Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian islands have always been popular with novice sailors, flotilla groups and leisure boats, due to the generally calm and protected waters to the west of the Greek mainland.
With a rich and complex history uniting many cultures, the Ionian is a blue gem in a verdant landscape.
Discover the southern Ionian by sailing south from Preveza or Lefkas and explore the famous islands of Kefalonia, Zakynthos (Zante) and Odysseus’ kingdom, Ithaca.
Or sail out of Corfu to discover the north Ionian, the delightful islands of Paxos and Antipaxos, as well as mainland beaches and villages. You need two weeks minimum to fully enjoy the area.
Find out more about the Ionian Islands
Features
Sailing level: novice to intermediate
Wind conditions: mild to moderate
Key locations: Corfu, Paxi islands, Lefkas, Ithaca, Kefalonia, Zakynthos
Airports: Corfu, Preveza, Kefalonia
Departure ports: Corfu marina, Lefkas marina/port, Sivota-Lefkas, Preveza marina, Kefalonia (Sami, Ag.Efthemia or Fiscardo)
Area
The Ionian Islands – also known in Greece as the `Eptanisa` (Seven Islands) – are seven main islands located on the western side of mainland Greece that are different from other Greek islands due to their fertile land (hillsides of olive groves) and clear blue waters.
To those who visualise a Greece of sun-baked rock dotted with dazzling whitewashed houses, the Ionian comes as a gentle surprise. This is not the Greece of the popular travel brochure but a shaded green country, sheltering red-tiled Venetian houses, an eccentric collection of Italian and French architecture and English tastes (in Corfu the locals play cricket and you can buy currant buns and ginger beer) welded together into a whole that is indubitably Greek.
Ever-green cypress, pine, elm, green fields, flowers even in height of summer, and everywhere the dull dark sheen of the olive, characterize the lower land while higher up the slopes are covered in pine and the tenacious Mediterranean maquis. If the wind is in the right direction you can smell the pungent herby aroma a mile out to sea. The green luxuriance of the islands is in direct contrast to the high eroded mountains of Albania and mainland Greece that form the eastern boundary to the Ionian.
What is more, the traits of the Ionian Islands are perfectly combined with a flawless tourism infrastructure, excellent hotel accommodation, restaurants, diving centers, sea sports, cultural events, and a multitude of sights, historic monuments and museums worth visiting.
The Ionian islands can be divided into two clear sections: the north Ionian, starting base Corfu, and the beautiful Paxoi islands, and the south Ionian, starting from Lefkas, Preveza or Kefalonia. Two weeks is required to properly explore both areas quite well, but a one week itinerary allows for a gentle exploration of each area by sea.
Wind conditions: mild to moderateThe wind and sailing conditions in the Ionian Sea are ideal and predictable. From May to September the wind blows from North-West at Force 2-5. In Spring and Autumn the wind is less strong and blows usually from South-West. It arrives around noon, blows between force 3 to 6 (10 to 25 knots) and dies down at sunset. There may be strong gusts on the leeward side due to the high land (e.g Eastern side of Ithaka and Zakinthos).
The islands are therefore very popular with flotillas and it can get quite crowded in many ports, especially during August. Recommended for novice to competent sailors, and family groups, but offering something to everyone and with many itinerary options.
HistoryThe islands have been inhabited since prehistoric times and have since been occupied by an ever changing diversity of peoples. Homer, writer of The Iliad and The Odyssey, was born on the island of Ithaca. Later the islands belonged to the Kingdom of Macedonia, and then subsequently to the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the French and the British. The Ottomans strangely never managed to fully occupy these islands, even when they had control of the rest of Greece. The British finally transferred the islands to Greek rule in 1862 though they left a legacy of cultural influence (including tea and cricket) behind, especially in Corfu, where the present Queen`s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh was born. In 1953 much of the Ionian, especially the island of Kefalonia (Cephalonia), was flattened by a powerful earthquake. This features in the novel and movie Captain Corelli`s Mandolin which are set in Kefalonia. Another famous book that draws the crowds to Corfu (Kerkyra) is Gerald Durrell`s evocative book My Family and Other Animals (1956), which describes his childhood on Kerkyra in the 1930s.
