Gialos Beach, Lefkada. The Drive Is Half the Story.

End of August. One full loop around the island, coast to coast.

We drove around Lefkada at the end of August. All of it, following the roads that hug the cliffs above the Ionian Sea. If you've never done this, do it.

The views from up there, looking down at water that shifts between every shade of turquoise, are just amazing.

The view from Athani. Down the slope is Gialos Beach.

Getting to Gialos

Getting to Gialos requires commitment. The road down from Athani is steep and winding. By the time you reach the bottom you're either slightly dizzy or completely exhilarated, or probably both. Then you step out of the car and wow... you understand immediately why you came.

Γιάλος (Gialos Beach)

Sunbeds and endless turquoise Ioanian Sea, at Gialos Beach, Lefkada

Gialos is one of the longest beaches on the western coast of Lefkada, sitting just north of the more famous Egremni. Precisely because everyone rushes to Egremni, Gialos is calmer. The beach is a mix of sand and smooth stones, the water clear enough to see the bottom long after it stops being shallow.

Bring water shoes, parts of the seabed are rocky.

It's organized enough to be comfortable: sunbeds, umbrellas, a couple of beach bars, but not overdeveloped.

And bring cash. Signal for card readers is unreliable down there, and the road back up is much easier after a coffee and something to eat.

Beautiful beach bar at Gialos

Off-season

We left, already thinking about going back, off-season, probably, to see what Gialos looks like when the summer crowd thins out. The western coast of Lefkada in September or October is something I haven't seen yet and want to.