The most beautiful drive on Lefkada

White cliffs, windsurf bays and an island you drive to

Lefkada is the most accessible of the Ionian islands: it is joined to the mainland by a short causeway and a swing bridge, so you simply drive there, with no ferry. And it rewards you: a west coast of high white cliffs above turquoise water, with some of the finest beaches in Greece, and a gentler east coast of sheltered bays and little marinas. This loop of about 100 kilometres threads together the six finest places, from the lagoon town along the spectacular west coast to the bays of the south and east.

Unique to Touren.app: you do not have to start in Lefkada town. Tap "drive this as a loop from your location" and we spin the round so it begins at the point nearest your hotel and returns you there, whether you are in the town, Nydri, Vasiliki or on the west coast.

The route on the map

A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.

Plan your own route

The 6 places along the drive

1. Lefkada

Start · the lagoon town

Lefkada town lies on a shallow lagoon, behind the Venetian fort of Santa Maura that has guarded the crossing since 1300. The earthquake-proof houses, with their timber and corrugated-iron upper facades, give the town a character of its own; around the shopping street and the harbour it is lively, and the lagoon holds salt pans and wading birds.

Practical: park at the harbour or the marina and walk into town. You see the lagoon and its birds from the causeway by the bridge. From here Touren.app also spins the loop from your own hotel.

2. Agios Nikitas

the coast village · Agios Nikitas

Agios Nikitas is the only real coast village on the west side: a car-free main street full of tavernas that ends at a pebble beach, wedged between green hills. It is the gateway to the west-coast beaches; around the corner lies the photogenic Mylos beach, reached on foot or by little boat.

Practical: park at the edge, as the village itself is car-free. Walk the main street down to the beach; to reach Mylos, scramble over the rocks or take a water taxi.

3. Kathisma

the sweeping beach · Kathisma

Kathisma is the longest and best-known beach of the west coast: a broad band of white pebble and sand beneath steep, bare mountains, with turquoise water and plenty of room. There are beach bars and sunbeds, but walk a stretch and you have the sand to yourself.

Practical: ample parking behind the beach. The road there drops in hairpins from the mountain village; drive gently. There is little shade and the surf can be strong.

4. Porto Katsiki

the white cliff · Porto Katsiki

Porto Katsiki is the most famous beach of Lefkada and one of the finest in Greece: a strip of white sand at the foot of a steep, brilliant-white cliff, with deep blue water in front. The classic view is from the car park above, before you take the steps down.

Practical: park on the cliff and take the photo from above first. A long staircase leads down to the beach; bring water, as there is little shade above or below. In a strong wind the sea is rough.

5. Vasiliki

the windsurf bay · Vasiliki

Vasiliki, in the sheltered southern bay, is one of the best windsurfing spots in Europe: every afternoon a reliable thermal wind builds and fills the bay with sails. Around the little harbour are tavernas and surf schools, and a ferry leaves for Kefalonia and Ithaca.

Practical: park at the harbour or by the surf beaches. In the morning it is calm and flat, in the afternoon it blows hard; pick your moment. From here you climb over the ridge to the east coast.

6. Nydri

the harbour and the waterfalls · Nydri

Nydri is the busiest spot on the east coast, on a bay full of sheltering islets: right in front lie the Princes' Islands, among them Skorpios, the former island of the Onassis family. The cruises leave from the harbour; inland lie the Dimosari waterfalls in a cool gorge.

Practical: park on the seafront. The boat trips to Skorpios, Meganisi and the bays leave from the harbour. The waterfalls are a short walk from the road to Rachi. Back to town you drive along the flat east coast.

Practical: for the rental car, convertible and motorbike

Where to start: the route begins in Lefkada town, but you need not start there. Tap "drive this as a loop from your location" and Touren.app spins the loop to the point nearest your hotel, whether you are in the town, Nydri, Vasiliki or on the west coast.

Driving to the island: Lefkada is the only Ionian island joined to the mainland, by a causeway and a swing bridge. You simply drive there, with no ferry; the bridge swings open a few times an hour for the boats.

The roads: Lefkada has no motorway. The east coast drives flat and easy; the west-coast roads to Kathisma and Porto Katsiki drop in hairpins and are narrow, so drive gently. Driving is on the right, as at home, and there are no tolls.

Best time: May, June, September and October are ideal: warm water, green mountains and quiet roads. In July and August it is busy at Porto Katsiki and Kathisma; come early there. At Vasiliki the wind is strongest in the afternoon, ideal for the surfers.

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