Planning your tripFor the north Ionian, fly to Corfu and take a taxi or bus to the marina at Gouvia. For the South Ionian fly to Preveza on the mainland, which is driving distance from the island of Lefkada, connected through a bridge to the mainland of Greece. From Lefkada you can either sail north towards Corfu or south towards Zakynthos. On a two week sailing trip visiting both the north and the south Ionian is feasable, if weather conditions allow, but for a one week holiday we recomend choosing one of the two options available.
Travel notesNorth Ionian: An ideal starting point for your cruise is from Gouvia Marina, about 15 minutes from Corfu International Airport, or very close to the main ferry port for arrivals from Igoumenitsa on the mainland. From the heel of Italy most yachts cross the Otranto Strait to Corfu only 70 miles away. Corfu is the northern-most of the seven Ionian Islands. Proceeding south from Corfu you come to the islands of Paxi and Antipaxi, Lefkas, Ithaca, Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the island of Kythira.
South Ionian: Starting points are Lefkas or Preveza. Flights are to Aktion (Preveza) Airport which is about a 20 minute drive away by taxi. Lefkas is connected to the mainland by a single iron bridge, which opens several times a day to allow entry to yachts from the north.
If you are flying to Athens there is a bus to Lefkas (5 hours) several times a day or you can hire a car from the airport or we can arrange a taxi or minivan transfer for you.
Wind conditions: mild to moderate
The wind and sailing conditions in the Ionian Sea are ideal and predictable. From May to September the wind blows from North-West at Force 2-5. In Spring and Autumn the wind is less strong and blows usually from South-West. It arrives around noon, blows between force 3 to 6 (10 to 25 knots) and dies down at sunset. There may be strong gusts on the leeward side due to the high land (e.g Eastern side of Ithaka and Zakinthos).
The islands are therefore very popular with flotillas and it can get quite crowded in many ports, especially during August. Recommended for novice to competent sailors, and family groups, but offering something to everyone and with many itinerary options.
History
The islands have been inhabited since prehistoric times and have since been occupied by an ever changing diversity of peoples. Homer, writer of The Iliad and The Odyssey, was born on the island of Ithaca. Later the islands belonged to the Kingdom of Macedonia, and then subsequently to the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the French and the British. The Ottomans strangely never managed to fully occupy these islands, even when they had control of the rest of Greece. The British finally transferred the islands to Greek rule in 1862 though they left a legacy of cultural influence (including tea and cricket) behind, especially in Corfu, where the present Queen`s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh was born. In 1953 much of the Ionian, especially the island of Kefalonia (Cephalonia), was flattened by a powerful earthquake. This features in the novel and movie Captain Corelli`s Mandolin which are set in Kefalonia. Another famous book that draws the crowds to Corfu (Kerkyra) is Gerald Durrell`s evocative book My Family and Other Animals (1956), which describes his childhood on Kerkyra in the 1930s.
Planning your trip
For the north Ionian, fly to Corfu and take a taxi or bus to the marina at Gouvia. For the South Ionian fly to Preveza on the mainland, which is driving distance from the island of Lefkada, connected through a bridge to the mainland of Greece. From Lefkada you can either sail north towards Corfu or south towards Zakynthos. On a two week sailing trip visiting both the north and the south Ionian is feasable, if weather conditions allow, but for a one week holiday we recomend choosing one of the two options available.
Travel notes
North Ionian: An ideal starting point for your cruise is from Gouvia Marina, about 15 minutes from Corfu International Airport, or very close to the main ferry port for arrivals from Igoumenitsa on the mainland. From the heel of Italy most yachts cross the Otranto Strait to Corfu only 70 miles away. Corfu is the northern-most of the seven Ionian Islands. Proceeding south from Corfu you come to the islands of Paxi and Antipaxi, Lefkas, Ithaca, Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the island of Kythira.
