Last updated: September 2026
This is a seven-night Saturday-to-Saturday week in the southern Ionian, written first for a crewed motor yacht and then for a catamaran. It starts and ends at Lefkada marina and sails a loop through Meganisi, Kalamos and Kastos, the uninhabited island of Atokos, Ithaca (Vathy and Kioni), Fiskardo and Assos on Kefalonia, and the west-coast beaches of Lefkada. It differs from our Corfu itineraries: the Corfu to Zakynthos round trip and the one-way Corfu to Zakynthos week cover the long north-to-south run. This route starts at Lefkada, adds Kalamos, Kastos, Atokos, Kioni and Assos, and overlaps with them only in part. Legs are short enough that nobody spends the week watching the horizon.
Distances are approximate straight-line figures between harbours; the captain’s route may be a little longer. Legs are mostly 5 to 15 nautical miles, so this is a week of swim stops and slow lunches rather than miles: the legs add up to roughly 75 to 80nm in straight lines. Days 6 and 7 are the exceptions, and the text gives a by-sea estimate for both.
Prices: crewed motor yachts based in Greece list at a median of about €45,000 per week in April, May and October and €55,000 from June to September (227 to 237 yachts on mygreekcharter.com, 30 September 2026), against about €18,500 to €24,200 for sailing catamarans (105 to 122 yachts). These are Greece-wide medians before VAT, APA (the advance provisioning allowance for fuel, food and port fees) and gratuity. A relocation fee is a separate item and is not in these medians. Most Greek motor yachts are based in Athens, so a relocation fee is the norm for an Ionian week on a motor yacht, and the few yachts already based here are the exception; ask when you enquire. See our Ionian motor yacht page for the motor yachts that charter here.
The route at a glance
- Day 1: Lefkada marina to Meganisi (about 10nm)
- Day 2: Meganisi to Kastos, via Kalamos (about 10nm)
- Day 3: Kastos to Vathy, Ithaca, via Atokos (about 15nm)
- Day 4: Vathy to Kioni, Ithaca (about 5nm)
- Day 5: Kioni to Assos, via Frikes and Fiskardo (about 10nm)
- Day 6: Assos to Vasiliki, via the Lefkada west coast (about 15nm straight line, nearer 20nm by sea)
- Day 7: Vasiliki to Lefkada marina (about 15nm straight line, nearer 20nm by sea)
Day 1 – Lefkada Marina to Meganisi (about 10nm)
Afternoon: boarding at Lefkada marina
Board on Saturday afternoon at Lefkada marina. If you fly in, Preveza (Aktion) is the airport for a Lefkas base, about 20 minutes from the marina. Meet the crew, go through the preference sheet and let the captain talk you through the week before the lines come off.
Late afternoon: down the sheltered east coast
Head south through the calm water between Lefkada and the mainland, past Nidri. Skorpios, the private island once owned by Aristotle Onassis, is passed on the way; it is a private island, so you look rather than land.
Evening: Meganisi
Meganisi has three villages, Katomeri in the middle and the small ports of Vathy and Spartochori. A swim before dinner, then dinner on board or at a taverna ashore.
On a motor yacht
At a cruising speed of around 12 knots (your yacht’s will differ) this leg is under an hour, so a motor yacht can stay for a late briefing and still arrive with daylight to spare. A catamaran at about 7 knots takes roughly an hour and a half. Ionian harbours fill by late afternoon in high season, so if the Vathy and Spartochori quays are full by the time you arrive, the captain anchors in one of Meganisi’s coves instead.
Overnight
Meganisi, at Vathy or Spartochori.
Don’t Miss
- The slow pass by Skorpios, seen from the water
- A swim in one of Meganisi’s coves before dinner
- The first sunset of the week from the aft deck
Day 2 – Meganisi to Kastos (about 10nm, via Kalamos)
Morning: across to Kalamos
Cross east to Kalamos, a mountainous island close to the mainland with its main settlement, the port of Kalamos, on the east coast. Anchor off for a swim and a slow lunch on board; the water between the islands is deep and sheltered enough for an easy morning.
Afternoon: Kastos
Kalamos and Kastos are separated by a deep channel. Kastos is a small island with a single village, home to a few dozen people through the year and busier in summer. Walk the quay. Yachts can lie at the village harbour or at the Sarakiniko anchorage on the west side, about 700 metres from the village, and the captain chooses between them on the wind.
