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this Northern Corfu Drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.
A Bay in Northern Corfu
There are two sides to every Greek island: the tourist and the traditional. Many visitors never stray further than the beaches and the bars, so have no idea what life is like for the average Greek person. To drive through northern Corfu is to see both sides of the picture, from busy resorts to quiet mountain villages, and to take in some of the most breathtaking scenery on the island.
Leaving Corfu Town
Corfu Town
Leave Corfu Town on the main coastal road (no. 24) going north, following the signs for the first two resorts, Kondokali and Gouvia. Only major roads in Greece usually carry a number, most of the time drivers must look for the names of their destinations. In Corfu roads are signed both in the Roman and the Greek alphabets.
Around Mt Pantokrator
The View from Mt Pantokrator
(A Drive for Another Day)
In Gouvia the road divides, with the right fork continuing on around the coast, but you take the left fork marked for Palaiokastritsa. This takes you around the lower slopes of Mt Pantokrator and through a delightful wooded valley. You pass through the village of Sgombou, and about 2km (1.25 miles) beyond here the road divides again with route 24 carrying on towards Palaiokastritsa. You take the right turn signposted for Sidari.
The Troumpeta Pass
The Beautiful Interior of Corfu
The road now climbs to the Troumpeta Pass, one of the loveliest spots on the island, with some of the most dramatic views after those from the top of Mt Pantokrator. The whole of the fertile Ropa Plain in the centre of the island spreads out below to the left. At the pass, take the right turn marked for Roda and Sidari.
Some Cool Corfu Souvenirs
Paleokastritsa Luggage Tag
Corfu Cypresses Capri Leggings
Mountain Villages
The road now winds and descends through the mountain villages on the western side of Mt Pantokrator, places where rural life goes on as it has for centuries: Khorepiskopi, Valanio, Kiprianades, Xanthatai, Platonas and Sfakera. You should stop in a few of these, take a walk round and get a feel for life in rural Corfu.
Sidari
Sidari
After Sfakera you continue on down back towards the sea and the coastal road which you left in Gouvia. When you reach it, turn left towards Karousades and Sidari. Sidari is the busiest resort on this part of the coast and has a lively waterfront, worth stopping off at perhaps to have lunch or just to look at the unusual rock formations here. After seeing the mountain villages, this is very much back in the busy tourist side of Corfu.
Offshore Islands
Continue on the main coastal road, where you can stop at a viewpoint at Avliotes on the northwest corner of Corfu. There are three offshore islands here (Erikoussa, Othoni and Mathraki) barely inhabited but with accommodation for a real get-away-from-it-all experience.
Corfu Spring Flowers
Mountain Scenery Viewpoint
Continue on through Arillas and after about another 2km (1.25 miles) look for the left turning onto the road for Sidari. You are not going back there but starting to complete a circle that will eventually return you to the Troumpeta Pass. First you will reach Kavadades, where you should leave the car and look for the signs to the viewpoint. This gives you great views of the wooded mountain scenery around.
Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides
Driving Back to Corfu Town
In Kavadades take the right turn towards Armenades, and when you get there you turn right again through Dafni, then Agros and back to the Troumpeta Pass. Here you carry on back down the way you first arrived, following the signs for Kerkyra Town (Corfu Town).
Other Corfu Pages
Corfu writers and artists inspired by the island include both residents and visitors, like Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, Edward Lear, and Henry Miller.
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.
The best drives in Greece chosen and driven by Mike Gerrard of Greece Travel Secrets including from Ioannina to Meteora, the Prespa Lakes and the Mani.
Corfu’s marine life includes dolphins, loggerhead turtles, and rare Mediterranean monk seals.
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.
Corfu Town’s Old Fortress is the town’s most striking landmark, standing east of the Old Town on top of a rocky promontory.
There are three islands off the northwest coast of Corfu, Erikouusa, Othoni and Mathraki, popular with day-trippers from resorts like Sidari.
This is the Greece Travel Secrets selection of where to eat in northern Corfu, from classy restaurants and traditional tavernas to beachside fish tavernas.
Information for travelers on Corfu Food and Drink including restaurants and tavernas, Corfiot specialties, desserts, wine and other Greek drinks like ouzo.
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.
Northern Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts and secluded beaches, with several hill and mountain villages well worth visiting.
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.
Driving in Greece practical information including speed limits, fines, drink-driving, buying petrol and other advice for driving in Greece.
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
This Mount Pantokrator drive takes you to the top of Corfu’s highest mountain with wonderful views to Albania, mainland Greece, and around Corfu.
This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
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.
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.
An account of driving in Greece for Greece Travel Secrets including links to the best drives in Greece, practical information and a note of some of the hazards.
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.
Scenic Drives in Northern Greece, Ioannina, Meteora, Kastoria, Prespa Lakes
If you want to tour northern Corfu in three days you can see busy resorts, quiet fishing villages, Mount Pantokrator, and the Andinioti Lagoon.
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.
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.
-
The Olympic flame that will be burning for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer was lit in Ancient Olympia on Tuesday, April 16. Located in western Peloponnese, Ancient Olympia is one of the most…
Read More
-
Public transportation in Athens as well as ferry travel in Greece will be disrupted on Wednesday, April 17, due to a 24-hour strike called by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the cou…
Read More
-
Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.
Read More
-
The Greek Finance Ministry announced this week that it would taking strict measures including fines of up to 60,000 euros to ensure that Greece’s beaches are always accessible to the public. Fines ran…
Read More
-
For a third year in a row, the ferry service linking Cyprus with Greece is scheduled to resume operations on May 29. The Cypriot-flagged Daleela, which can transport 400 passengers and 200 vehicles, w…
Read More
-
The Region of Crete announced this week that all actions had been taken to include the world-famous archaeological site of Knossos on Crete on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Read More
-
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is projecting a record-breaking year for Travel & Tourism in 2024, with the sector’s global economic contribution set to reach an all-time high of $11.1 tri…
Read More
-
The Greek Tourism Ministry announced this week that it had sealed off the two top floors and the rooftop bar of a hotel in the center of Athens which were blocking views to the Acropolis.
Read More
-
In order to facilitate tourists arriving from neighboring Turkey under a new visa-on-arrival scheme, Greek authorities announced the opening of a visa station on Rhodes. Under the fast-track visa sche…
Read More
-
You don't have to travel far to have a good time in Greece. Here's our list of 10 eateries for day trips from Athens.
Read More