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| Lefkada | ||
| region | Ionian islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22.652 () | |
| height | unknown | |
no value for height on Wikidata:  | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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On Lefkada (Greek: Λευκάδα; formerly Lefkás), one of the ionian islands Greece, there is so far no mass tourism like Crete or Corfu. The fact that not so many people vacation on Lefkada to this day is astonishing because of the tourist attractiveness of the destination.
places
- 1 Lefkada (Λευκάδα).
The capital of the island where the night life is. For many of the visitors, the city is just a stopover to the popular bathing beaches. But Lefkada City is also not without its charms. A cozy pedestrian zone, pretty flower gardens, small cafes and nice museums (actually) invite you to linger longer. In addition, the city attracts with interesting events such as the literature festival or the international festival of folklore and dance, which are visited in summer by holidaymakers from all over the world.
- 3 Nikiana (Νικιάνα Λευκάδας).Typical seaside resort with a few restaurants and a marina.
- 4 Kalamitsi (Καλαμίτσι Λευκάδας).small mountain village.
- 5 Nydri (Νυδρί Λευκάδας).elongated seaside resort with marina.
- 6 Vasiliki (Βασιλική Λευκάδας).A fishing port full of restaurants and shops.
- 7 Athani (Αθάνι Λευκάδας).Mountain town with many restaurants.
- 8 Syvros (Σύβρος Λευκάδας).Mountain village with restaurants.
- 9 Vournikas (Βουρνικάς Λευκάδας).Mountain village with restaurants.
- 10 Agios Iliad (Άγιος Ηλίας Λευκάδας).Mountain village with restaurants.
Other goals
Nearby islands that are worth a trip:
- 1 Meganisi (Μεγανήσι).The hilly, small island has a very bay-rich coast, which makes it very popular with sailors. The island's beaches are remote and disorganized. Some of them can be reached on foot, others only by boat. Vathy is the most picturesque village on the island. There is also the port of Meganisi.
- 2 Kalamos (Κάλαμος Λευκάδας).The small, mountainous, green island is very sparsely populated. Only about 500 people live here, most of them in the port of the same name. It is mostly visited by day trippers and sailors.
- 3 Kastos (Καστός Λευκάδας).Around 50 permanent residents live on Kastos, almost all of whom live in the port of the same name on the east coast. There is a much smaller hamlet on the west coast. Even if tourism is still underdeveloped, it is playing an increasingly important role. Package tourism does not yet exist; the island, which is difficult to reach, is becoming more and more popular with sailors as a port. Accommodation and taverns are available at the port. There are also bathing bays.
background
- Lefkada, the real Ithaca?
One of the great myths of Lefkada Island is its role in the Odyssey of the poet Homer. According to popular belief, the island of Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, described in the poetry, is today's neighboring island of Ithaki. The German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld spent a lot of time on Lefkada between 1891 and 1913 and came to the conclusion based on a passage in the Odyssey (9.1): "The palace of Odysseus must have stood on Lefkada". In this verse, Homer describes an island with a high mountain covered with forests. This already applies to Mount Elati, but possibly also to other Ionian islands. What is unique is the island's location to the smaller offshore islands. The poet writes that the island is surrounded by a number of smaller, closely spaced islands. These islands are located in the direction of sunrise (i.e. east of the island), Homer's Ithaca being the outermost island in the direction of sunset, i.e. the westernmost of this group of islands. This description only applies to Lefkada. Dörpfeld tried to find historical evidence of the existence of Odysseus by means of excavations around the Bay of Nidri. Unfortunately, despite great efforts, his excavations remained without the hoped-for result, which may mean that Odysseus was an invention of the poet Homer, or that the palace was not in this place.
Dörpfeld died on April 25, 1940 on Lefkada and was buried at his own request near his house on the Bay of Nidri near the church of Aghios Kyriaki.
language
You don't need any knowledge of Greek to get along on Lefkada, as English, German and Italian are understood almost everywhere.
getting there
Flights are seasonal from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Stuttgart, Innsbruck, Vienna, St. Gallen and Prague to the 1 Airport Aktio
(IATA: PVC) possible in Preveza. The flight time is approximately three hours. You can also book flights from Athens. From the airport it is another 20 kilometers to the island's capital Lefkada.
