Ionian Islands

The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"), but the group includes many smaller islands in addition to the seven principal ones. Scattered off the western coastline of Central Greece and to the south of Peloponnese, the Ionian Islands are a distinct historic region, they date to the centuries-old Venetian rule, which preserved them from the Muslim conquests of the Ottoman Empire, and created a distinct cultural identity with many Italian influences. The Ionian Islands became part of the modern Greek state in 1864. Administratively today, they belong to the Ionian islands region The seven islands are, from north to south: Kerkyra (known in English as Corfu), Paxi (Paxos), Lefkada (Lefkas), Ithaki (Ithaca), Kefalonia (Cephalonia -Cefalonia), Zakynthos (Zante) and Kythira (Cerigo). Kythira is off the southern tip of the Peloponnese and though culturally very close to the rest of its Ionian siblings, is not administratively part of the region of the Ionians as it is included in the region of Attica. In our listings it is under the Peloponnese where geographically belongs. All 6 islands feature airports, the international airports of Corfu, Zante and Kefalonia were in the top ten in Greece by number of international arrivals. Lefkada is linked also by an underwater tunnel to mainland Greece in Aktio, otherwise access by ferry is through the ports of Patras, Igoumenitsa, Astakos or Parga in western Greece.