Ionian sea

The Ionian Sea is located west of the mainland, between Greece and Italy, The islands that lie in the Ionian Sea are Corfu, Paxos, Anti Paxos, Lefkas (connected to the mainland with a bridge), Ithaka, Kefalonia, Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos and Zakynthos. Most rain falls in the early and late season, which makes it the greenest part of Greece! An ideal warm and dry summer for beautiful sailing trips between the islands. You really feel like you are at sea, but you can sail peacefully between the bays and picturesque villages.

Distances and navigation

The distances you sail per day are relatively short; 5 to 15 Nm per day (except for the specials, in which case the distances can be greater). You can of course extend this by tacking a few times before entering the marina, or by dropping anchor at one of the beautiful bays along the way. The area is easy to oversee, and you have many options to spend the night. In terms of navigation, it is also an ‘easy’ area except for a few shallows.

Zakynthos is a little further away, and that is a great goal for a 2-week sailing holiday. You then sail more on open sea and here and there is a bit more swell and wind, but it is recommended as long as you keep a close eye on the weather reports. You can almost always recognize the next village by the white houses between the green hills.

For whom is this area suitable?

The Ionian Sea is very suitable for those who are sea sailing abroad for the first time. Because of the calm water and the (usually) predictable wind you can go in all directions. With small children it is nice that you can sail short distances.

Want to learn more about the Ionian Sea: Download here our complete description of the entire area.