The easiest way to travel by car is via Italy. There are daily ferry connections from the ports of Trieste, Venice and Ancona 2 Igoumenitsa port. The 110 km drive from the new ferry terminal there to Lefkada takes one and a half to two hours.
mobility
The island of Lefkada has a bus network. The main roads are very well developed, the other, somewhat remote roads are better driven with an all-terrain vehicle. There are car rental companies in every city on the island. In the larger settlements on the east coast (Lefkada, Nikiana, Perigiali, Nidri, Vlycho, Syvota, Vasiliki) it is also possible to moor with larger boats.
Tourist Attractions
- The classic tourist place Nidri is known, among other things, for its offshore small and extremely green islands. One of these islands was once bought by the legendary Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis to use for himself: 4 Scorpios, the "Onassis Island". After the shipowner's death, Skorpios was then opened to general tourism. In 2013, his granddaughter Athina Onassis sold the island to Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the daughter of Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev. Access to the island is now restricted again. Another attraction at Nidri is the local one waterfall (about 4 kilometers away), which is a popular hiking destination. Especially in the high season you should avoid driving as close as possible, as the road is very narrow. Long traffic jams occur regularly.
- Tours through the karst mountain landscape of Lefkada also have their special charm. The highest mountain is that 5 Elati with 1158 m.
- Lefkada's small, remote mountain villages, e.g. Karia, are worth their own tour of discovery. Here the residents still maintain numerous old customs - out of true tradition and not to provide tourists with attractions! Karia is especially known for the local women's embroidery.
- 6 Cape Ducato (Cape Lefkada). One of the main attractions is the legendary Cape Dukato, whose white limestone cliffs Lefkada (the "white one") owes its name to. Homer once relocated the entrance to the underworld to this rough southern tip of Lefkada. In ancient times, unhappily in love girls are said to have thrown themselves to their death from the high cliffs. According to legend, this is what the poet Sappho did after the youth Phaon rejected her love. The rock also served as a religious sacrificial site. A temple of Apollo once stood on the site of today's lighthouse. Criminals were ritually thrown down the rock. Before that, feathers and live birds were tied to them to dampen the speed of the fall. Those who survived the impact were lucky and acquitted: the gods had shown themselves gracious in their own way.
- 7 Faneromeni Monastery (Μονή Φανερωμένης Λευκάδας).Only three kilometers from the capital Lefkada, the oldest and largest monastery was the religious center of the island for centuries. Panagia Faneromeni is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. This is also the patron saint of the island.
- 8 Askitirion Agii Pateres. Worth seeing rock chapel.
- 9 Agia Mavra Castle. One of the most impressive medieval buildings in Greece. It was built around 1300 by the Lombard nobleman Ioanni Orsini when he was about to marry the daughter of the ruler of the despotate of Epirus, Nikiphoros I, received the island of Lefkada as a gift.
- 10 Griva Castle. One of the castles built by Ali Pasha with a unique view of the Ionian Sea, the Ambracian Gulf and the Lefkas. Before the castle was built, there was a Muslim monastery there, which was founded in 1668. For this reason the place was called Teke.
- 11 Papanikolis Cave. The cave is only formed by sea waves and wind and is beautiful.
activities
beaches
There is hardly a region in Greece that offers better bathing opportunities than Lefkada. Clean water, numerous quiet spots, cozy harbor towns, along with a bizarre karstified mountain world, are the main features of the island. Of the many first-class beaches, Porto Katsiki at the southern end of the island is only the best known and most beautiful. Other top-class beaches can be found e.g. in the villages of Kariotes and Ligia on the east coast, in Vassiliki in the south and in Agios Nikitas in the west. Suitable Nudist beaches are found especially in the northeast.
- 1 Porto Katsiki (Πόρτο Κατσίκι).Known worldwide, selected and voted more than once in the top 10 beaches in the Mediterranean and Europe. A relatively large sandy beach surrounded by white cliffs. You can go to the beach and go down the cliff steps or take one of the daily boat trips that leave from the port of Nidri and Vasiliki. The journey takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and can be quite choppy at times.
- 2 Egremni (Εγκρεμνοί).One of the longest beaches on the island. The crystal blue "Caribbean" water is of a unique color. A lot of strenuous stairs lead to the beach. In August 2019 the way to the beach collapsed. The only way to get to Egremni is by hourly ferry from Vasiliki or as part of a cruise that departs daily from Nydri or Vasiliki.[outdated] .
