The Ionian islands: a week from Lefkas
The Ionian is the opposite of the Cyclades: the meltemi does not reach it, the islands sit two or three hours apart, and there is nearly always shelter between them. Lefkas is the most convenient base in the area: the marina is joined to the mainland by a bridge and Preveza airport is forty minutes away. A loop of about 95 nm with no leg longer than fifteen — this is a route people take with children and on a first charter.
Day by day
Lefkas marina
- Lefkas38.832, 20.712
Fly into Preveza or Athens and take over the yacht in Lefkas marina, the largest in the Ionian. Provisioning is next door in town. You leave through the canal and the floating bridge, which opens once an hour.
Lefkas → Skorpios
- Skorpios38.695, 20.750
- Nidri38.708, 20.708
The canal, and then islands straight away. Skorpios was Onassis's island: you cannot land, but you can anchor in the bay off the beach, and most boats stop here for lunch. Spend the night in Nidri or in neighbouring Vlycho bay.
Skorpios → Vasiliki
- Vasiliki38.628, 20.607
Around the southern tip of Lefkada. Vasiliki is a world capital of windsurfing: after lunch a thermal wind the locals call the eric fills the bay with sails. Arrive before 14:00, while it is still pleasant.
Vasiliki → Fiskardo (Kefalonia)
- Fiskardo38.459, 20.577
Fiskardo is the only village on Kefalonia not destroyed by the 1953 earthquake: Venetian houses, cypresses and the smartest waterfront in the area. There are few quay berths — arrive by lunchtime.
Fiskardo → Ithaca (Kioni)
- Kioni38.449, 20.690
Kioni is a horseshoe with three windmills above the entrance to the bay. It is quieter than nearby Vathy and still looks more like a village than a resort; in the evening, walk out to the mills.
Ithaca → Kastos
- Kastos38.567, 20.912
East to the small islands off the mainland. A few dozen people live on Kastos, there is one taverna and a wind turbine on the hill; after Fiskardo it is a return to silence.
Kastos → Meganisi
- Meganisi38.664, 20.787
Meganisi has the prettiest bays in the area: Spilia, Atherinos, Vathy. Here boats anchor with a line ashore, and in season the spots are taken by five in the afternoon.
Meganisi → Lefkas
- Lefkas38.832, 20.712
A short final leg, the bridge on its schedule, refuelling and handover in the marina.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Wind: a daytime breeze of 10–18 knots from the north-west in summer, steady and predictable, and no meltemi. The exception is Vasiliki bay, where 20–25 knots after lunch is routine.
- The Lefkas bridge opens once an hour, on the hour (in season from morning until late evening). Plan your departure and return around the schedule, or you will wait an hour on the water.
- Berths: the town quays at Nidri, Fiskardo, Kioni and Vasiliki are paid but cheap, and you moor stern-to on your own anchor. The bays of Meganisi mean anchoring with a line ashore — the standard technique here, and worth rehearsing on day one.
- Season: the area works from May to October. In July and August the quays at Fiskardo and on Meganisi are full by midday; June and September give the same weather without the queues.
When to go and what it costs in Greece
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in Greece
All boats in Greece
How long is the Lefkas — Ithaca route and where do you stay overnight?
8 days and about 95 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Lefkas. Overnight stops in order: Lefkas, Nidri, Vasiliki, Fiskardo, Kioni, Kastos, Meganisi. The longest leg is day 6, 18 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Lefkas — Ithaca route?
Greece's season runs April to October. In July–August the meltemi blows 25–30 knots in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, so beginners are better off in the Ionian or the Saronic Gulf in those months. June and September bring warm water, gentler wind and prices below the peak; April, May and October are the shoulder months and the cheapest weeks of the season. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is March: a median of ≈€240 per berth per week. The most expensive is December, at ≈€283. The most boats with 20% off or more are in October: 41%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in Greece for a week starts from €1,770 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in Greece”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
