The Ionian islands: a week from Lefkas

8 days · 95 nm · starts in Lefkas · Greece

Day 1

Lefkas marina

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.

Day 2 · 12 nm

Lefkas → Skorpios

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.

Day 3 · 15 nm

Skorpios → Vasiliki

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.

Day 4 · 12 nm

Vasiliki → Fiskardo (Kefalonia)

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.

Day 5 · 12 nm

Fiskardo → Ithaca (Kioni)

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.

Day 6 · 18 nm

Ithaca → Kastos

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.

Day 7 · 12 nm

Kastos → Meganisi

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.

Day 8 · 12 nm

Meganisi → Lefkas

A short final leg, the bridge on its schedule, refuelling and handover in the marina.

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.

Practicalities

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

Greece is the cheapest place in the Mediterranean: a median €175 per person per week in winter, and even in summer (€298) it is cheaper than Turkey. Fleet discounts here are the deepest on the market — up to 63% on average for last-minute deals — so look at the price per berth, not the percentage.

RYC Rentals data, 2,062 offers from 2024–2026, as of 13 Aug 2026 · full breakdown →

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The Ionian islands: a week from Lefkas

8 days · 95 nm · starts in Lefkas · Greece

Day 1

Lefkas marina

Day 2 · 12 nm

Lefkas → Skorpios

Day 3 · 15 nm

Skorpios → Vasiliki

Day 4 · 12 nm

Vasiliki → Fiskardo (Kefalonia)

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.

Day 5 · 12 nm

Fiskardo → Ithaca (Kioni)

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.

Day 6 · 18 nm

Ithaca → Kastos

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.

Day 7 · 12 nm

Kastos → Meganisi

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.

Day 8 · 12 nm

Meganisi → Lefkas

A short final leg, the bridge on its schedule, refuelling and handover in the marina.

Practicalities

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

RYC Rentals data, 2,062 offers from 2024–2026, as of 13 Aug 2026 · full breakdown →