Lefkada and Palairos: what to visit, where to eat (Etos 1875), 2026 guide

Par Gabriel Goldberg 23 July 2026 11 min read

Two towns, one day, two discoveries. The first, Lefkada , I had known by name for twenty years: the only Ionian island connected to mainland Greece by a bridge , an obvious logistical base to explore Meganisi, Kalamos and Ithaca . The second, Palairos , I had never heard of. Three hours on the ground were enough to understand why Google Maps was showing surreal restaurant ratings. The revelation of the summer. Terrace of Etos 1875 restaurant in Palairos at sunset: neoclassical palazzo with closed shutters, patinated copper bar under a carob tree, round tables set with white linen, cosmopolitan clientele at aperitif time. Lefkada: the bridge-town, ideal base for an Ionian holiday Lefkada is unique in the archipelago: it is the only one of the seven main Ionian islands connected to the mainland by a floating bridge , which swings open every hour to let sailboats through. No ferry, no waiting: you land at Aktion-Preveza airport and twenty minutes later you're in town, one foot on the island, one on mainland Greece. This changes everything. For families , Lefkada is one of the best holiday choices in Greece: rent a car on the mainland, keep it all week, never depend on ferry schedules, and range at will towards the southern beaches (Porto Katsiki, Egremni, Kathisma — some of Europe's finest), the small eastern islands ( Meganisi , Skorpios, Kalamos) or the mainland (Preveza, Parga). Panagia Eisodion church in Lefkada: pale-yellow neoclassical façade, three-bell stone arcade…