Ionian Sea

IONIAN ISLANDS are a group of islands off the west coast of Greece. The islands are traditionally called Seven Islands, although the archipelago includes seven bigger islands and many smaller ones. The big seven is Corfu, Paxos, Lefkas, Ithaca, Kefalonia, Zante and Cerigo (which lies off the southern tip of the Peloponnesus). The islands have a total area of 2.307 km² and a population of 220.097 inhabitants. The Ionian Islands are much greener than Aegean Islands and have a distinctly Venetian flavour.

The weather is the hottest from June through to October, with temperatures reaching as high as 40°C in the middle as summer. December and January get high rainfalls and low temperatures. Weather conditions are perfect between Easter and mid-June when it is pleasantly warm in most places and not too hot.

The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1000 BC, but the archaeological evidence dating from this period amounts to only a couple of tombs, with nary a magnificent palace or even a humble village emerging from the depths. Earthquakes have constantly plagued the islands' inhabitants, so who knows what evidence lies buried beneath the foundations. By the 8th century BC the islands were held by the mighty city-state of Corinth, and were valued as stepping stones en route to Sicily and Italy. A century later Corfu was powerful enough to mount a successful revolt against the Corinthian stranglehold, but the ensuing Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BC) left the island depleted and impoverished. By the end of the 3rd century BC, the Ionian Islands were Roman, and they successively became part of the Eastern Roman Empire and eventually that of the Byzantine. Finally Venetians ruled the island for 400 years. Aside from Lefkada, which was ruled by the Turks for 200 years, the Ionian Islands were the only part of Greece to escape being subsumed into the Ottoman Empire. Venetians rebuilt the towns of Corfu, Argostoli, Lefkada and Zakynthos with the distinctive beauty of Venetian architecture. In 1797 the islands became a part of France. In 1815, the islands became a British protectorate. In 1864 the Brits finally left and the islands were united with Greece.

Cheap charter flights from many north European cities bring the holiday makers directly into Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos. Lefkada is connected to the Greek mainland by a drawbridge and is only a 30-minute bus ride away from Aktion airport near the mainland town of Preveza. Kythira attracts Greek visitors rather than package holidaymakers and has an airport with regular domestic flights to and from Athens. Ferries and hydrofoils serve the islands from various departure points on the mainland and from Corfu you can take an international ferry to Albania and Italy.