Greece, Lefkada

Lefkada, or Leucas is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge, as well as the island's capital city. The city of Lefkada, is at the north of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport.

Lefkada Town (population: 6,903), has a pedestrianised main street, a marina, and bus access to Athens.

The east coast section of the island has small resorts of Lefkada, Nikiana and Perigiali, all north of the largest resort on the island—Nidri. It is set in a sheltered location with views across to Skorpios—owned by Aristotle Onassis, Meganissi and other small islands, as well as the Greek mainland.

There are regular car ferries to Kefalonia, Ithaca and Meganissi.
20km south of Nidri is the resort of Vasiliki—a windsurfing center. There are ferries here to Kefalonia and Ithaca.

The West coast, facing the great expanse of the Mediterranean, has the hyped beach of Porto Katsiki. To the North, there are numerous beaches, with pale golden sand and powerful waves—a sharp contrast to the more popular East Coast.

Folklore has it that once upon a time, thousands of years ago, Lefkada was attached to mainland Greece (see above about Homer's Ithaca bein Lefkada). Some say the Leleges, its first inhabitants, transformed into an island, others that the Corinthians dug a trench in its isthmus.

On August 14, 2003, the island was rocked by a powerful earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, 30km (20m) off the west coast. There were some reports of minor injuries and damage. Roads were cut off by mudslides, especially the road linking the southern part of Lefkada.