Lefkada: An island of magnificent nature and fantastic beaches

Near the coast of continental Greece and the well-known island of Corfu, the fourth largest island of the Ionian Sea called Lefkada can be found. It is the only island where you don’t need to transport yourself only by air or sea, but where you can get by land. This is made possible by two bridges connecting Lefkada with the Greek mainland.

Despite being a very popular tourist destination, Lefkada preserves its natural character and it is usually not so overcrowded like some other islands. The island visitors are fascinated by the charming contrast of white beaches and the incredibly turquoise waters with deep green vegetation on the rocks near the coast. They fall in love with the sceneries of sunsets and hot beaches. And last but not least, it is also the photographers who give in to those breathtaking sceneries, who have a refined eye in beauty so abundant on the island.

On the area of a bit more than 300 km2, huge mountain ranges sloping down to fertile lowlands and the coast are stretching. The whole island is characteristic with its fertility and exuberant vegetation as a result of high precipitation especially in the winter and spring months. The visitor can see there all the typical Greek plants - olive trees, plane trees, pines, grapevine, cypresses, and a broad range of blooming flowers. And if the green vegetation flourishes, so does the island fauna - it is very common to see some species of wild birds, and also sheep or goats. All those beauties can be admired on your hiking or cycling tours or in a car. If you continue reading, we recommend you to see also the section Lefkada - Map of resorts and beaches to have a better idea which part of the island, beach or a place of interest we are writing about.

Lefkada beaches

On the island perimeter of more than 100 km, long and extraordinarily charming beaches are stretching, that are often said to be the most beautiful in the whole Greece, some of them even worldwide (e.g. Porto Katsiki, Egremni). And it is no wonder since the paradise places from a catalogue of a travel agency look exactly the same in reality, if not even better. Therefore they are popular among typical holiday-makers who love the fine white sand, light-coloured pebbles and crystal clear water suitable both for bathing and surfing, yachting and other adrenaline water sports and physical activities. What’s more, the limestone rocks on the coast create a perfect scenery, contributing to the light-blue colour of the sea water; although sometimes it can be quite difficult to get to this paradise - you need to go either by boat or walk down on a long staircase on the rock slope.

Have you visited the island? Help us with the content of the website!

There is never enough information about Lefkada Island. And who would be more familiar with the island than those who have spent there their holiday? We would like to ask you to dedicate a few minutes of your time evaluating your holiday on the island, telling us what you liked there and what Lefkada means to you, or possibly also to give us tips and advice that could be useful for other visitors who are interested in the island and are thinking of going there for holiday. 

WRITE ADDITIONAL INFORMAITON ABOUT LEFKADA ISLAND

The most popular beaches are Agios Ioannis (a fascinating beach with turquoise sea, gold sand and ancient winmills in the background, suitable especially for the lovers of water sports), Agios Nikitas (a smaller but increasingly popular beach with the scenery of green and white rocks), Milos Beach, an isolated beach suitable for nudists, accessible by boat or a beaten path, Egremni (a hard to access but beautiful beach surrounded by rocks, with amazing turquoise blue water), Gyra (a beach with windmills and enthralling scenery) Kathisma (one of the most picturesque beaches on the whole island, providing all the comfort for tourists, but also space and privacy on its remote end), Nidri (a very popular fully equipped beach with a romantic view on the islands across the sea), Pefkoulia (a large and one of the most beautiful beaches of the island, blending the turquoise colour of the sea, yellow-and-white sand and green hills into a perfect mosaic), Porto Katsiki (the already mentioned most beautiful beach in Greece) and Vassiliki (a beach perfect for surfing, water skiing, and other sports). For a detailed list of beaches, see the section Lefkada beaches.

