Greece · Ionian Sea
Yacht Charter Ionian Islands
Corfu, Paxos, Kefalonia and Ithaca — green islands, short passages and the gentlest sailing in Greece.
The Ionian is the opposite of the Cyclades in almost every way that matters on a boat. The islands are green rather than bare, the architecture is Venetian rather than Ottoman, and the wind is a moderate afternoon breeze rather than a meltemi. It is the easiest cruising ground in Greece, and the one to take if anyone aboard is new to this.
A week without a long passage
Distances here are short enough that a week rarely needs a leg over three hours. Corfu to Paxos is a morning. Paxos to Lefkada is another. Ithaca and Kefalonia sit close enough together that the choice between them is about lunch rather than logistics.
That changes what a week feels like. On the Cyclades you plan around the wind and move when it lets you; here you can decide over breakfast and still be anchored somewhere good by early afternoon. It is why the Ionian suits families and first-timers better than anywhere else in Greece.
Homer's Ithaca is in the middle of it, and it looks much as you would hope: a deep natural harbour at Vathy, and Kioni and Frikes on the north-east coast with tavernas along the quay and very little else.
Green, and that is the point
The Ionian gets rain the Aegean does not, and the result is olive and cypress down to the water instead of bare rock. Agni Bay on Corfu's north-east coast is the image people carry away: three tavernas on a pebble beach under a wooded hillside, and boats on lines off the front of each.
Paxos is smaller and quieter — Loggos and Lakka are two of the most agreeable harbours in Greece — and the west coast has sea caves and cliffs that go straight down. Antipaxos next door has water that is genuinely, improbably clear.
How the yacht gets there
Two yachts in this fleet are based in Greece; the rest of what sails the Ionian is positioned from the eastern Mediterranean for your dates. As everywhere outside Italy, we would rather write that than imply a fleet waiting at Corfu.
It means booking earlier than for a Campanian week, and a narrower choice of boat. It does not mean a lesser week: the Ionian is forgiving water and the yachts that come here are chosen for it.
Practical notes
- Corfu and Lefkada are the usual embarkation points; Preveza also works for the southern islands
- Two yachts are based in Greece — the rest are positioned from the eastern Mediterranean for your dates
- Passages are short: a week here rarely needs a leg longer than three hours
- The wind is a moderate afternoon breeze rather than the meltemi, which makes this the easiest Greek cruising ground
- Corfu and Preveza airports serve the area; Kefalonia has its own in summer
Reached from: Corfu and Lefkada
Where to dine
A table by the water
Taverna Nikolas
AgniRun by the same family since 1965, on a bay with no road worth using. Arrive by tender.
Toula's
AgniA few doors along the same beach — the garlic prawns with rice are the reason boats come back.
The waterfront at Fiskardo
KefaloniaThe only Kefalonian village to survive the 1953 earthquake — Venetian houses and tables on the quay.
Tavernas of Kioni
IthacaA horseshoe harbour with three tavernas and not much else, which is the appeal.
Loggos and Lakka
PaxosTwo small harbours on an island of olive groves; both are dinner and both are ten minutes apart.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Antipaxos
A tiny island south of Paxos with Voutoumi and Vrika — Caribbean-clear water, day anchorage only.
Navagio, Zakynthos
The shipwreck beach beneath 200m cliffs, reachable only from the sea.
The Blue Caves, Zakynthos
Sea arches on the northern tip where the water reflects blue onto the rock above.
Corfu Old Town
A UNESCO-listed Venetian town with two fortresses and an arcaded street modelled on Rue de Rivoli.
Ithaca
Homer's island — Vathy's deep natural harbour and a landscape that has changed remarkably little.
The fleet
Yachts available for the Ionian Islands
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Itineraries
Yacht charter itineraries in the Ionian Islands
What a week here actually looks like, day by day.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about the Ionian Islands
- How does the Ionian compare with the Cyclades?
- Almost the reverse. Green instead of bare, Venetian instead of Ottoman, short passages instead of long ones, and an afternoon breeze instead of the meltemi. The Cyclades are more dramatic; the Ionian is far easier, and better if anyone aboard is new to sailing.
- Is the Ionian good for children?
- It is the best ground in Greece for it. Passages are short, bays are sheltered, and there are real villages along the water rather than just anchorages — which matters on the afternoon when nobody wants to be on a boat.
- Where do Ionian charters start?
- Corfu or Lefkada, usually, and Preveza for the southern islands. Corfu suits a week going south through Paxos; Lefkada suits Ithaca and Kefalonia without a long first leg.
- Do you have yachts based in the Ionian?
- Two are based in Greece. Everything else is positioned from the eastern Mediterranean for your dates, which means booking earlier than for Italy and a narrower choice of boat.
- What does a charter in the Ionian Islands cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the positioning, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a number that would be wrong for most weeks. Tell us your dates and how many are coming.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in the Ionian Islands
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.