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Ionian Islands | Hello965 in Greece

[POST UPDATED: June, 2019]

I’ve always heard about the Greek Islands and their beauty. Two years ago 2017, I started hearing a lot about the Ionian Islands, and thought to myself, OK, those Islands I must see – but truth to be said, I didn’t know ANYTHING about those Islands!

So let me start this post by telling you what I did before heading to Greece at the time, I first learned about Greece, the Greek Islands and the Ionian Islands.

I started by google: Ionian Islands. Wikipedia says: “The Ionian Islands are part of Greece and lie off the country’s west coast, in the Ionian Sea. The northernmost island, Corfu, has an old town with Renaissance, baroque and classical architecture. Corfu also features the 19th-century Liston, a promenade on the central square, with arcades and cafes. The 15th-century Old Fortress is nearby. The Palace of St. Michael and St. George is home to the Museum of Asian Art.”

Alright – still don’t know much.. right?


Ionian Sea

The Ionian Islands, closer to Albania and Italy than to Athens, are Greece’s northwest gateway to the Adriatic and the rest of Europe — they’ve had more foreign invaders and rulers (from Venice , France, Britain, Russia, Austria, and so on) than anywhere else in the country. The main island is Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek), with a bustling, architecturally eclectic main town and a lush, green islandscape dotted with attractions and beaches.

The main Ionian Islands are: Corfu, Zante (Zakynthos), Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaka, Kefalonia & Kythira

 

Aegean Sea

The Aegean Islands are traditionally subdivided into seven groups, from north to south:

  • Northeastern Aegean Islands
  • (Northern) Sporades
  • Euboea
  • Argo-Saronic Islands
  • Cyclades (Where Mykonos, Santorini and Naxos are!)
  • Dodecanese (Southern Sporades)
  • Crete

MY TRIP TO THE IONIAN ISLANDS

On my first visit (May, 2017), I’ve arrived to Athens and stayed there for the night, and left the next day to make our way to the port where we were going to kick-off our island hopping on a yacht!

A 4 hour drive by car, to reach a small town where we spent the night. The town is called Preveza, and we stayed a a hotel called: Dioni Hotel .. Nice spacious hotel, clean and well located. Another good hotel recommendation would be the Captain Hotel. It’s located around 5 minutes walk from the hotel we stayed, but it was fully booked. Our friend, and yacht owner, was staying there; so we had the chance to pass by the hotel and check it out, highly recommended!

From Preveza, we boarded Emsaffa for the next 5 days! A 5 star luxury yacht fits up to 10 persons, fully equipped and staffed for the whole trip!

For the second visit (June, 2019), I’ve arrived to Athens directly to the Yacht as it was docked in Athens this time. On my way back, I spent also one night in the newly opened Four Seasons Alastair Palace Athens. (b e a u t i f u l).

From Athens, we boarded Emsaffa for the next 5 days! A 5 star luxury yacht fits up to 10 persons, fully equipped and staffed for the whole trip! This visit, had better weather than the first one for sure!

THE ISLANDS WE STOPPED AT

We passed by different islands, due to the lack of time (Because of me!), we didn’t stop at some of the main ones. However, we managed to reach and spend the night in Zakinthos which I very much recommend! Beautiful island!

  • In Kefalonia, checkout Melissani Cave, Sami, and Fiscardo
  • In Zakinthos, hike up the Shipwreck Beach View Point, and checkout the Shipwreck beach itself. We also had a nice sunset view coffee/dessert at the Balcony Hotel.
  • 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. Windsurfing and watersports are the two major things to do here, but the island also is very nice to explore yourself, either on foot or by renting a vehicle.
  • Ithaca was awesome! I really liked it and we docked there for a night and had dinner at a seafood restaurant by the port

Other Islands you might want to consider seeing while you’re hopping the Ionian Islands:

  • Paxi
  • Anti-Paxi
  • Corfu
  • Assos

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