Porto Katsiki Beach

The cliff at Porto Katsiki reads as one pale wall from the sea, and the strip of shingle at its foot is what most people picture when they think of Lefkada. A road runs south through Athani to a clifftop car park, and from there a long flight of concrete steps switchbacks down to the water. The sea shelves away within a few metres and stays cold even in August, which is half the point after the drive. Boats from Nydri and Vasiliki arrive through the morning and anchor offshore, so the view back at the cliff from the water is the other half. Landslides have reshaped this coast more than once, and the stairs get rebuilt when they need to be.

What you actually see

• The clifftop viewpoint - the whole beach and its white wall from above, before you commit to the steps.
• The staircase - concrete flights cut into the slope, the only land route down to the shore.
• The water line - deep blue within a few metres of the shingle, with no gradual shallows.
• The anchored boats - day cruises from the eastern harbours parked offshore through the middle of the day.

When to go

June to September gives reliable swimming weather. Early morning is calmest for both the sea and the car park, since boats and coaches arrive from mid-morning onward. Afternoon wind on this coast can raise enough swell to make the beach unusable, so check conditions before driving over. Outside the season the stairs are sometimes closed for repair.

Honest expectations

The steps are steep and unshaded, and the climb back up in afternoon heat is far harder than the descent. Shade at the bottom is minimal and facilities amount to a kiosk or two. When the wind gets up, waves break straight onto the shingle, and the beach is closed outright after rockfalls.

Nearby

Egremni beach along the same coast, the village of Athani and the harbour at Vasiliki.