Lefkada

Beaches are the reason most people come. The west coast is a run of long strands under white limestone cliffs, where the water turns an almost unreal turquoise. In the southwest, Porto Katsiki lies below its headland, with Egremni and Gialos at the foot of high cliffs below the village of Athani. Further north, Kathisma is a long open sweep, and around Agios Nikitas there are quieter Pefkoulia and Milos, the latter reached on foot over the headland or by boat. These face the open Ionian, so afternoons bring waves, the shore shelves steeply, and the most famous coves fill up in midsummer.

The east coast is the gentler side, with small, calm bays around Nikiana, Ligia and Nidri looking across to wooded islets. In the south, Vasiliki and Agiofili offer sheltered swimming. The sea is warm enough from June to early October, reaching about 25°C in August.

Eating here means the Greek taverna in its many settings: grilled fish on the harbour at Lefkada town and Nidri, slow-cooked meat in the mountain villages, and plates of salads, pies and fried courgette at tables over the beach. The island has its own produce, notably the small lentils grown on the Eglouvi plateau and a cured salami, and the inland villages around Karya and Englouvi are where the most traditional cooking survives.

The resort strips lean on familiar tourist menus, and there is little beyond Greek food. A visitor eats well and simply rather than seeking out a food scene.

Lefkada's sights are modest and best taken as breaks from the beach. The Venetian and Ottoman fortress of Santa Maura guards the causeway at the island's entrance, and Lefkada town has a small archaeological museum and several Ionian churches with painted ceilings, set among houses with timber upper floors built to survive earthquakes. Above the town, the Faneromeni monastery looks out over the lagoon.

Inland, the mountain village of Karya keeps a tradition of fine embroidery, and at the island's southern tip the lighthouse on Cape Lefkatas stands on the cliff tied to the legend of Sappho's leap. There is no major site to plan a trip around.

Evenings centre on Lefkada town, where the narrow lanes and the waterfront fill with cocktail bars and young Greek visitors on summer nights, and on Nidri's harbour strip, where the crowd is mostly beach-resort guests and sailing crews in from the islands. Vasiliki has relaxed bars where the windsurfing crowd gathers after dark.

It is a lively drink-and-stroll scene in July and August rather than a clubbing destination, and outside high summer the island goes quiet early.

The island is steeper and greener than many in Greece, with olive and cypress slopes climbing to a mountainous interior above 1,100m and a west coast of tall white cliffs falling into the sea. Walks lead to the Dimosari waterfall above Nidri and along old paths between the hill villages, and the drive along the cliffs to Cape Lefkatas is a sight in itself.

The water is where Lefkada stands out. The bay at Vasiliki has steady afternoon winds that make it one of the best-known windsurfing spots in the Mediterranean, with kitesurfing at Agios Ioannis in the north. The sheltered channels between Lefkada and its satellite islands are classic sailing waters, and the large marina makes it a natural start for a week on a yacht. Spring and autumn suit walking best.

Lefkada is a good base for exploring by boat. From Nidri, excursion boats tour the small islands off the east coast: Meganisi with its fishing villages, and the quieter Kalamos and Kastos further out. From Vasiliki, ferries cross to Fiskardo on Kefalonia and to Ithaca, both rewarding days among pastel harbour villages.

On the mainland, Preveza lies across the strait, with the extensive ruins of Roman Nikopolis just beyond. Parga, a pretty town under a Venetian castle, is about an hour and a half's drive north, and the ancient oracle site at the Acheron river is on the way. None of these is of world rank, but the mix of islands and mainland gives plenty for a week.

Lefkada works for families who want a simple beach vacation. The east coast bays around Nikiana and Ligia, and Agiofili and the shore at Vasiliki in the south, have calm water where small children can paddle safely, and Greek tavernas welcome children late into the evening. Boat trips to the nearby islets make an easy outing.

There is little made specifically for children, and the celebrated west-coast beaches are a harder prospect, with steep shelving, surf on windy afternoons, and in places long staircases down the cliffs. Families do best basing themselves on the east side and treating the west as an occasional day out.

Lefkada is joined to the mainland by a causeway and short bridge, so there is no ferry to catch, and Aktion airport lies about half an hour away. Once on the island a hired car or scooter is the practical choice: the local buses link the main towns but are too infrequent for beach-hopping.

Distances are short on paper, yet the roads down the west coast and over the mountains wind slowly, and in July and August the road through Nidri and the parking at Porto Katsiki can be congested. Lefkada town itself is flat and easy on foot, and boat taxis and excursion boats handle trips to the nearby islands.

Shopping is mostly a matter of the evening stroll through Lefkada town's pedestrian main street, lined with small clothing shops, jewellers and stores selling local olive oil, honey and lentils. The village of Karya is the place for traditional hand embroidery. Elsewhere, the resort strips sell beachwear and souvenirs, and there is nothing to plan a trip around.

Lefkada sits in the middle of the Greek island price range. Studios and family-run apartments are widely available, taverna meals are reasonable, and there are few entry fees to pay. The costs that add up are summer accommodation, especially near the famous west-coast beaches and in August, car hire and boat excursions. Visiting in June or September brings noticeably easier prices than high summer.

Live performance is a summer affair. Lefkada town has hosted an international folklore festival every August for decades, bringing dance groups from many countries to open-air stages, and the summer brings occasional concerts and village festivals with traditional Greek music and dancing. For the rest of the year there is very little to attend.

There is no bathing tradition here, and spa treatments are limited to the better hotels and a handful of yoga and retreat stays in the hills. What Lefkada offers instead is pace: the quiet villages of the interior, the calm evenings in the small harbours of the east coast, and the slow rhythm of a Greek island in June or September, when the crowds have thinned. In August the busiest resorts feel anything but restful.