Climb to Mount Pantokrator

What it is

Pantokrator is the highest mountain on Corfu, 906 m, in the north-east of the island. You can drive right to the summit, and at the top you see the whole island and, a stone's throw away, the coast of Albania. On the clearest days you can even make out Italy, about 130 km away. On the summit there is a monastery, a café for visitors and a telecommunications station with antennas, whose largest tower stands over a well.

The monastery

The first monastery on the summit was built by the Angevins in 1347 and destroyed around 1537. The present church dates from about 1689 and is dedicated to the Transfiguration; the facade was redone in the 19th century. It is a place of worship: enter with shoulders and knees covered.

The road, stretch by stretch

To Strinilas. From the north-east coast or from the north, mountain roads with many bends climb towards the villages on the slope. The starting point of the final stretch is Strinilas.

From Strinilas to the summit. It is 4.6 km of tarmac, with about 260 m of ascent and ramps of up to 18%. The road is narrow, with no crash barriers and with consecutive hairpin bends. Drive up slowly, in first or second gear on the ramps, and sound the horn on blind bends.

At the top. Parking is scarce and many people leave the car on the verge, which leaves the road down to a single lane. The sensible thing is to turn round at the summit before parking, so you are already facing the descent.

Descent. You can return the same way or go down the other side towards Petalia and the north coast, closing a circuit.

For this route a small car or a motorbike with mountain experience is best. If you hire, take the most compact model: the car hire page explains it.

On foot from Palea Perithia

At the foot of the mountain is Palea Perithia, the oldest village on Corfu, from the 14th century, with about 130 houses and eight churches, almost uninhabited. Its residents helped build the first monastery with local timber and limestone. From the village, climbing to the summit and back takes about two hours on foot. The stretch from Spartilas to the summit is part of the Corfu Trail.

If you walk, set out early and bring water. Return in daylight: some paths are poorly signposted at dusk.

When to go up

You can go up all year, but visibility is what counts. Choose a clear day without haze: in mist you will see neither Albania nor Italy, and a cloud on the summit hides everything even if the sun shines below. In strong wind or a storm, do not go up: the road has no protection.

How long and how to combine it

Allow half a day for the climb, the summit and a stop at Palea Perithia. It fits well into a day through the north of the island: come down afterwards for lunch at Kassiopi, a fishing village with the ruins of its Byzantine castle above the harbour, or continue west and end the afternoon with a horse ride at Roda.