Route · 7 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Ionian

Lefkas via Ithaka & Kastos.

Sail a 7-day yacht charter from Lefkas through Meganisi, Ithaka, Fiskardo, Kastos and Kalamos, the calm taverna-lined heart of the Ionian.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Day 1

Lefkas (D-Marin) → Meganisi

Day one is an easy six-mile warm-up, heading south out of the Lefkas canal to Meganisi, where three protected coves compete for your first night.

Distance

11 NM

Sailing

~2.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – mid-October (peak Jun – Sep, calmer winds)

Duration

7 days

Departure

Lefkas

Sailing area

Ionian

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7

Day 1

Lefkas (D-Marin) → Meganisi

Most crews spend the morning sorting the boat at D-Marin, then slip out through the canal once the floating bridge swings open on the hour. The run down to Meganisi is short, so there is no rush. Spilia bay, tucked under the cliff village of Spartochori, has restaurant pontoons where a meal buys you the berth. Vathi on the north coast is smaller and friendlier, its quay lined with fish tavernas. If you want quiet, Porto Atheni bites deep into the east side and holds an anchor well. Take the dinghy round to Papanikolis, the big sea cave named after the submarine said to have sheltered inside during the war. Grilled octopus and a cold beer round off the first evening as the light goes soft over the water.

Things to do

Dinghy into Papanikolis submarine cave

Climb to Spartochori for the view

Anchor deep in Porto Atheni

Grilled octopus at a Vathi taverna

Mooring tip

Spilia and Vathi both run restaurant moorings, so eat ashore and the berth is free. For a calm night on your own ground tackle, anchor and long-line into Porto Atheni.

Day 2

Meganisi → Ithaka

This is the longest open stretch of the week, so we usually leave by nine while the sea is still flat and let the afternoon breeze push us the last few miles. Vathy sits at the head of a long inlet, a ring of terracotta roofs under bare grey hills. Berth stern-to on the town quay if there is room; it fills by mid-afternoon in July. Above Dexa Bay, a rough path climbs to the Cave of the Nymphs, the spot where Homer has Odysseus stash his gifts from the Phaeacians. Swim off Dexa in the flat morning water. Come evening, the waterfront tavernas put tables almost onto the quay, and a glass of Kefalonian Robola goes down well with the smell of woodsmoke and grilled fish.

Things to do

Hike to the Cave of the Nymphs

Swim off Dexa Bay in the morning

Drive up to Anogi mountain village

Kefalonian Robola on the Vathy quay

Mooring tip

Vathy town quay is stern-to on your own anchor, first-come, and busy by early afternoon. If it is full, Kioni or Frikes on the north coast make quieter alternatives, both with a small quay.

Day 3

Ithaka → Kefalonia

Fiskardo is a genuinely lovely place, which is exactly the problem: everyone wants to be there. The sail across from Ithaka is easy, an hour or two of gentle work, but the quay is tiny and boats start circling from mid-afternoon. Aim to arrive by two, or take a line ashore to the olive trees on the north side of the inlet where it is calmer anyway. The village survived the 1953 earthquake almost untouched, so the waterfront keeps its Venetian shutters and faded neoclassical fronts. Tassia, the taverna run for decades by Tassia Dendrinou, is worth booking ahead. Order the kreatopita, the Kefalonian meat pie. If the crowds get much, Foki Bay a mile south is a swimming stop with shade under the cypress trees.

Things to do

Book a table at Tassia taverna

Kreatopita meat pie on the quay

Swim and shade at Foki Bay

Walk out to the Fiskardo lighthouse

Mooring tip

The Fiskardo quay is small and med-mooring fills by early afternoon in season, so arrive by two or take a long line to the olive trees on the north shore. Foki Bay, a mile south, is a quiet anchoring fallback.

