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As is the case in this corner of the world, Lefkas has an ancient and mysterious past. Legends abound from tales of Aphrodite the Goddess of Love and Homer's Odysseus to the story of Sappho's leaping to her death from the 75m high Cape Lefkata cliffs in the 7th Century BC. The Romans also had a thing about throwing people from the cliffs there, however these days, other than the odd hang glider, things have quietened down!

The excavation of Bronze Age settlements on the island by archaeologist Wilhelm Dorpfeld led him to believe that Lefkas was indeed the kingdom of Homer's Odysseus. But this conclusion is disputed by the tourist boards of Ithaca and Kefalonia, however, who both claim the legend as their own.

The area is also rich in folklore and tradition with the folklore museum in Lefkada Town exhibiting some lovely old memorabilia of times gone by.

When it comes to modern tourism, the main resort on Lefkas is Nidri, halfway down the popular low-lying east coast. The east coast enjoys a succession of good beaches, islands and ideal sailing conditions all the way south to Ammouso, Pondi Beach and windsurf Mecca Vassiliki at the southern end of the island. With the island's best beaches including those at Kalamitsi and Aghios Ioannis located on the west coast, the allure of white cliffs descending to golden and white sand lapped by sparkling clean Mediterranean water is starting to attract increasing numbers of visitors there too.

If you need a break from beach and are looking for a change of scenery, then hire a car and head inland for exceptionally scenic villages, tavernas, warm hospitality and great value accommodation. Lefkas offers visitors a true taste of Greece. Flythomascook operates flights to Preveza, the airport serving Lefkas, which is about 25km away on the mainland.

There are so many things one can do when in Lefkas. It's great to take a boat from Nydri and explore the islands of Madouri, Sparti, Skorpidi and Skorpios. Skorpios is the Onassis family island, the burial place of the ancient philosopher Aristotle. A great place to go for lunch is the magical Meganisi, six kilometres from Nidri. If you're strictly hardcore then you might want to go windsurfing in Vassiliki Bay, but the less confident surfers can take advantage of gentler morning breezes and take one of the many surfing courses on offer. From Vassiliki, you can take a boat to visit the cave of Papanikolis and see dolphins swimming next to the boat. It's also amazing to swim in Rachi waterfalls, a short 30 minute walk outside Nidri. And don't forget to get to know as much as possible about the fantastic myths of ancient Greece. A perfect opportunity to do so is when you visit the Archaeological Museum at the Cultural Centre on the north western seafront or the excavated Bronze Age ruins near Vlyho on the east coast about 20 kilometres south of Lefkada Town.