Lefkada is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea known for its beautiful beaches, turquoise water and rocky terrain. It is connected by a bridge to the mainland so you can get there directly by car and avoid the ferry ride. On the eastern side of the island you will find traditional Greek villages, but also lively resorts with many tavernas and restaurants where music and good food will be playing until dawn.
On the western side you will find those beautiful beaches with turquoise water, rocky relief and white sand that you see in the pictures on Insagram when you search for Lefkada.
Below I will leave you my impressions of this location, what I visited and what activities I had besides swimming and admiring the beautiful beaches.
Travel and accommodation in Lefkada
I chose Lefkada for my holiday last year not just because I heard about the beauty of the island. A deciding factor was also the distance, acceptable compared to other islands, but also the fact that we saved time and money by bypassing the ferry route, driving across the bridge connecting the island to the mainland.
The trip took about 15 hours and at least one way we chose to do it in one piece. We left Bucharest around 02:30 and arrived at our accommodation around 17:00. Fortunately, we stayed very little at the customs. I had both the PLF and the vaccination certificate printed, so everything went very quickly.
Apart from petrol, on the way we also had to pay vignette in Bulgaria (20 euro/month) and about 17 euro motorway tolls in Greece. As a recommendation I urge you to fill up your tank at the exit of Bulgaria as petrol is cheaper than in Greece.
As far as accommodation is concerned, we wanted something more touristy and crowded, offering us as many options as possible. Thus, we had a choice between Nidri and Lefkada Town. In the end we chose Nidri, and it was the harbour there that made our decision. Indeed the port of Nidri proved to be very useful. That’s where all the cruise ships that make trips to the island leave from. Also from there you can rent a private boat to visit the island on your own. In the evening, the harbour area is very lively. There are many taverns and restaurants, bars and terraces in the harbour.
However, we also found minuses of our decision to stay in Nidri. First of all, the touristy nature of the resort kills the Greek spirit. Everything is very commercial, souvenir boutiques everywhere, lots of people, crowded terraces and lots of hustle and bustle.
What we visited in Lefkada
Nidri
Nidri Beach
If I had to go to Lefkada again, I would definitely not choose Nidri. Apart from the harbour, which gives you a few entertainment options, the resort doesn’t give away beauty (in my opinion). The beach in Nidri is quite narrow, with pebbles, but has the advantage that the water is clear and the entrance is smooth. There are no rocks, waves or strong currents and this makes the place suitable for non-swimmers or families with children. Otherwise, the town has plenty of terraces, tavernas, and in the evenings it is quite lively. The harbour proves very useful if you choose sea trips on your own or organised.
Port of Nidri
Bonus: you can visit Dimossari Waterfall.
Dimossari waterfall
Lefkada Town
A good alternative if you are looking for more lively and popular places is Lefkada Town. Honestly I liked the town better than Nidri, and its old centre reminded me of a small Italian town. The sunset in this town looks insane. I haven’t been to the nearby beaches, so I can’t even recommend them.
Beaches in Lefkada
Egremni
I’ll start with one of the most popular beaches of Lefkada: Egremni beach. It is also considered the most beautiful beach here. What probably makes it so special is the pure turquoise colour of the water and the spectacular rocky relief. Access to the beach is either by sea, boat or boat, or on steps that have just been rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake when they collapsed. The land route is very beautiful from the point of view of the panorama, but very demanding on the way back when you have to climb for many minutes many steps.
Egremni Beach
The beach is not equipped, so you will have to bring everything you need: umbrella, towel, water, food, slippers (the beach does not have fine sand, but some pebbles that are quite annoying if you walk barefoot). The good thing is that it’s very long (2,5 km) and you have chances not to get very crowded, even in high season. For me a small hindrance was also the water that spreads very fast, and because of the currents, the waves are quite high. Although I know how to swim, I found it a bit dangerous, especially that in the water, from place to place, more rocks or sharp stones that you can’t see because of the calcareous relife that makes the water opaque. And one more thing, there are no lifeguards on the beach.
It’s a beach that is definitely worth visiting, but one day for me was enough, I wouldn’t go back there.
Porto Katsiki
Poto Katsiki
Another beach with the same rocky relief and turquoise water is Porto Katsiki. It is very similar to Egremni, a bit more accessible, but this accessibility makes it even more crowded. On the beach you will find sunbeds, but for water and food you will have to climb some steep steps. At the top of these steps there is also a parking lot where you can leave your car for a fee.
This beach can only be reached by personal transport, and the road here is quite narrow, with many curves and a bit crowded in high season. If you don’t have time for both beaches, considering they are quite similar, I would choose Egremni over this one.