Day 4

Kefalonia → Kastos

After the bustle of Fiskardo, Kastos feels like a different sea. It is a long, thin sliver east of Ithaka, barely a couple of hundred people in summer and far fewer once the season ends. The sail over takes most of the morning, so leave the quay early and enjoy the crossing. There is one small harbour on the west side, a handful of restaurant moorings, and a village that climbs the hill behind. Snorkel the clear water near the Blue Cave on the south coast before lunch. Walk the old donkey tracks up past dry-stone terraces and fig trees to the abandoned windmill on the ridge, where the whole island lays out below you. Dinner is briam, slow-baked summer vegetables, at one of the two tavernas above the port.

Things to do

Snorkel the shore by the Blue Cave

Hike the donkey paths to the windmill

Briam at a taverna above the port

Watch the fishing boats work the harbour

Mooring tip

The quay at Kastos is tiny, and the handful of buoys off the village belong to the tavernas — book a table and yours is settled. Get there early, because the afternoon flotillas snap up what little room there is.

Day 5

Kastos → Kalamos

Kalamos is a five-mile stroll from Kastos, so there is time for a swim first. The island rises steep and green, thick with pine, and the smell of it reaches you offshore. Port Kalamos, the main harbour on the southeast corner, is where George's Taverna has helped yachts moor for years; George himself often waves you in, and the mooring comes with dinner. Round on the southwest side lies Port Leone, a village emptied after the 1953 quake cracked its spring and left it without water. The stone houses and little church still stand, quiet above an anchorage. Swim at Asprogiali, where the pebbles have worn smooth and pale. In the evening try the savoro, small fish fried and steeped in rosemary and vinegar.

Things to do

Moor with George's Taverna at Port Kalamos

Anchor below the Port Leone ghost village

Swim the smooth pebbles at Asprogiali

Savoro vinegar-fried fish at the harbour

Mooring tip

Port Kalamos quay is stern-to and George from the taverna will usually help you in; a meal ashore covers the berth. For a night at anchor, Asprogiali Bay holds well on sand in five to seven metres.

Day 6

Kalamos → Lefkas (D-Marin)

This is the biggest single passage of the week, a little over twenty miles, so it pays to get away early and use the calm morning under motor. By early afternoon the northwest breeze, the maistros, usually fills in and you can shut the engine down for a good sail up the channel. There is time for one last long swim on the way; Sivota on southern Lefkada makes a sheltered lunch stop with tavernas at the head of the bay. Boats routing round the outside can look in at Porto Katsiki, the white cliff beach on the west coast, though it is exposed if the wind has any west in it. Aim to reach the canal before the bridge's evening closure and settle back into D-Marin for the night.

Things to do

Lunch and swim in Sivota bay

Look in at Porto Katsiki cliff beach

Sail the afternoon maistros up the channel

Time the Lefkas bridge before dusk

Mooring tip

D-Marin Lefkas is a full-service charter base with laid lines on the pontoons. Book your fuel slot a day ahead, and check the last bridge opening so you do not get stuck outside the canal for the night.

Day 7

Lefkas → Check-out

Handover is usually mid-morning, so there is no need to rush the last day. Do the packing and a quick clean the evening before, and you can spend the morning ashore instead of scrambling. Lefkas Town is a good place to wind down. The covered market sells local honey, olives and the leather sandals the island is known for, and the pastry shops do loukoumades, little fried dough balls soaked in honey, best with a strong Greek coffee. Walk out along the floating pontoon bridge that crosses the lagoon toward the old Santa Maura fort. Hand the boat back with the fuel topped up, swap notes with the base staff on where you anchored, and you are done. The Ionian tends to pull crews back.

Things to do

Loukoumades and Greek coffee in town

Browse the covered market for leather sandals

Walk the lagoon bridge to Santa Maura fort

Clean and pack for the handover

Mooring tip

For the D-Marin Lefkas handover, top up fuel and do the clean the evening before so the morning is unhurried. Confirm your check-out time and fuel slot with the base a day ahead.