Rich in culture and atmosphere, the Ionian islands are one of the Mediterranean’s most beloved yachting paradises!
The Ionian Islands are also called the Eptanisa meaning Seven Islands, are scattered along the west coast of Greece. Each Ionian island has a distinct character and between them they offer everything you could wish for from a Greek Island holiday.
The islands have a mild ambiance and a flourishing growth of plant life. The Ionian Islands is one of the most significant areas for sailing holidays in the east Mediterranean Sea.
The clear, turquoise waters on the Ionian are well known throughout the world, and the blue caves that can be found on nearly all of the Ionian Islands are worth a visit.
It is also one of the easier areas for beginning Yachters!
The Southern Ionian area has several Islands situated very close together which results in flat seas, which are ideal for beginners and the less skilled, because you are always as close as an hour from a protected anchorage and taverna. You can feel safe in knowing that you are never far from help if you happen to need a little rest.
Tranquil olive groves and sleepy villages run right down to the alluring blue of the sea, the scenic coastline revealing all manner of sheltered harbours and breathtaking coves that beg to be anchored in and explored.
The Ionian Islands are located in the Ionian Sea, off the west coast of Greece and are composed of Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, Ithaki, Paxos and Kythira. The islands are well known for their beautiful sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, charming villages and stunning scenic countryside which is verdant and flourishing with greenery and nature.
Corfu in the North is an island of rolling green farmland, vineyards and orange groves.
Just below Corfu is Paxos, the smallest of the Ionian islands, dominated by thousands of olive trees.
Further south is Lefkada, a green and mountainous island covered in pine trees.
Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands, covered in citrus trees, olive groves and vineyards.
Ithaki, 2 miles west of Kefalonia is a narrow island, almost cut in two by the Gulf of Molos.
Located on the southern side of Peloponnese, Kythira is a secluded island with relaxing atmosphere.
The wind and sailing conditions in the Ionian Sea are ideal and predictable.
From May to September the wind blows from North-West at Force 2-5. In Spring and Autumn the wind is less strong and blows usually from South-West. The Ionian Islands located on the western side of mainland Greece, are seven main islands that distinguish from many of the Greek islands by their fertile land (blanketed with olive groves sustained by the winter rains) and clear blue waters.
The mixture of different civilizations and cultures is harmoniously welded together into one piece that is undoubtedly Greek, in a complex of islands where the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean can be explored.
The Ionian group is situated off the west coast of mainland Greece, but it is more reminiscent of Corfu’s neighbor Italy. Because of the high amount of rainfall it receives, the vegetation is lusher than on the other islands. Each of the islands has it’s own unique culture and cuisine.
GREECE is a unique place to choose for your summer holidays.
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The Greek islands are an ideal place for summer holidays and the best way to explore them is to rent a charter a sailing boat in Greece.
Greece's Island Groups
Greece's roughly 6,000 islands and islets (227 of which are inhabited) are scattered far and wide across the eastern Mediterranean. Most are in the Aegean Sea (south and east of mainland Greece), while a few are in the Ionian Sea (west of the mainland). The islands are divided into distinct clusters:
The Ionian Islands, are Greece's northwest gateway to the Adriatic and the rest of Europe — they've had more foreign invaders and rulers 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 Saronic Gulf Islands ( Argosaronikos ), conveniently wedged between the Peloponnese and Athens, ooze lots of island charm and give you a chance to get away from it all without actually going very far. Hydra, my favorite, is in this group.
The Sporades Islands, due east of Athens, are dominated by the giant Evia island, which is attached to the mainland by a bridge. Thickly forested and less touristed by international visitors, the Sporades are a popular and handy weekend getaway for Athenians.
The Cycladic Islands (or simply Cyclades ) — a bit farther south, between Athens and Crete — are the prototypical "Greek islands," boasting chalk-white houses with colorful windowsills and doorways; rocky, sun-parched landscapes; delightful beaches; old-fashioned white windmills topped with tufts of grass like unkempt hair; and an almost overwhelming crush of international visitors. Mykonos and Santorini are the two best and most famous of the Cyclades. Near Mykonos is the archaeological site of Delos (one of the most important locales of the ancient world).
The Dodecanese Islands, at the sunny, southeastern end of the Greek lands, are more rustic and less developed than the Cyclades. Their proximity to Turkey and historic ties to Venice give them a hybrid Turkish-Venetian flavor (though the population is mostly ethnic Greek, these islands merged with Greece only after World War II). Rhodes, with an appealing and very real-feeling Old Town, is the biggest of these islands.
The North Aegean Islands, relatively untrampled and remote-feeling, lie roughly between Turkey and Thessaloniki (at the northern end of mainland Greece). The southernmost of these, Samos, is a particularly handy springboard for Turkey, as it's very close to the Turkish port city of Kusadas? (near the remarkable ancient site of Ephesus).
Crete is Greece's biggest island and practically a mini-state of its own (in fact, from 1897 to 1913 it was an autonomous state within the Ottoman Empire). While many of Greece's smaller islands merit a day or two of fun in the sun, Crete could occupy even a busy traveler for a week or more. Historically, Crete was home to the Minoans — the earliest advanced European civilization, peaking around 1950 B.C., centuries before "the ancient Greeks" of Athens. While Crete's modern main city, Iraklio, is drab and uninviting, the rest of the island offers an engaging diversity of attractions: Minoan ruins, scenic mountains, enticing beaches, characteristic rustic villages, and dramatic caves and gorges (including the famous Samaria Gorge).
Even if you are having no sailing experience we can offer you a sailing yacht with a captain.
Experienced sailors can enjoy the strong winds in the Aegean Sea, while others might choose the mild winds and safer bays of Argosaronicos Gulf, Sporades islands or the Ionian Sea. In few words, sailing in Greece can offer all the pleasure a sailor might seek in summer holidays.
