Gorgeous white sandy beaches, exquisite little harbour villages, friendly locals and charming hillside settlements unequivocally sum up the island of Lefkada (also known as Lefkas).
Nestled between its better-known Ionian neighbours, Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos, Lefkada is connected to the mainland by a causeway over lagoons and an iron bridge. Lush, green, mountainous and fertile, the island is replete with cypress trees, olive groves and vineyards, particularly on the rugged west coast.
Known as the ‘jewel of the Ionian’, Lefkada is an unfairly overlooked spot to make your next Greek getaway. There’s a calmer, slower pace of life here that makes sightseeing and sunbathing super relaxing.
Check out our offering of delightful villas on Lefkada that you’ll love to make your base while visiting the island.
Discover the Oliver’s Travels way, where style and character define every handpicked villa in Lefkada. Our destination experts curate unique homes in beautiful locations that are perfect for families and guaranteed to ‘wow’.
Once you book a holiday, the service doesn’t stop there. Our Concierge Service means you’ll be in good hands to arrange in-house chefs, fridge stocking, housekeeping, and so much more, to make your stay truly extraordinary.
Lefkada is an ideal spot to make your next holiday purely for its authenticity. Not many holidaymakers to the island come from elsewhere, but typically Greek mainlanders make this their escape to the seaside. This gives the island a kind of undiscovered feel, meaning you can truly get away from it all.
The island’s main draw is its offering of outdoor pursuits. Beach bums and adrenaline junkies will both be catered for here, with a beautiful combination of stunning beaches, ranging from sandy to rocky, cliff-backed and forest-edged that make way for sunbathing, scuba diving, sailing and savouring.
But it’s not all bronzing and bathing – history buffs will get a kick out of the plethora of ancient sites, such as monasteries dating from the period of Ottoman rule and even temples from ancient history.
Most of the tourists to Lefkada are from Greece themselves, meaning there is an authenticity to the island that you don’t get elsewhere. In Lefkada Town, take pleasant walks through picturesque streets and flowery alleys and when the sun sets, dine beside the lovely marina.
Beyond the famous tourist resorts, you can discover charming fishing villages with tiny harbours and peaceful mountain settlements with ancient traditions in material manufacture and liquor distilling. You’re certain to find souvenirs to take home from the island’s trove of treasure shops.
Highly regarded for having among the best beaches in the Mediterranean, Lefkada will not leave you wanting for beautiful stretches of sand on which to while away the days. Consistently awarded with Blue Flags, every beach across the island is a total stunner and offers all sorts from windsurfing and paragliding to scuba diving, sailing and even aerial exploration in a prop plane!
Some beaches are backed by cool resorts with a plethora of beach bars to recuperate in after a long day laid on the sand, or if you’re up for the hike, you’ll find hidden coves dotted all over the island where you’ll likely have the beach to yourself.
Porto Katsiki
Backed by sheer 100-metre cliffs of the brightest white limestone, this beach is a staple feature on postcards all over the island. Defined by its beach of fine pebbles and light blue water, this beach is also the ideal location to catch a brilliant sunset. You can park up on the cliffs above the beach or arrive in style aboard a boat.
Egremni
Characterised by chalk-white sand and impossibly turquoise water, this beach is one of the most famous in Greece. Accessed by a zigzag of around 400 wooden steps that trail down the cliffside, it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. Egremni is also found in a fairly secluded spot, a good drive away from any towns so you’ll want to load up on supplies for a beach day.
Agios Ioannis
Kitesurfers and windsurfers rejoice! The strong winds that blow around this region are perfect for watersports, or beach bums will love frolicking in the shallows and walks along the golden sand with the views of forested hills on one side of the beach, and the endless azure ocean to another, and the fabulous Lefkada lagoon at the backdrop, replete with pink flamingos.
Fly into Aktion International Airport which is located on the mainland and serves this area of western Greece. You can then travel to the island which is connected to the mainland via a causeway and bridge.
Lefkada is just 22 miles from north to south, with a convenient highway that rings the teardrop-shaped island, making navigating easy as ladopitta pie.
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