Its incomparable beauty landscapes, its well known and awarded worldwide beaches, the hospitality of its inhabitants, as well as organized units of accommodation and catering will make your holiday unforgettable.
Lefkada, meaning 'White Island', takes its name from the chalk cliffs in the south of the island. The capital, Lefkada Town, traditional yet cosmopolitan, lies at the end of a causeway linking the island to the mainland.
The island's interior is green and mountainous with one main road running round the coastline past its many spectacular beaches. The two main resorts, Nidri and Vassiliki, are both famous sailing centres. Nidri, for dinghies and yachts and Vassiliki for windsurfers. Lefkada is a quiet island with plenty of Greek character - ideal for those seeking relaxing holidays away from it all.
How to come
Lefkada, is the unique Ionian island which is linked with the rest of Greece by road through a length 50m (free pass) floating bridge.
Lefkada is connected to Athens by KTEL bus services (5 hours) and to Thessaloniki (4/12 hours).
By car
From Thessaloniki: through Egnatia motorway to Ioannina then drive direct to Lefkada, total 4,5 hours.
From Athens or Patras: through Rio-Antirio (big bridge) – Amfilochia – Lefkada: 3.5 hours from Patras and 5 hours from Athens drive to Lefkada direct.
By air
There are a lot of flights per week (40 mins) from Athens to Aktio, on the mainland opposite the island. There are also flights to the other Ionian islands (Corfu,Kefalonia,Zakynthos). The airport is 16 Km from the town of Lefkada.
Accommodation
There is a great number of high-standard hotels, a large choice of Lefkada Apartments, as well as rooms for low budget holidays
Beaches
Agiofili: This small sandy cove is only accessible by boat and is part of the Bay of Vasiliki, although the rocks on each end make you feel as if you are in a secluded paradise.
Agios Nikitas: This long stretch of sandy beach on the west side of Lefkada is fronted by a small town with restaurants, tavernas, rooms, and a nearby campsite.
Pefkoulia: Pefkoulia is a very long sandy beach on the west side on Lefkada and located north of the fishing village of Agios Nikitas. Considered as one of the best beaches of the island where the sea has a wonderful turquoise colour. At the bottom of the road are a parking lot and a few tavernas.
Egremni: Egremni is a large, wide, sandy beach open to the western sea. It can be reached by boat from Nidri, Vasiliki or Lefkada.
Culture
Two of the greatest Greek poets, Aristotelis Valaoritis and Aggelos Sikelianos, were born in Lefkada and lauded their land.
Sightseeing
The lagoon in the town of Lefkada
They were enlisted to the network of NATURA 2000 as protected areas with significant ecological importance. The area of the lagoon in the town of Lefkada presents a great interest as an immigrate station of birds, characterized by the treaty of RAMSAR as a wildlife sanctuary of international interest. There you can meet many and rare species of birds, like heron, swans, a variety of gulls, ducks and geese.Inside the lagoon, evari exists, sea farms with special traditional kiddles, where the fishes live and grow under a natural environment.
Dimossari
The underground waters are the natural richness of Lefkada. They convert the island into a green paradise. As they slide by the high mountains , on the way to the sea, they form waterfalls and small lakes. One of these waterfalls is Dimossari outside Nydri. It pours into a ravine with white rocks.Dimossari waterfalls were named after the watermills which existed in the area and belonged to the state (dimos=state).
The summer visitors of Dimossari swim in the small crystal lakes which are formed among the rocks and the plane trees.
The route on foot along the running water and the shadow of the plane trees is unique.
Sivota
In the south-east of Lefkada there is a green, deep gulf inside the cove of Sivota. The cove closes the gulf and leaves a small entrance to the Ionian Sea. The boats are naturally protected by the waves, the wind and the streams.
Inside the gulf we find the village of Sivota with its traditional houses, the coffee shops, the fish taverns, the small café-bars along the beautiful quay ( there is a bar inside an old oil factory).