Evening: a quiet dinner
This is the slow evening of the week: a quiet evening ashore or on board, at anchor or on the quay.
On a motor yacht
The leg is a short hop, so speed buys you nothing here; what a motor yacht adds is tender and water-toy time at Kalamos, and the option to swim at a second bay before lunch.
Overnight
Kastos, at the harbour or at Sarakiniko.
Don’t Miss
- Swimming off Kalamos before lunch
- The walk through Kastos village
- A night in one of the quietest places on the route
Day 3 – Kastos to Vathy, Ithaca (about 15nm, via Atokos)
Morning: Atokos
Sail south-west to Atokos, an uninhabited island about 8 kilometres from Kastos and 9 from Ithaca. Its steep cliffs are dramatic, and a usual anchorage is One House Bay on the east coast, which shelters boats from the prevailing north-west winds and has a pebble beach. It is a calm-weather stop, so your captain decides on the morning, not the night before.
Afternoon: into Ithaca
Continue to Ithaca and its capital Vathy, at the head of a deep bay that is one of the safest natural harbours in Greece. Your route goes via Atokos, which adds little to the 15nm straight line.
Evening: Vathy waterfront
Vathy is Ithaca’s capital, at the head of a deep, sheltered bay. Take a short walk along the waterfront before dinner.
On a motor yacht
A faster yacht gives Atokos more time: anchor for a long swim in the morning, and still reach Vathy by mid-afternoon. On a catamaran, leave Kastos early so the Atokos stop does not squeeze the afternoon.
Overnight
Vathy, Ithaca.
Don’t Miss
- A swim off uninhabited Atokos, if the weather allows
- Vathy’s sheltered bay at the end of the afternoon
- An evening walk along the waterfront
Day 4 – Vathy to Kioni (about 5nm)
Morning: the Odyssey, briefly
Ithaca is the island of Odysseus in the Odyssey. The Cave of the Nymphs lies in the hills south of Vathy. It has two entrances, as the poem describes, and is traditionally identified with the place where Odysseus hid the gifts he brought home. Ask us about visiting it.
Afternoon: up the east coast to Kioni
Sail north along Ithaca’s east coast to Kioni, a village at the end of a wooded bay, with whitewashed houses climbing the hills and three stone windmills at the entrance. The straight line is about 5nm; the bay out of Vathy adds a few miles.
Evening: Kioni harbour
Kioni’s harbour is small, and Ionian harbours fill by late afternoon in high season, so arrive in good time. Dinner is at the water’s edge.
On a motor yacht
A short day on any yacht, so speed adds little; what a motor yacht offers is a slower morning in Vathy and time for the tender in Kioni’s bay.
Overnight
Kioni, Ithaca.
Don’t Miss
- The Cave of the Nymphs above Vathy
- The three windmills at Kioni’s entrance
- A swim in the bay before dinner
Day 5 – Kioni to Assos (about 10nm, via Frikes and Fiskardo)
Morning: Frikes
Leave Kioni and stop at Frikes, the next village along Ithaca’s northeast coast, with its sheltered harbour and two windmills, for a swim. Summer mornings are usually calmer than afternoons, so cross the strait before the breeze builds.
Lunch: Fiskardo
Cross to Fiskardo, at the northern tip of Kefalonia. It is one of the few Kefalonian villages to come through the 1953 earthquake largely intact, so its Venetian-style houses still line the harbour. Lunch on the waterfront and a swim from the yacht. Harbours in the Ionian fill quickly by late afternoon in high season, which is one more reason to arrive for lunch rather than dinner.
Afternoon: down the west coast to Assos
Continue south along Kefalonia’s west coast to Assos, a village on a horseshoe bay beneath a peninsula crowned by a 16th-century Venetian fortress. A night at Assos adds a new village instead of a second evening in Fiskardo. The village was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake and rebuilt, and the fortress walls survived. Walk up towards the fortress for the view, then dinner on the water.
On a motor yacht
The straight line from Kioni to Assos is about 10nm and the route via Frikes and Fiskardo is a little longer. At about 12 knots that is well under two hours of sailing in total, so a motor yacht can take a long lunch in Fiskardo and still reach Assos with the evening ahead. A catamaran at about 7 knots needs roughly twice as long at sea.
