Lefkada is known for its beaches with unreal milky-blue water, white gravel and high cliffs. All of these beaches are on the west coast of Lefkada. However, it’s important to keep in mind that most of them are not very easily accessible and they have waves very often. Despite that, the beaches on the west coast made Lefkada as popular as it is, and they are very often the main reason Lefkada is visited.

The beaches on the east coast are less impressive, with no turquoise sea, narrow and accessible, with a transparent water which is suitable for divers. These beaches are not exactly something that would make someone decide to come to Lefkada so you will rarely see them in tourist prospectuses.

When arriving to the island, the first place you will enter is the capital - Lefkas. Lefkas has an impressive marina and therefore doesn’t have its local beach, but only 2 km away or a 20 minute walk to the west from the city, you will come across a large lagoon and a long beach which borders it.

This beach consists of three parts: Gira, Mili and Agios Ioannis.

Gira

is actually a sandbar which is located on the outside of the lagoon. It has one tavern and a beach bar with sunbeds and parasols. In the northern part of Gira there are two more small beaches and in their hinterland, there are remains of and old abandoned factory. One is Kastro (meaning castle), named after Agia Mavra castle that is right behind the beach, and the other one is located at the end of the sandbar and is called Ammoglossa (meaning a sand tongue). On this part, near the Kastro part, there are showers, cabins and a lifeguard who is there every day. The beach is pebbly and the entry into the water is the same and it goes deep relatively quickly.

Myli

Further to the west, as a continuation of Gira, there’s another beach called Myli which is named after windmills that exist there (myli means windmill in Greek). Today, there are 4 windmills in total, but originally, there used to be 12. They milled flour until the early 20th century. Today, they are out of function.

Agios Ioannis

In the continuation of Myli beach there’s a long beach. As there are many accommodation facilities, hotels and villas behind the beach, Agios Ioannis became a real touristic place, but without too much content. The beach has a tavern and only one part of it is organized. At the end of the beach, on a hill, there is a small church dedicated to St. John, after whom this area was named. As we mentioned, the beach is very long, wide in most parts, and in the water it’s covered by stone slabs or just regular stones. In some parts, there’s gravel which makes the water entrance much more pleasant. The coast is mostly covered with small pebbles.

These three beaches are actually a part of the same beach, which is about 3 km long so it has three different names for different parts. Agios Ioannis has a beautiful turquoise colour of the sea, but there are fewer visitors swimming because of the wind which is almost constant, especially in the afternoon. That is the reason why this beach is so popular among surfers, so you can enjoy watching the skills of experienced surfers all day long. Besides windsurfing, kitesurfing is also popular and every September a great competition in this sport is held here.

Agios Ioannis is a good choice for your summer vacation because it’s close to the capital city and because of all content it provides. The beach is good for swimming, and some of the most popular beaches on the west coast are very near. The beach has an easy access by car, it’s located next to the road along which there is a lot of parking space.

Accommodation in Lefkada look HERE.