Greece · Ionian Sea
The Ionian, Corfu to Lefkada
Seven nights from Corfu — Paxos, Antipaxos, Lefkada and the bays of the mainland, on the gentlest water in Greece.
7 nights · Corfu to Lefkada
The Ionian is the opposite of the Cyclades and this route is the reason people say so. Nothing here is more than three hours from the last thing, the wind is an afternoon breeze rather than a meltemi, and the islands are green. It is the week to take if anyone aboard is new to this, and it is the one experienced crews quietly enjoy most.
The route, day by day
Day 1
Corfu
Board and go north-east to Agni or Kalami — three tavernas on a pebble beach under a wooded hillside, boats on lines off the front of each, and Albania across the strait.
Day 2
Paxos
South to the smallest of the main islands. Lakka in the north is a near-circular bay; Loggos is a hamlet with a harbour attached. Either is a good night.
Day 3
Antipaxos
Twenty minutes further, and the water is improbable: Voutoumi and Vrika are two beaches over white sand, best taken before the day boats from Paxos arrive.
Day 4
Parga
Across to the mainland — a Venetian castle over a town built up a hillside, and one of the few places on this route that is not an island.
Day 5
Preveza
South through the narrows into the Ambracian Gulf, or past it: Preveza is the gateway and the Roman ruins of Nicopolis are behind the town.
Day 6
Meganisi
Into the sheltered water east of Lefkada, which is where the Ionian is at its easiest — Spartochori and Vathy, and bays that never see a swell.
Day 7
Lefkada
The short leg in through the canal, past the fortress, with time for a last anchorage at Sivota on the south coast.
Worth knowing
- One-way, Corfu to Lefkada — both have airports and the route never doubles back
- Two yachts are based in Greece; the rest are positioned from the eastern Mediterranean
- No leg on this route is longer than about three hours, which is what makes it the easiest week in Greece
- The afternoon breeze fills reliably from the north-west and drops in the evening — passages are made in the morning
- The Lefkada canal has a swing bridge that opens on the hour: the arrival is timed around it
Where this route goes
Yachts that sail this route
Itineraries
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