Mykos Gialos
This little beach in Mykos Gialos I liked very much and from what I visited I could say it was my favourite place. The beach is very quiet, the sea very clear and snorkeling enthusiasts will even be able to see schools of fish swimming between their feet. It’s a furnished beach, an umbrella with 2 sunbeds costing around 6 euros a day. Near the beach there are several tavernas with good food at very reasonable prices. The atmosphere of the beach makes you totally relax and breathe the Greek spirit. There would be two minuses of the beach. One is the fact that the beach is covered with rocks (you really need to have slippers or special shoes), and the second one is the way there. From Nidri we did about 1 hour and that’s not because the distance is long, but because the road is such.
Kathisma
Kathisma is a beach in the north-western part of the island. The beach is very well equipped, a very large area of it being private beaches, with sunbeds, umbrellas, canopies, etc. Prices for sunbeds vary between 6 and 15 euros, depending on the beach and its facilities. The good thing about this area is that it has fine sand, the water is clear and turquoise and the entrance is smooth. There are also a few terraces and tavernas behind the sunbeds, so you have a few options where you can eat lunch or drink a good coffee. I also noticed a lot of paragliders on the beach, the surrounding landscape being conducive to this sport.
Very close to Kathisma is a wild, very beautiful beach recommended by the locals, Milos, where we did not have time to stop unfortunately, but I mention it here for those who prefer such locations.
What else was there to visit in Lefkada – and we ran out of time
Vassiliki – a small fishing village, very picturesque, preferred by water sports enthusiasts due to the favorable currents in the area.
Agiofili Beach – is a very beautiful beach with white pebbles and turquoise water, near Vassiliki, with umbrellas and sunbeds. It is quite crowded, so it is recommended to get there quite early. Parking costs about 7 euros per day.
Megali-Petra – is a beach for nature lovers and wild landscapes. It is not developed for tourists, but it is very picturesque, with fine sand, gravel and many rocks. The water is quite deep and the rocks make it not recommended for non-swimmers or families with children. Also, there are no restaurants or bars, so you will have to come prepared with everything.
Other activities – 7 islands cruise
As I said at the beginning of the article, staying in Nidri gave us some advantages. One of these was access to the harbour and sea excursions, either organised or on our own. We chose two such organised trips, namely a Boat Party (which was eventually cancelled due to the pandemic) and the 7 Islands Cruise.
This cruise promises, as the name suggests, to tour 7 locations (I wouldn’t call them islands, although I admit it sounds more attractive). So, at the end of it you will visit : Egremni Beach, Porto Katsiki Beach, Kefalonia, Ithaka, Meganisi, Scorpios Island and Madouri.
Departures on these cruises are daily from the port of Nidri, and if you opt for such an excursion you should know that it will take you most of the day (between 9:30 and 18:30).
The first stop of the cruise is at Egremni beach, where you stay for about an hour and a half, enough time for a swim and a few photos. The boat will anchor near Porto Katsiki, offshore and not near the shore. From the boat you can jump off and have a swim for 30 minutes after which it is off to Kefalonia. Here you visit the beautiful fishing town of Fiscardo and stay about an hour and a half, during which time you can walk around or have lunch.
Fiscardo
Further on we head to Ithaca Island where there is a one hour stop, time for a short walk around the area or a coffee on the terrace. Next we visit the Papanicolis cave, located on the western side of Meganisi island. The cave was used in World War II by a Greek submarine as a hideout. Behind it a small inner beach was formed.
The cruise continues with a walk around Scorpios Island for 30 minutes and then on to Madouri Island and back to Nidri.
The cruise experience is quite interesting, but there are some drawbacks. One of them is that you lose pretty much the whole day, which is ok only if you have many days of holiday at your disposal. Another disadvantage is the congestion. Basically you have to fight for a place with a view, close to the railings, because otherwise you can’t see anything from the boat. Another disadvantage is that being very crowded you lose a lot of time getting on and off the boat. For example at Egremni Beach we lost about 20 minutes just with these operations.
There are pluses and minuses that everyone has to weigh up and see which way they tip the scales. It seemed ok to me, but now I would think twice before buying the trip, which by the way cost 25 euros per person ( in 2021).
I left Lefkaada with the thought of going back because I feel I haven’t visited everything yet. I found it a very beautiful island and worth thoroughly exploring. I spent about 5 full days on the island, but honestly it wasn’t enough for me. If you opt for a holiday in Greece, Lefkada is a good option and I heartily recommend it.
What places in Greece do you recommend?
Source: https://alinainwonderland.ro/vacanta-in-lefkada-grecia/
