Our good friend Christos invited us down to Lefkas and to his beautiful boat “Ionian Spirit” for a couple of days and we quickly said yes. The plan was to sail around in the Ionian sea but just one day before our arrival something happened which unfourtunately made that impossible… but that didnt stop us. We sleept in the boat in the marina of Lefkas Town and explored the island with our car during the days. To get to Lefkas you have to cross a small bridge which connects the island with the mainland. The bridge is about 50 meters long so there are not many meters between island and mainland.

Lefkas is an island with two sides. Literally.

The east side hosts the major charter resorts, for example Lefkas Town and Nidri, while the west side has no tourist resorts at all except for Agios Nikitas on Lefka’s north west side. However, the west side has by far the best beaches of the island. With by far we mean BY FAR. You will read more about the beaches further down in this post.

The fact that there are no hotels on the west side has to do with this side’s very mountainous nature and very high cliffs that are steep all the way down to the ocean. Also, the risk of earthquakes was also in mind when they decided not to build any hotels close to these beaches. There are of course smaller guesthouses and hotels here, but they are built closer to the inland which is perfect if you want to hike and explore the amazing nature of Lefkas as well as the villages located up high in the mountains.

Like most islands in the Ionian sea, Lefkas is very green, lush and beautiful with high mountains in the center and amazing beaches with crystal clear waters like those you can see on postcards and which are one of the characteristics of the Ionian islands. With the exception of Nidri and Lefkas Town, tourism has not taken over the island as it has in many other places around Greece.

Lefkas Town

Lefkas town, which is also the capital of Lefkas, is a very pretty town. The colorful houses on the narrow back streets and alleys with their characteristic tin-sheet walls feel like a mix between Cuba and New Orleans.

We highly recommend you visit two bars just behind the central square: the bar “Havanna” will take you straight to Havanna on Cuba with its live music and its colorful interior and the bar “Mavros Lagos” (The black hare) which is a really cozy place that offers tasty drinks and especially wines.

The main square is surrounded by tavernas and cafes and on the long main pedestrian street you can find everything you need: souvenires, clothes and locally produced products such as honey, wine, sweets made out of almond (Mandolato) and oil. Lefkas town also has a fine harbor-street with many bars, clubs and restaurants. What this town is missing though is a good beach. Although, there is a long beach close by but it is not the typical sun-and swim-beach that many want on their vacation. Instead, this is more a place for kitesurfers. By the fortress you pass whilst on the bridge to Lefkas you will find the better beach of the area but it takes a good walk to get here from the town.

Exploring Lefkas

After a much needed good night sleep on the beautiful and hospitable wooden boat “Ionian Spirit” we went out on the road directly after breakfast. We bought a map of the island and decided to start with the east coast and then take the west coast on our way back.
The road from Lefkas Town towards Nidri is a very nice coastal road where you constantly pass through smaller beautiful “towns” which are located close to the sea strip.

Nidri

When you arrive to Nidri, you immediately see that this is Lefkas main charter destination. The typical “knick knack” stores are raging along the main street together with tavernas that are serving “traditional greek dishes”. But Nidri is actually a cozy little town with a cozy harborstreet where the restaurants are located close to the water. The beach, which consists mostly of pebbles, is more than okey to spend your days at. However, the water is a bit turbid here. It has to do partly with the seabed here but also (at least that’s what we heard) with the fact that the water does not circulate so well right here, as Nidri is situated in a big bay with the peninsula Geni right in front of it.

Geni

Geni is much calmer than Nidri even if you can notice some torusim here. It is mostly boat people who set anchor here for a couple days but it feels a bit forgotten as the whole peninsula hides fine bays and beaches. In the harbor there are also some cozy tavernas. Geni can be a nice getaway if you feel that you want some calm a day or two.

We overestimated our purchased map’s scale and at this point we started to feel a little bit stressed, so we decided to head straight to the west side from Geni so that we wouldn’t risk missing out on the best beach hours. It turned out that the map we bought was very wrong in so many ways, so it took us much faster to get to the other side than we thought. Lefkas is nevertheless not a huge island. As we understood that we had some time to spare we made a quick stop also at the little town of Syvota which was a real surprise. A really beautiful, small and cozy sea side village with many taverns and bars situated in a green bay.

Porto Katsiki

Our next stop was the beach of Porto Katsiki on the south west side of Lefkas and it is surely one of Greece’s most famous and beautiful beaches. That was made very clear to us by the many tour-boats packed with tourists that came and went. It was also made very clear by the parking price you have to pay for the parking which is located just above the beach – 5 euros!