- 3 Kavalikefta. A very short pebble beach with high cliffs in the sea and clear water. There is a small bar with toilets and a changing room. The road to the beach is very winding, narrower than two cars and on a steep slope. You have to be very careful.
- 4 Kathisma (Κάθισμα 1)..A very long beach, on which you can always find a free place even when there is a crowd. One of the few sandy beaches on the island. Features a bar with a pool, a beach volleyball court and paragliding options. Beware of windy days: the waves can get dangerously strong, especially for children.
- 5 Ag. Nikitas (Αγ. Νικήτας-Πευκούλια, Pefkoulia)..A pebble beach below a wooded slope, a popular place for wild campers. There is a beach bar in the style of American movie beach bars. Beware of windy days on this beach too: the waves can get dangerously strong, especially for children.
- 6 Agios Ioannis (Άγιος Ιωάννης)..The windy beach, popular with surfers. After 1 p.m. the wind gets stronger and it becomes even difficult to put up a parasol.
sailing
Lefkada is a popular starting point for sailing trips through the Ionian Sea. The new marina in Lefkada City has the largest range of charter companies. However, smaller yacht charter companies can also be found in Nidri and Vasikiki. On the east coast of Lefkada, the best sailing wind usually blows in the afternoon.
The city ports on Lefkada and the surrounding islands charge sailing boats according to the rule: "The sea belongs to all people" either no or only a low mooring fee. But you shouldn't expect large investments in comfortable port facilities. There are no floating docks or moorings. There are also no marineros who help with the mooring maneuver, but there are many courageous locals who offer their help when sighting a sailing ship. Electricity and water connections are mostly available. Public toilets and shower facilities, on the other hand, are rare.
To go biking
The island offers spectacular tours for cyclists. However, you need to be in good physical condition for the sometimes long and steep inclines. For this, the driver is rewarded with breathtaking views.
Fun sport
There are several providers of fun sports on the water in Nidri. The offer ranges from water skiing, parasailing, flyfish driving, ring driving and banana driving to motor boating.
The rental car companies usually also offer off-road motorcycles and quads.
Windsurfing / Kitesurfing
Vasiliki is a mecca for windsurfers and kite surfers. A constant and, above all, predictable wind blows in the bay.
Diving
On the east coast there are a large number of dive sites, which cover all levels of difficulty from beginners to advanced. The underwater landscape offers light coral growth and a varied fish world. There are diving centers in Nikiana, Perigiali, Nidri and Vasiliki.
kitchen
In addition to the typical Greek taverns, there are also pita restaurants. Here is the Greek version of fast food; Gyros wrapped in flatbread. There are excellent crepes stalls and excellent Italian restaurants in Nidri. Asian cuisine is also represented.
The taverns often offer traditional Greek food with a British twist. This is mainly due to the high proportion of holidaymakers from the British Isles.
nightlife
The nightlife mainly takes place on the streets and boardwalks. There are bars and nightclubs.
Accommodations
There is a wide range of accommodation options. There are campsites mainly on the south coast. Private providers rent out holiday apartments (apartments and studios) as well as entire holiday homes. Smaller family-owned hotels often offer the advantage of a familiar atmosphere. The large resorts with 4 to 5 stars mostly score with luxury, full supply, private pool and hotel's own beach. Service and quality are here on a high level compared to the price.
security
The crime rate on the island is very low. The locals are friendly, helpful and honest. One should exercise some caution in traffic. Traffic rules are usually interpreted very generously. On one-way streets, oncoming traffic can be expected, and if the vehicle in front stops for no apparent reason, the reason is usually that the driver wants to chat with the driver of the oncoming traffic. It should not be assumed that other road users will obey the priority rules or adhere to speed limits.
However, if you observe the necessary respectful distances and drive carefully, you are safe on the road.
climate
The tourist season months from May to September are characterized by high temperatures. Normally, maximum daily temperatures of 31 ° C are reached in midsummer. In the remaining months of the season, the maximum daily temperatures are between 25 ° C and 29 ° C. Hardly (or little) rain falls during these months.
The cold months, on the other hand, are characterized by temperatures between 6 ° C and 15 ° C, with long and persistent rainy periods to be expected. In the months of December and January it rains about 50% of the days.
source
The text is based in parts with an article vacation-im-web.de identical. Jürgen "Zlatan" Wolff is the author of both articles.
