Lefkada Island

By car:

Lefkada is the only island which can be visited by car without ferry boats fares by using the floating bridge connecting the island with Akarnia.

From Athens 362 km (4 hours and 43 minutes)

From Thessaloniki 376 km (4 hours and 13 minutes)

KTEL Lefkada www.ktel-lefkadas.gr

KTEL buses offer daily services (5 hours) from and to Athens (378 km) and from to Thessaloniki (420 km), everyday bus services (5 hours).

The underwater tunnel of Preveza- Aktio create an easy access to the island from northwest Greece and the Port of Igoumenitsa (100 km) forming a great entrance gate from West and Central Europe.

The operation of the bridge Rio Antirio makes easier the connection of the island with the rest of Greece and with the port of Piraeus (170 km) which is the second great entrance gate from Europe.

By plane:

From Athens are performing daily flights from the international airport of Aktion (18km from the town of Lefkada) and from Thessalonica 2 flights weekly. Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos are connecting stations. Also there are 2 connecting flights weekly with Crete (Sitia). From April until October, direct flightsare performed from Aktion and Europe.

Connection of Lefkada’s with the surrounding islands

From Nydri to Vassiliki you can find daily ferry boats services for Meganissi, Kefalonia (Fiskardo), Ithaka (Frikes). Also there are tours with tourist boats for all the surrounding island and beaches.

Source: www.lefkada.gr

The name of the island “Lefkada” routed from the name “Lefkas Petra” or “Lefkas Akra”, an ancient name of today’s Leukata, the southern cape of the island.

The wild white rocks of the cape where, according to, the poet Sapfo ended her life in the name of love, gave the name to the city, the Corinthians founded in Lefkada, and then to the entire island.

According to geographer Stravonas they renamed the ancient city of Nirikos to Lefkada, capital of the island.

Source: www.lefkada.gr

• MYTHS AND HOMER REFERENCES

The myth about Sappho's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island of Lefkada to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and to Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey.

The German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, having performed excavations at various locations of Lefkada, was able to obtain funding to do work on the island by suggesting that Lefkada was Homer's Ithaca, and the palace of Odysseus was located west of Nydri on the south coast of Lefkada.

There have been suggestions by local tourism officials that several passages in the Odyssey point to Lefkada as a possible model for Homeric Ithaca. The most notable of these passages pushed by the local tourism board describes Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which was the case for Lefkada since it is not really an island, that it was connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.

• HISTORICAL FACTS

According to Strabo, the coast of Acarnania was called Leucas in earlier times. The ancient sources call Leucas a Corinthian colony, perhaps with a Corcyraen participation. 

During the Peloponnesian War Leucas had joined the Spartan Confederation.

During the Venetian rule, the island was known as "Santa Maura".

O Fotinós (or Der Helle in German), is a famous unfinished poem by Aristotelis Valaoritis, relating the so-called Voukentra revolution of 1357 in Lefkada against the Venetian rule.

The Ottomans called it "Ayamavra" (a rendering of the Greek Αγία Μαύρα, Santa Maura), and ruled it between 1479–1502, 1504–1684 and 1715-1716.

Source: wikipedia.org

Edited by: Yallou

• ANGELOS SIKELIANOS (1884-1952)

The inspirer of the Delfic Idea, a great Lyric poet-mystic with ecumenical vision, who succeeded with his poetry to combine the Ancient Hellenic and the Christian values, succeeding to move the feelings of all human kind.

• ARISTOTELIS VALAORITIS (1824-1879)

An eminent lyric. His poetry is full of love for his country, freedom and full of admiration for the fighters of 1821. For many years he represented Lefkada to the Ionian Parliament, where from the line of Radicals had been fighting for the Union.When the dream came true, he became a member of the National Parliament.

• LEFKADIOS HEARN (1850 - 1904)

A great Lefkaditis artist migrated in Japan and made the land of the rising sun and its culture, well known to the West. He is famous as the national writer of Japan.

• IOANNIS ZAMPELIOS (1787-1856)

After his studies in Italy and in Paris (Law, Literature, Philosophy), he returns to Lefkada, appointed as a District Attorney of Ionian islands. He joins the Filiki Eteria and becomes devoted to its holy Aim. He is widely appreciated as the eminent Filikos in Lefkada. He wrote 12 tragedies with a national content.

• NIKOS SVORONOS (1911-1989)

Byzantinologist and a great researcher of our modern history with a significant work, and international recognition.

• THEODOROS STAMOS (1922-1997)

A painter with international effect, pioneer of abstract expressionism.

Source: www.lefkada.gr