Lefkada is the fourth richest island of the Ionian Sea. It got its name from the white cape where, according to legend, the poetess Sappho fell to end her love for Faon. There is the temple of Apollo, but many myths have connected the island with the goddess Aphrodite and the Homeric hero Odysseus. Lefkada is the only island you can go to by road, it is connected by a bridge to Aitoloakarnania. The island is wildly famous is its beaches, the most popular and most-photographed of them are Porto Katsiki, Egremni, Milos and Kathisma. Windsurfing, kitesurfing, scuba diving and every beach-related activity is a must. You can also charter a boat and sail to the little islets nearby, such as the legendary Skorpios islet. Lefkada rewards the visitor with amazing seaside villages, such as Nidri and Agios Nikitas. Stroll around Lefkada’s Town’s narrow alleys, sit at the traditional taverns to taste local delicacies, visit the Venetian Agia Mavra Castle, museums and 18th-century churches.

The island capital, which occupies a flat wedge of land that juts out to meet the causeway from the mainland, constitutes a pleasant introduction to Lefkada. Its manageable size means you can comfortably walk across it in twenty minutes and it is very easy to get your bearings.

The town’s largely pedestrianised main street, Ioannou Mela (named Dorpfeld nearer the seafront), is in effect an extension of the causeway and runs directly back from the water. It still has some of the attractive traditional wooden colonnades but these days is lined with fancy shops and trendy cafeterias instead of the old kafeneia and local shops that existed during the eighties. Compact Platia Agiou Spyridonos marks the point at which the street changes name and is another hub of activity by day and night, with enduring cafe-bars such as Casbah. The main street and the smaller ones branching off it hide the town’s wonderful little churches, which contain delightful if sometimes dark murals by Doxaras and other famous painters. Agios Dimitrios, Agios Minas, Pandokrator and Theotokou are all worth seeking out and having a peep at. The bizarre collection of bric-brac at the quaint Phonograph Museum, just off Ioannou Mela, provides another brief diversion.

There is surprisingly little accommodation. There are, however plenty of restaurants on or around the main thoroughfare, two of the best being the evening-only Regantos at Dimarchou Veriotou 17, which offers excellent mezedes and main courses, and Eftychia, in an alley off Dorpfeld, a great spot for oven-baked goodies like swordfish and stuffed aubergines.

The seafront that bears right as you arrive from the causeway is named Sikelianou and has more cafes and bars before leading after about 500m to the small but fascinating Archaeological Museum, which contains fine cultural and religious artifacts from ancient times as well as a room dedicated to Dorpfeld’s finds. The moderately interesting Nautical Museum and Municipal Art Gallery are housed in the same building.

The seafront to the left of the causeway passes a park before becoming Golemi, which has a few decent ouzeria and leads to the splendid new state-of-the-art marina, of which Lefkadans are justifiably proud. Beyond that is the recently relocated bus station.

Around town are some worthwhile spots for investigation. Best of these is the strip of land known as Yira which forms a diamond shape with the causeway and is pretty much unbroken and little-used beach, reached by following Sikelianou out past the Archaeological Museum. The section that bears left onto the main coastline where Yira turns right is the more popular Ai Yiannis beach. About 3km up from the back of town you can visit the picturesque Faneromeni Monastery, dating from the seventeenth century, whose most notable features are some stunning stained-glass windows and a peaceful courtyard. Not strictly on Lefkada but worth a visit just on the mainland side of the causeway are the semi-ruined remains of Agia Mavra castle, which was first constructed by the Orsinis in the fourteenth century.

The main access road from the capital to the exquisite west coast heads west through the uninspiring settlement of Tsoukalades before drifting southwest to the first of the island’s truly magnificent beaches, Pefkoulia. Over 2km of coarse sand, its only facilities are clustered mid-strand, leaving the possibility of discreet free camping, especially at the northeast end.

Little over a kilometre further on, crammed into an attractive gorge, is the busiest resort on this side of the island, Aď Nikitas. Although it’s been fairly commercialised for a good twenty years now, it still retains a certain charm and offers fine accommodation up the hill at Pension Ostrias and a number of good tavernas, most notably T’Agnantio, just above the small pebbly beach. Regular motor boats ferry folk round the southern headlands to the more scenic beach of Mylos, which can also be reached by a rocky footpath. Around three kilometres further south by road lies the aforementioned beach of Kathisma. This superb wide strip of sand now gets very crowded in high season but even then you can still avoid the worst of the crush if you walk south past the dividing rocks beyond the last taverna.

From here the coast road climbs steeply past Kalamitsi, worth considering as a hillside base, as it offers cheaper rooms than Aď Nikitas, and levels out as it bends back south through the smaller village of Hortata, where you can get a fine meal or even a bed at the friendly Lygos taverna. Shortly afterwards, the only main junction in this part of the island allows you to complete the loop back to Vassiliki via Agios Petros and Pondi. However, even if you are based on the east coast, you should not miss the Lefkada’s crowning glory, its stunning southwest coast.

The only real village down here is Athani, a fine spot with a good number of traditional houses commanding brilliant sea views. You can enjoy these along with a great home cooking at the aptly named Panorama taverna, which also rents rooms at giveaway prices most of the summer. Nearby are the access points to the island’s best and least frequented beaches, Yialos directly below and Egremni, a few kilometres further south. The steep winding roads to both are now paved most of the way but you are likely to have them almost entirely to yourself except in the height of summer, when seasonal canteens open up and provide refreshment and basic snacks.

The final bathing spot, still further south, is Porto Katsiki, where the most travelled branch of the coast road terminates some distance above sea level. From the car park you can descend to the attractive set of cliff-backed coves by steps, although you should be aware that they are quite small and also get filled up by daytrippers on boat tours from Nydri and Vassiliki. The other, still unpaved but easily drivable road leads down to desolate Cape Lefkatas, whose towering cliffs were the site of human sacrifices in Mycenean times, a temple of Apollo and a dubious local myth claiming that the Lesbian poet Sappho committed suicide here.

Where to head next?

Keep exploring the best of Greece! After Lefkada, the top destinations to visit are Kefalonia, Ithaca, and Amorgos.