The village is built on the northern border of the narrow Rio – Antirrio on the cape of Antirrio. In ancient times it was called Molykrion Rion from the ancient city of Molykria.

After the Ottoman conquest, Antirrio acquired strategic importance due to the construction of the castle of the same name and became the target of several military operations: in 1603 it was temporarily occupied by the Knights of St. John and in the following years the castle was destroyed by the Venetians. . Later it passed again under Ottoman rule, in which it remained almost throughout the Greek Revolution until 1829, the year in which it was liberated. A few years later, according to the 1844 census, the settlement had only 14 inhabitants.

Today the village is a transport hub of Western Sterea with the Peloponnese. The connection is made by ferry boat that runs the Antirrio-Rio route, while the Rio-Antirrio cable-stayed bridge is nearby.

Administratively, it belonged to the province of Nafpaktia until 1997, after which it was the capital of the municipality of Antirrio. Since 2011, after the changes imposed on the local government through the Kallikratis program, it is the seat of the homonymous local community that belongs to the municipality of Nafpaktia. Ecclesiastically, Antirrio belongs to the metropolis of Nafpaktia and Agios Vlasios, while its central church is dedicated to Agios Nikolaos.

Sightseeing’s

In Antirrio there is the homonymous castle that was built by the Ottomans initially at the end of the 15th century (during the reign of Bayezid II) as a castle of Roumeli. In fact, it received, together with the castle of Rio located on the neighboring Peloponnesian coast, the unofficial name Little Dardanelles. It is maintained in good condition and various events take place on its premises, mainly during the summer months. On the castle is a traditional stone lighthouse 9 meters high, built in 1880.

Alternative are the trips in the countryside, the visits to archeological sites of the surrounding areas (Antirrio Castle, Ancient theater of Makineia, Venetian Castle of Nafpaktos) as well as the relaxation in the beach shops. Nearby destination to visit and the villages of Orini Nafpaktia where they enchant from the sensual and enjoyable route in beautiful forests.

The beaches of the area are of great importance, Antirrio, Platanitis, Psani, Gribovo, Chiliadou, Monastiraki, Skaloma, Sergoula, Makineia, Kato Vasiliki, Limnopoula, Kryoneri.

Nearby the Holy city of Messolonghi and Patras.