Overnight
Assos, Kefalonia. The captain chooses the overnight position according to the forecast; Fiskardo, already on the route, is the fallback.
Don’t Miss
- Frikes and its two windmills
- Fiskardo’s Venetian waterfront
- The Venetian fortress above Assos
Day 6 – Assos to Vasiliki (about 15nm, via the Lefkada west coast)
Morning: north towards Lefkada
Leave Assos early and head north, past Fiskardo and Ithaca’s northern tip, towards Lefkada’s southern cape. The beaches are about 13nm from Assos, about an hour at 12 knots. The Ionian afternoon breeze, the maistro, typically builds from the north-west from about midday, so the early start is for comfort.
Mid-morning: Porto Katsiki and Egremni
On Lefkada’s west coast, Porto Katsiki and Egremni are the two best-known beaches, with a dramatic cliffside backdrop. The 2015 earthquake caused landslides on this coast, including at Egremni, so ask your captain to check conditions on the day. Both are weather-led swim stops, not overnight anchorages.
Midday: round the cape to Vasiliki
Round Cape Lefkatas and sail into Vasiliki, a village known as a windsurfing centre, which reflects the afternoon breeze there, so aim to arrive early. The straight line from Assos is about 15nm; with the beach stops the route is nearer 20nm.
On a motor yacht
This is the day a motor yacht earns its place: about 20nm is under two hours at 12 knots, so you can see both beaches in the calm of the morning and be in Vasiliki before the breeze picks up. A catamaran covers it too, but needs the early start. If the forecast rules out the west coast, drop the beaches: the captain can take the sheltered inner channels back via Ithaca and Meganisi instead and keep the swim stops there.
Overnight
Vasiliki, Lefkada, or another position the captain chooses for the forecast.
Don’t Miss
- Porto Katsiki from the water
- Egremni from the water
- A last swim before Vasiliki
Day 7 – Vasiliki to Lefkada Marina (about 15nm, hand-back next morning)
Morning: a last swim
Leave Vasiliki after breakfast for the passage back up the east coast of Lefkada, stopping for a swim in a sheltered bay on the way.
Afternoon: back to the marina
Sail up past Nidri to Lefkada marina. The straight line is about 15nm, but it crosses Lefkada itself; by sea via Skorpios the passage is nearer 20nm. The yacht stays at the marina for the last night.
Evening: Lefkada town
Lefkada town is next to the marina, so the last dinner of the week is an easy walk. Hand-back is on Saturday morning, after breakfast; the airport for a Lefkas base is Preveza (Aktion), about 20 minutes away.
On a motor yacht
About 20nm is under two hours at 12 knots, so a motor yacht can stay in Vasiliki for a long breakfast. A catamaran at about 7 knots needs around three hours and should leave after breakfast.
Overnight
Lefkada marina.
Don’t Miss
- A last swim in a sheltered bay on the way back
- The walk through Lefkada town
- The final briefing with your captain
Which yacht suits this route
Choosing between a motor yacht and a catamaran
A crewed motor yacht suits this route if you want comfort, crew service and time ashore. The legs are short, so speed matters most on days 3, 5, 6 and 7, and the open-water run on day 6 is where it helps most; on the other days the case for a motor yacht is comfort rather than miles. See our crewed motor yachts, our luxury yachts and the motor yachts that already work the Ionian for what is available. Kastos, Kioni and Vasiliki are small harbours and anchorages, so tell us your yacht’s length and we will check each overnight. If the forecast rules out the west coast on day 6, the beaches are the part to drop, and the captain can take the sheltered inner channels back via Ithaca and Meganisi instead. A sailing catamaran is the alternative for families and groups who like to be on the water and want more deck space per person; see catamaran charter in the Ionian Islands. For the area as a whole, start with yacht charter in the Ionian.
How weather can change the week
The Ionian sees much less of the meltemi that shapes the Cyclades (see the meltemi guide). Summer here has the maistro, a north-west breeze that typically builds from about midday at 10 to 20 knots, stronger in July and August. Day 6, the west-coast day, is the most weather-dependent. More on seasons and temperatures in our Greece weather and price guide.
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