With the incredibly beautiful, almost neon-blue colors of the sea and the impressive mountain wall just behind the beach it is easy to understand why this place is so popular. To get down to the beach you have to serpentine down a narrow mountain road that is not in the best condition. But this is how it looks on most of these places on the west side and the best beaches are reached like this. From the parking lot there are some steep stairs that take you down to the finish line: The amazing beach of Porto Katsiki.

After a swim, we decided to leave Porto Katsiki and that was when we noticed that we urgently needed to refuel the car. We took a look on the map to see where the closest gas station was. But there was none on the whole west side except for in Agios Nikitas far up north. We simply decided to take the same route back for 30 min, down to the cozy little tourist resort of Vasiliki in the south where we drove through earlier, to refill, and then go back the same way to continue from where we left. So keep this “gas station situation” in mind if you are driving around on Lefkas.

As we refueled our car in Vasiliki we also felt that our stomachs needed a refill, so we found the taverna “Amaltheia” just beside the beach on the outskirts of the town. The food was great – real greek home cooking – and the owners were also very nice. Refueled at last – both us and the car – we went on a more unknown road not knowing what to expect, which is excatly what we want and are after. We love the opportunity to drive on smaller, more unknown roads, and in this case it lead us to Kavalikefta beach.

Kavalikefta beach

Unlike Porto Katsiki, where there are signs several miles before, there was only one sign towards Kavalikefta. If the road down to Porto Katsiki was difficult, it was nothing compared to this one. Incredibly narrow and winding with big holes in the asphalt almost all the way which made the trip down the mountain about 15-20 min long. We met a tourist on the way down who had slipped in a curve with his scooter on the gravel on the road. The scooter had actually fallen down the hillside but luckily the guy driving it had not gone with it and was in a good mood with only some scratches on his leg.

Kavalikefta beach is a quiet haven and on this small beach there are only a couple of sunbeds and umbrellas. The big rocks found by the water act as wave breakers and make it easier to swim there. Here the waves are significantly higher than on Porto Katsiki so you should be careful berfore swimming in the deeper waters. If you are seeking some peace and quiet and you want to avoid the hustle on other popular beaches, this is the perfect getaway. There is also a small and simple restaurant here so you can spend a whole day here if you want to. And the parking is free!

Before you start winding down to the beaches at the west side we recommend that you stop for a moment on higher grounds and look down at the beaches far below and out across the ocean. It is an incredibly cool view when the green from the trees meets the turquoise blue waters that shift in many different shades.

After a couple of hours on Kavalikefta beach, the rain clouds started to build up over us so we decided to head back to Lefkas Town. It also started getting late and along with the rain it felt like a good idea. On the way back we passed through Agios Nikitas, which is a pleasant place with a nice beach, but unfortunately we did not stop there.

Rent a car

Renting a car on the island of Lefkas is not expensive. For a full day it costs about 50 euro and it is good money as you get the opportunity to get around this beautiful island. On the roads you will also pass through lovely villages in the mountains where life and pace differs alot from that of the major towns of Lefkas. Take some time and spend some time in one of these villages and enjoy some real home made food.

Day tours by car and boat

By car you can easily cross the small bridge to the mainland and reach the city of Preveza which is about 20 km away from Lefkas. On the way there is a toll that costs 5 euro as you have to pass an underwater tunnel which connects Preveza with Aktion. It is also easy to go further than that and visit the small town Ammoudia where you can go on a nice boat trip on the river Acheron. To Ammoudia it is a 30-40 min drive. Also, finally we recommend you go on a 1,5 hour drive from Lefkas town to Parga which is a lovely, small but very touristy town, with colorful houses that climb up the mountain sides. Here you also find a striking medival castle that watches out over the town from its high position.

From Lefkas there are also daytrips by boat to several of the neighbouring islands, including beautiful Kefalonia (which we have written about in an earlier post) but also to the smaller islands of Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos.

On lefkas there is no airport. Instead, if you come here by plane you will land on the airport of “Aktion” just outside Preveza on the mainland. If you travel by charter they will arrange a bus for you to take you to Lefkas. If you travel on your own you can take a local bus or a taxi there.

If you want to go to a beautiful island with striking nature, amazing beaches and which can provide both peace and quiet and nightlife, then Lefkas is a really good alternative. Beside that, the island is close to the mainland and that is something which offers many opportunities for smaller excursions and explorations.

Our stay on Lefkas may have been short, but we refilled our batteries and brought back many pictures, memories and experiences that will surely keep us warm during cold days ahead.