Castle of Santa Maura

A low-slung medieval fortress on a sandy spit just north of Lefkada town, connected to the rest of the island by a causeway. Built originally by the Orsini in the late 13th century as Santa Maura — the Venetian name for the whole island — the castle was enlarged by the Venetians and then by the Ottomans, who held it for most of the 16th to 18th centuries.

The walls and bastions are largely intact and you can walk much of the circuit; signage is limited but the views over the lagoon and the Akarnanian mainland are excellent.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The castle changed hands repeatedly between Ottomans, Venetians, French, Russians, and British between the late 14th and the early 19th centuries. The most spectacular siege was in 1810, when a British force under Major-General John Stuart took it from a French garrison after a six-week artillery duel — the last battle for the island before it joined the new Greek state.