Lefkada: The Jewel of The Ionian Sea

Lefkada is an island in the Ionian Sea and features some of the best beaches in the world for sailing. Every year it attracts thousands of surfers from Greece and around the world. To access Lefkada you don’t necessary need to take a boat. Just a narrow strip of sea separates it from the mainland and you can drive above it on a 50m bridge. Thanks to Egnatia Odos, Lefkada can be reached easily from anywhere in Greece. Alternatively there is the airport at Action, where you can rent a car and drive to the island.

How to Get? Fly to Aktion Airport (PVK) and enjoy a short drive to Lefkada. Otherwise, fly to Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” (SKG) or Athens Internation Airport “Venizelos” and drive to Lefkada (around 4 hours).

Beaches

Agios Nikitas

Agios Nikitas is a traditional village by the sea, with beautiful stone houses and a beautiful but small beach. From here you can take a boat to the nearby beach of Mylos.

Egkremni

The colors at Egremni beach look like beautiful postcards from exotic places. The beach is isolated from the rest of the island at the southwestern end and is accessible by car from a narrow country road.

Porto Katsiki

Perhaps the most famous and most photographed beach in Lefkada is Porto Katsiki. Located just south of Egremnoi, it stands out for its blue waters and steep cliffs that rises a few meters from the beach.

Kathisma

It is one of the most cosmopolitan beaches in Lefkada, with clear blue waters and big waves. Previously it was deserted, attracting nudists.

Vasiliki

The very organized beach of Vasiliki, is mostly known for its natural “fan” that operates daily making it one of the best seas for wind surf in the world. Apart from sports, Vasiliki is a nice place to swim, stay and eat.

Sports / Activities

Wind Surfing / Kite Surfing

From the first moments on Lefkada, anyone can realize that it is an island suitable for water sports. Looking at the right as we pass the main bridge, towards the beach of Agios Ioannis, hundreds of kite surfs provide a colorful spectacle. Also at the beach of Vasiliki, the wind surfs are countless, giving a lively and beautiful image. Lefkada also hosts international sport events, such as Water Sports Festival in late June.

Rafting / Canoe (Preveza)

For river lovers and relative sports, the river of Acherontas just outside Lefkada attracts people for rafting and canoe. At the same time anxious walkers can reach the springs of the rivers, following the signs after the bridge at Gliki through a green path beside the river.

Sightseeing

Aghias Mavra’s Castle

The impressive castle at the entrance of Lefkada is a model of fortification architecture of the Middle Ages, and protected the capital from the 14th century until 1684. The first rampart was built near the year 1300 by the Venetian ruler Giovanni Orsini, who was given Lefkada as the dowry of his bride, the daughter of the Despot of Epirus Nikiforos I. In 1479 the Turks constructed a large bridge with 360 arches standing on stilts supporting the clay pipes carrying water to the castle. The bridge was destroyed by earthquakes, but some of the stilts are still underwater in the lagoon.

Nydri / Skorpios

Nydri is one of the first areas to be developed for tourism in Lefkada, mainly because of Scorpios, its opposite island that belongs to Onassis. Boat rides to Scorpios and the surrounding islands start from Nydri.

Archaeological monuments

Archaeological museum

It is a small but important museum with findings from the Middle Paleolithic Age up to Roman years. There are also finds of Schliemann’s assistant, the German archaeologist Wilhelm Dorpfeld.

Archaeological site of Nicopolis (Preveza) 

Within short drive from Lefkas is the ancient city Nicopolis, near the present city of Preveza. The archaeological site is one of the largest in Greece and includes the walls, the stadium and the royal churches of Alkisonos and Doumetios. Nicopolis was estimated to have 150,000 inhabitants.

Religious monuments

Some of Lefkada’s main attractions are the royal churches, influenced by Venetian architecture with traditional Ionian iconography and beautiful woodwork. Most of the churches were built between the 17th and 18th century.