The gulf of Sivota is a true sailing paradise. In the summer sailing boats from all over the world anchor in this calm gulf.
The dorp of Volti
Approximatelly 800 metres above the higher village of Lefkada, Eglouvi, there is the plateau of Vouni with Agios Donatos country church and the wells. The famous lentil of Eglouvi is produced here. In this beautiful landscape, on the mountain slope towards the plain there is a unique dorp, the dorp of Volti. The Volti are stone huts, built amphitheatrically one after the other. The huts consist of a room for the farmers, a storage for the crop and a room for the animals. The threshing floor is higher and the farmers carry the straw to the huts.
The Lefkata Cape
Lefkatas Cape or Cavo Dukato or the Lady ’s Cape or Nira (as the locals call it). It is the biggest and the most south cape of the island , 5 miles away from Cefalonia. Homer mentions it in his work. In the Antiquity human sacrifices were taking place on it. They would also throw criminals for purification. Those who were in love without response would choose to committee suicide in order to relieve their pain. According to Menandrus the first to fall off the Lefkatas Cape was the lyric poetess Sapfo who gave an end to her desperate life when young Faon denied her love.
On the cape there was the temple of god Apollo. Every year many celebrations to honour him were taking place. Today on the location of the ancient temple there is a lighthouse. It was destroyed by the big earthquake in 1948 and rebuilt later with materials from the ancient temple.
Museums
The Archaeological Museum - in Lefkada Town. The collection at the Archaeological Museum includes finds from the pre-historic era, (2nd millennium B.C.) up to Roman times. Of particular interest are the finds from excavations by the German archaeologist Dorpfeld.
The Museum of Gramophones - The museum exhibits, as its name indicates a collection of gramophones but also various other objects related to the every day life of the islanders such as jewels, coins, embroideries, photographs and traditional musical instruments. It is located in the capital of Lefkada.
Things to do on a Holiday in Lefkada
Windsurfing in Vasiliki - Vasiliki has a reputation for being one of the best windsurfing spots in Greece. You can hire windsurfing equipment and other water sports facilities are available.
Day cruises - The boats leave from Nidri and go to the small islets of Meganisi, Sparti, Skorpidi, and Skorpios. There are some Bronze Age Tombs south of Nidri that were excavated by Wilhelm Dorpfeld in the early part of the century.
International Folklor Festival
The Festival takes place on the last week of August (from a Sunday to Sunday), starting with a huge parade of peace and friendship, the evening opening celebration (1st Sunday) with the few minutes presentation of the groups, their formal presentation, during week and the magnificent ending ceremony, the exchanges of gifts and the dance of peace.
International Folklore Festival has been organising for 45 years. It’s an institution that promotes, since its foundation in 1952 from Antonis Tzevelekis until nowdays, the idea of peace, friendship, fraternity and solidarity of the people worldwide, with folklore forms of art, dance and music. This is achieved with the rich tradition and the recognised folklore codes of expression and communication.
International Folklore Festival of Lefkada is the most ancient cultural constitution of our country, in dance and music of the traditional heritage worldwide with Pan Hellenic and international recognition.
From the language of fantasy and creativity, people of the world meet for 45 continuous years, in August, in Lefkada exchanging their precious heritage: The creations of spiritual and artistic expressions according to their tradition. In order to continue, and from the language of creation and cooperation, do have the right to be different.
Art softens the political, economical and cultural differences.
Local products
Lefkada island, Known for the beautiful traditional embroideries (called karpeto and mantanies) which are made in the village of Karia.
Lefkada also produces a large variety of agricultural products. Olive oil, citrus, honey, almonds, fish and wine are of excellent quality in Lefkada.
Similar to the food of the other Ionian Islands, the food in Lefkada is fine and made of high quality products.
Very famous products of Lefkada are salami and sausage, which are produced locally for many decades. Popular traditional sweets are pasteli and mandolato, two local products of the Ionian islands.
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