The islands are well known for their beautiful sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, charming villages and stunning scenic countryside.Each Ionian island has a distinct character and between them they offer everything you could wish for from a Greek Island holiday.
Corfu
Corfu is the second largest island in the group of Ionian Islands, after Kefalonia and was the first to open itself up to tourism with plenty to offer its visitors.Corfu is known as Kerkyra in Greek and takes its name from a variation of the Nymph Korkira, daughter of the Greek river god Aesopos in mythology
The beautiful and rich land all this is due to the green hills, towering mountains, clear blue seas, pure white sands, endless olive groves and colourful wild flowers.
Corfu is full of variety from its traditional fishing villages to its large modern resorts, coupled with its amazing wildlife, over six hundred types of wild flowers and numerous exotic birds including pelicans, bee eaters, hoopoes and golden orioles; this island has something for everyone
Things to do in Corfu
Corfu town is a beautiful area, split into old and the new parts. It is flush with elegant mansions and beautiful palaces from its colonial days being owned by France and Britain. It appears less a Greek town and more an Italian one along the lines of Sorrento or Naples. A great place to get a feel of the town is the square of the Esplanade, also known as Spianada which was planned by the French and is surrounded by beautiful buildings an old Venetian fortress and dotted with trees. If you get the chance, visit the Liston building built during the French occupation and modelled on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Inside it has fabulous restaurants and cafes, some say the best in Greece.
One of Corfu’s most famous locations Paleokastritsa is part beach resort and part monastic community which makes for a bizarre and unlikely combination. Tourism hasn’t really hit here so the area is relatively unspoilt. The main attraction here is Paleokastritsa’s clean sandy beach with incredibly clear, warm water, ideal for swimming. At each end of the beach are boats offering excursions to the nearby caves and grottos.
The long sandy beach of Glyfada, about 12 km from Liapades, the beach Mirtiotissa and a large sandy beach known as a nudist beach.
Aqualand
You need to know about Aqualand because if you don’t and your children find out first you could be in trouble! It’s considered as one of the best water parks in Europe and is situated 7km outside of Corfu Town but is easy to reach from anywhere on the island. The park is huge and covers an area of over 70,000 square metres with free parking. The slides are innovative and range from the gentle to the downright petrifying.
Greek Music, Dancing
Many restaurants and hotels all over Greece put on shows for tourists but many question their authenticity. Whilst the same could be said for Corfu, many of the restaurants do try to supply the tourist with a more traditional performance and in many cases they are taught a lot of Greek history and culture through stories told by the performers. These take place in tavernas all over Corfu and are intriguing to say the least. It makes a refreshing change to come away from a meal having learnt something new.
One must visit place in Corfu ,paleokastritsa is "La Grota"(The cave) bar.One of the most romantic places.
WE had a fantastic stay in Corfu.We stayed in Paleokastritsa one of the best places in Corfu.Nereide apartments.Excellent property located in a privileged position, ideal for Families.
Located in the center of Paleokastrista, 100 meters from the beach of Agia Triada, just 50 meters from the famous bar La Grotta and 30 meters from the bus stop.
Zante
The most southerly of the Ionian Islands has a varied landscape, the west is characterised by striking mountain scenery and is largely uninhabited and the east is packed with fertile plains, picturesque bays and long sandy beaches. Zante is a beautiful island, with many varieties of pretty colourful flowers that seem to blossom all year round. The island captured the hearts of the Venetians who ruled here for many years and
who nicknamed Zante ‘Flower of the East.
Zakynthos has the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. Coupled with glorious landscapes, Zakynthos is wrapped in wild flowers and fauna. From sweeping pine forests, to rocky peaks and caves in Zante, from rustic villages in the North and South of Zakynthos, to a mixture of chic and traditional everyday life in Zante Town, the mood in Zante is always magic
Kythira
Kythira or Tsirigo is the name of the island conquered by the Venetians and is one of the Ionian Islands, but due to its geographical position it officially belongs to Attica. Its location is between the Peloponnese and Crete, in Spartan bay.
Kythira is known as the island of Aphrodite, since according to the legend of Isiodos it was where the most beautiful goddess of Olympus was born. The island was dominated by the Spartans, the Athenians and the Macedonians and later the Russians. The name of the island comes from the Kythiro, the leader of the Phoenicians who were the first people to live on the island.
Lefkada
Lefcas, or Lefkada as the Greeks call it, is a very popular summer resort, where there is something for everyone. Young visitor’s party all night, windsurfers have some excellent spots, there are quiet places for those who just want to relax, and there is a lot to see. The people on the island are known for their hospitality, and many of them manage to live off the tourism in the summer. Others are involved with farming, fishing and stockbreeding. The island's name means white, and refers to the white cliffs in the south part that are characteristic for Lefcas. It is a green, mountainous island, and it is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island measures 290 sqkm and has a population of approx 24,000.
The whole island is a miracle of nature, full of beautiful seaside resorts and picturesque villages, built between the mountains. The majority of the mountainous areas are safe shelters, ideal for the survival and reproduction of many diverse species, and in many cases endangered ones: plants, birds and animals. The visitors are also highly likely to find plenty of caves, waterfalls and natural watertaps.
paxos
Paxos is the smallest of the Ionian Islands, lying just 11 km from the southernmost tip of Corfu. Many visitors return year after year to Paxos to experience the intimacy of this peaceful haven, the genuine friendliness of the locals, and the captivating scenery. Paxos is covered in many olive groves with ancient gnarled and twisted olive trees, some of them hundreds of years old, which shelter numerous species of wild flowers and small vineyards. This serene and unspoiled landscape is what makes a holiday to the island of Paxos truly memorable.
Gaios is south of the island and is the largest town but it's still very much a working fishing port with caiques tied up in the harbour. When you approach Gaios from the north you enter a very beautiful inlet passing the islands of Panayia and St Nicholas.
Lakka is the second largest and is situated at the north end of the island. The bay is spectacular and it is very popular for boat owners who wish to stay a day or so
Kefalonia
The largest of the seven Ionian islands (700 sq km2 about). It's highest peak is Ancient Mount Aenos, 1628 m (5341feet) In Greece's west coast, Cephalonia has only 32,000 resident islanders. With Lefkas to the north and Zakynthos to the south the island is firmly on a tourist trail and grows each year as more accommodation becomes available and big tour operators move in. Despite the annual influx of visitors, mainly Italians, the island is so big it is still possible to get away to places where you are unlikely to meet a soul for days. Vast tracts of forest cloak the rugged limestone landscape, with ten peaks topping 5,000 feet.
