Travel Guides Greek Islands islands Lefkada
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Lefkada
Lefkada Lefkada PrefectureΝομός ΛευκάδαςLefkada, or Leucas (Greek: Λευκάδα, /le̞fˈkaða/; ancient Greek and Katharevous
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Santorini
SantoriniΣαντορίνη (Θήρα)Santoríni, (Thíra)Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη, pronounced /ˌsa(n)doˈrini/), also known as Thera (or
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Crete
Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kriti or occasionally Krētē) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island
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Mykonos
Mykonos (Greek: Μύκονος) is a Greek island and a top tourist destination, renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightli
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Corfu
Corfu (Greek: Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, [ˈkʲe̞ɾkʲiɾa]; Ancient Greek: Κέρκυρα or Κόρκυρα;
Lefkada
Lefkada Lefkada PrefectureΝομός ΛευκάδαςLefkada, or Leucas (Greek: Λευκάδα, /le̞fˈkaða/; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, Lefkás; is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating b See more details
Santorini
SantoriniΣαντορίνη (Θήρα)Santoríni, (Thíra)Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη, pronounced /ˌsa(n)doˈrini/), also known as Thera (or Thira, Greek Θήρα [ˈθira]) is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It See more details
Crete
Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kriti or occasionally Krētē) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km2 (3,219 sq mi). Crete is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece and covers the same area as the Greek region of Cret See more details
Mykonos
Mykonos (Greek: Μύκονος) is a Greek island and a top tourist destination, renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightlife. The island is part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. It spans an area of 105.183 km2 (41 sq mi) and rises at an elevat See more details
Corfu
Corfu (Greek: Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, [ˈkʲe̞ɾkʲiɾa]; Ancient Greek: Κέρκυρα or Κόρκυρα; Latin: Corcyra; Italian: Corfù) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands.[1] Its northern part lies off See more details
Lefkada
Lefkada Prefecture
Νομός Λευκάδας
Lefkada, or Leucas (Greek: Λευκάδα, /le̞fˈkaða/; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, Lefkás; is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The city of Lefkada, is situated on the northern part of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport. The Prefecture of Lefkada comprises Lefkada island plus the smaller nearby islands of Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos, Madouri, Skorpios, and Sparti. It is the smallest prefecture of Greece in both land area and population (2001 census).
Lefkada Town (population: 6,903), has a pedestrianised main street, a marina, and bus access to Athens.
History
The myth about Sappho's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and to Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey. The German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, having performed excavations at various locations of Lefkada, was able to obtain funding to do work on the island by suggesting that Lefkada was Homer's Ithaca, and the palace of Odysseus was located west of Nidri on the south coast of Lefkada. 
There have been suggestions by local tourism officials that several passages in the Odyssey point to Lefkada as a possible model for Homeric Ithaca. The most notable of these passages pushed by the local tourism board describes Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which was the case for Lefkada since it is not really an island, that it was connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.According to Strabo X,2 the coast of Acarnania was called Leucas in earlier times. The ancient sources call Leucas a Corinthian colony, perhaps with a Corcyraen participation[1]. During the Peloponnesian War Leucas had joined the Spartan Confederation.
The Ottomans called it "Ayamavra" (a rendering of the Greek Αγία Μαύρα, the island's medieval name), and ruled it between 1479-1502, 1504-1684 and 1715-1716.
The island of Lefkada in a NASA World Wind satellite picture.
Porto Katsiki beach.
The east coast section of the island has small resorts of Lefkada, Nikiana and Perigiali, all north of Nidri, the largest 
resort on the island. It is set in a sheltered location with views across to Skorpios—owned by Aristotle Onassis, Meganissi and other small islands, as well as the Greek mainland. The main coastal road from Lefkada to Vasiliki runs through the village, although a bypass has now been completed which skirts the village to the west. There are regular car ferries to Kefalonia, Ithaca and Meganissi.
20 km south of Nidri is the resort of Vasiliki, a windsurfing center. There are ferries to Kefalonia and Ithaca from Vasiliki. South of Vasiliki is Cape Lefkada, where the Greek female poet Sappho allegedly leapt to her death from the 30 m high cliffs.
The famous beach of Porto Katsiki is located on Lefkada's west coast. Lefkada was attached to mainland Greece (see above about Homer's Ithaca being Lefkada). The Corinthians dug a trench in the 7th century BC on its isthmus.
Climate
The island has a typical Mediterranean climate: hot summers and cool winters, especially in the mountains.