South Ionian: Starting points are Lefkas or Preveza. Flights are to Aktion (Preveza) Airport which is about a 20 minute drive away by taxi. Lefkas is connected to the mainland by a single iron bridge, which opens several times a day to allow entry to yachts from the north.
If you are flying to Athens there is a bus to Lefkas (5 hours) several times a day or you can hire a car from the airport or we can arrange a taxi or minivan transfer for you.
Itinerary
| 1 | Gouvia Marina check-in at 17:00 | |
| 2 | Corfu – Parga (38 nm) | Corfu – Gaios, Paxos Island (33 nm) |
| 3 | Parga – Paxi, Mongonisi (11 nm) | Gaios – Lefkas (32 nm) |
| 4 | Mongonisi – Antipaxi – Gaios, Paxi (5 nm) | Lefkas – Nidri – Vathi, Meganissi island (10 nm) |
| 5 | Gaios – Svota (12 nm) | Vathi – Lefkas (12 nm) |
| 6 | Svota – Petriti, Corfu (14 nm) | Lefkas – Mourtos (41 nm) |
| 7 | Laka – Corfu (18 nm) | Mourtos – Gouvia Marina (22 nm) |
| 8 | Check-out Gouva Marina at 9:00 | |
| 1 | Gouvia Marina check-in at 17:00 | |
| 2 | Corfu – Mourtos (22 nm) | |
| 3 | Mourtos – Gaios, Paxos (10 nm) | |
| 4 | Gaios – Nidri, Lefkas (41 nm) | |
| 5 | Nidri – Fiskardo, Kefalonia Island (19 nm) | |
| 6 | Fiscardo – Zakynthos Island (43 nm) | |
| 7 | Zakynthos – Agia Efthimia, Kefalonia (37 nm) | |
| 8 | Agia Efthimia – Vathi, Ithaki (16 nm) | |
| 9 | Vathi – Porto Leone, Kalamos (17nm) | |
| 10 | Porto Leone – Vathi, Meganissi (11 nm) | |
| 11 | Vathi – Lefkas (11 nm) | |
| 12 | Lefkas – Parga, Epirus (30 nm) | |
| 13 | Parga – Lakka, Paxos (13nm) | |
| 14 | Lakka – Gouvia Marina (31 nm) | |
| 15 | Check-out at 9:00 | |
| 1 | Lefkas Marina Check-in at 17:00 | |
| 2 | Lefkas – Vathi, Meganissi (11 nm) | Lefkas – Vathi, Meganissi (11 nm) |
| 3 | Vathi, Meganissi – Vathi, Ithaki (22 nm) | Vathi – Kalamos (13 nm) |
| 4 | Ithaki – Fiskardo, Kefalonia (14 nm) | Kalamos -Vathi, Ithaca (18 nm) |
| 5 | Fiscardo – Vassiliki, Lefkas (10 nm) | Vathi – Sami, Kefallonia (12 nm) |
| 6 | Lefkas – Nidri, Lefkas (14 nm) | Sami – Sivota, Lefkas (13 nm) |
| 7 | Nidri – Lefkas Marina (9 nm) | Sivota – Lefkas (16 nm) |
| 8 | Check-out at 9:00 | |
| 1 | Lefkas Marina check-in at 17:00 | |
| 2 | Parga, Epirus (30nm) | |
| 3 | Lakka, Paxos (13nm) | |
| 4 | Gouvia Marina (31nm) | |
| 5 | Mourtos (22) | |
| 6 | Gaios, Paxos (10nm) | |
| 7 | Nidri, Lefkas (41) | |
| 8 | Fiscardo, Kefalonia (19nm) | |
| 9 | Zakynthos (43) | |
| 10 | Agia Efthimia, Kefalonia (37nm) | |
| 11 | Vathi, Ithaki (16nm) | |
| 12 | Porto Leone, Kalamos (17nm) | |
| 13 | Vathi, Meganissi (11nm) | |
| 14 | Lakka – Gouvia Marina (31 nm) | |
| 15 | Check-out Lefkas Marina at 9:00 | |