Lefkada history and culture

History and culture of Lefkada are more than varied. And so, it is not surprising that the island is the birthplace of some Greek famous personages. The rich history of the island is evidenced in some of the local museums and historical sites. Unfortunately many of the witnesses of the ancient times have completely disappeared during the devastating earthquakes in the 1940s and 1950s. You can experience the true Greek atmosphere that will bring you a few centuries back when you travel further to the interior, where original mountain villages can be found. Time seems to have stopped in these places, and so, you can observe the untroubled life of the locals, often wearing their traditional clothing, during their farming works or having a rest. There are only about more than 20 thousand permanent inhabitants on Lefkada Island.

During your stay on Lefkada, don’t forget to taste some of the local gastronomic specialities, including the famous red wine, olives and olive oil, home-made honey or the traditional sheep cheese - feta. You can buy many of these products as a souvenir or you can just taste them on the spot.

What to do on Lefkada?

The island capital called Lefkas is located in the north. It is a small town and a port with narrow streets and colourful houses, suffused with traditional Greek music and the scent of flowers from the balconies, with delicous dishes being prepared in the local tavernas. The town offers all the services you would expect in an island capital: you will find there catering facilities but also different shops. To learn something new, you can visit some of the local museums or sanctuaries, or the Agia Mavra fortress. Along the coast, you can admire old windmills. In Lefkas there are also festivals, music and theatre performances, celebrations of national holidays and other cultural events held regularly. The second largest town and the island port is Nidri, a popular tourist resort from where boats depart for trips to the surroundings.

In the southernmost point of the island, you should definitely not miss out the Doukato Cape. The view on the white rock in the front, with a grand lighthouse towering on it, long green hills and parched stretches of the hostile mountains is truly magical. What’s more, this area is wrapped in many different legends. The island name (leukos = white) is said to be based on the very white colouring of the rocks on the coast. And if you go even further back to the ancient times, you will discover the story with a sad ending of the poet Sappho who is said to have thrown herself from this rock to the sea because of unhappy love.

In the island surroundings, there are many little islands, including Kalamos, Kastos, Kythros, Madouri, Meganissi (with the famous Papanikolis cave, suitable for a nice afternoon trip), Petalou, Skorpidi, Skorpios (originally the island ot the billionaire Onassise) and Thilia. Some of the islands are private or completely abandonned,

If you are thinking of what you should visit and which are the places worth seeing, take a look at the menu on the left with the List of sites. Here you will find the Natural places of interest, Museums and historical sites, Monasteries and Lefkada beaches.  Or you can also see the section Tips for trips where we try to gather the best of the island. If you have any tip yourself, write to us! We will be happy to include it.

Car hire

The best way to discover Lefkada Island is to rent a car and travel on your own. The roads lead almost everywhere and so it is easy to combine bathing on a beach, visiting some of the historical sites or places in nature, and then continue bathing on another beach. We would recommend you to make a reservation of a car as soon as possible, as everything is already hired or overpriced on the spot. One of the recommendable car rental companies is Aris Lefkada.

Renting a scooter

Besides a car, you can also rent a scooter or a four-wheler. For the price list and general conditions, see the section Lefkada scooter and four-wheeler rental service.

Who to travel to Lefkada with?

Lefkada is a very popular destination. You can find most travel agencies and tours here in (Lefkada - Tours centre; the tours can be purchased with one of our special bonuses (a discount, a travel guide or a map), but some travel agencies also offer a discount for an online reservation or have different offers that couldn’t be included in the price list. Therefore it is highly recommended to see also the offer of the travel agencies listed in the Recommendation of a Travel Agency chart. You can find a complete overview of the hotels, suites and studios offered in the destination in the section Lefkada hotels. The recommended travel agencies are also included in the description of the accommodation offered. 

Lefkada resorts

Travel agencies mostly offer tours to the resorts of Agios Ioannis, Agios Nikitas, Amouso, Lefkas, Ligia, Meganissi, Mikros Gialos, Nidri, Nikiana, Perigiali, Sivota, Tsoukalades and Vassiliki .

More sites on Lefkada

There are not many websites on Lefkada; if we don’t count commerical websites full of advertisements for tours. But you can still visit one of the largest sites on Lefkada, e Lefkada (the link will open in a new window).

Places nearby