Accommodations
on Lefkas
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Lefkada | Lefkada photo album
To get to Lefkada, you don't need to take a
boat. Instead you go by car or bus, quickly crossing over the
narrow channel separating the coast of Aitoloakarnania and the
island.
It is said that once upon a time Lefkada was united with
mainland Greece. Lefkada is a
mountainous island, covered with dense vegetation to the east
and south. Its eastern coast slopes gently down to the sea,
which is sheltered from the wind and dotted with thickly wooded
islets. The most famous of these are Skorpios, Madouri and
Sparti.
In contrast, the west coast is steep, with a few stunted pine
trees and lined with spectacular stretches of endless golden
beach. The capital of the island is also called Lefkada. A tranquil,
picturesque town built on a natural harbour; it is composed of
distinctive, multicoloured wood en houses, whose upper floors
are covered with sheet metal. It is from here you'll set off
over good roads - to explore the island. Before abandoning
the town, you may wish to visit the castle of Santa Maura, right
next to the channel. It was founded in 1300 by John Orsini, a
Frankish knight who held Lefkada as a thief.
If you follow the eastern coast road, passing through villages
bordered on one side by the sea and on the other by lush greenery
- villages like Ligia and Nikiana - you will come to Nidri, one
of the most popular holiday spots on the island. Nidri was the
home of the German archaeologist, Dorpfeld, who maintained that
Lefkada was in fact none other than Homer's Ithaca.
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