Most of the island’s tourism centres on the seaside town of Nidri, half way down the east coast. In evident contrast to the smaller and more attractive fishing villages such as Vasiliki, Sivota, Ligia and Agios Nikitas, Nidri is a cosmopolitan resort with café bars, boutiques and tavernas.
Lefkas Town is surrounded on three sides by calm, shallow waters which have, in recent years, made it an ideal haven in which yachts can moor, dry-dock and make repairs.
At its core, Lefkas Town is an intriguing hotchpotch of narrow alleyways. Its buildings are made of stone, wood, brick, tin and corrugated iron painted in pastel greens and yellows. Along the main street are cheese shops and hardware stalls and the sweet fragrances of fresh bread and ground coffee.
In contrast to the busier east coast, a short drive up to the interior mountain range takes one to the beautiful villages of Karia, Pigadisani, Tsoukoulades, Vafkeri and others, hidden away on forested hilltops with dramatic views across an undulating landscape. Here the traditional ways of Lefkas life continue unscathed. Many of the island’s wide fertile valleys, which are clad in olive groves, vineyards and cypress trees, hold only one or two farmhouses. Local women still wear their traditional brown dresses and fine lace shawls and scarves. Cottage industries of tapestry, lacemaking, ceramics, nougat and honey are evident within the mountain villages, where life centres around the cafés of the square, shaded by large plane trees.
Lefkas hosts an international Festival of Art and Literature during August. Folk dance, drama and singing flows out of the halls into the town’s narrow streets. The island boasts fine cuisine and local delicacies. A varied selection of small and large tavernas serve an enticing assortment of dishes to appeal to all tastes. The fishermen of Lefkas are well known in the Ionian for their netting prowess and most tavernas offer a wide variety of fresh fish.
Regular boat trips leave Nidri to visit the nearby islands of Madouri, Meganissi and Skorpios, now owned by Onassis’ grand-daughter Athena. Ferries to Cephalonia and Ithaca run daily throughout the summer. The east coast of Lefkas is indented by both small and large beaches of sand and shingle and is best explored by private boat.
We offer a small programme of secluded properties for those who wish to have a comfortable base from which to explore the varied and beautiful landscapes of Lefkas.
