Lefkimmi: Salt Pans, Beaches and Sacred Art

Lefkimmi can be explored through a variety of themes: Bouka and Molos beaches, religious heritage and the history of salt production at the Alykes Lefkimmis. These different points of interest help you get a sense of Lefkimmi as a travel destination before looking for a hotel. The focus is on specific places and their history.

Sacred Art in Lefkimmi

In the village of Melikia, the Church of Agios Isavros preserves rare frescoes and icons from the 16th century. Both art forms contribute to this site's distinctive cultural and historical significance. The Church of Agios Arsenios is in Lefkimmi itself. The relics of the saint of the same name are kept there in a silver reliquary. Different aspects of religious heritage therefore sit side by side: frescoes and icons in Melikia, and the veneration of relics at Agios Arsenios.

Those interested in the cultural history of a destination will find two specific points of reference here. The artworks in Melikia date from the 16th century; the silver reliquary at Agios Arsenios gives the second site its own focus. Together, the two churches complement the beaches and salt pans as themes that can help you learn more about Lefkimmi.

The Alykes Lefkimmis: Salt History and Facilities

The use of the Alykes Lefkimmis for salt production dates back to the 13th or 14th century. This long historical perspective is distinct from the restoration of the two Venetian salt warehouses, which took place from 2000 to 2006. The dates therefore refer to different things: one to salt production, the other to the restoration work on the warehouses.

The history of the Alykes includes ditches and paths, the salt warehouses, and several carts once used to transport salt. The figures also give an impression of the site’s size: the Alykes cover about 2,000 stremmata and have a circumference of 6 kilometres. Area and circumference describe two different measures. Along with the ditches, paths, buildings and carts, they give the salt pans both a spatial and a historical dimension.

If you are weighing up different interests when planning your trip, the Alykes offer a different focus from the churches: here, the themes are salt production, its long history and the associated historic facilities. This makes the salt pans a distinct part of planning a trip to Lefkimmi, without losing sight of the coast or religious heritage.

Beaches and Ferry Connections

Bouka and Molos are among the beaches of Lefkimmi. Together with the Alykes and the churches, they offer another way to get a sense of the destination.

The port of Lefkimmi is connected to the ports of Igoumenitsa, Paxos and Antipaxos. If you are planning a ferry trip, check the timetable separately for your travel dates. This lets you factor the connection into your plans without assuming a particular departure time or frequency.

Corfu as the Wider Destination Context

In the wider destination of Corfu, the Old Town offers a distinctive historical focus. Its historic urban fabric has been almost entirely preserved; its buildings date from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The Old Town of Corfu and its two fortresses are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This information relates to Corfu and adds a distinct regional cultural context to the picture of Lefkimmi.

The Museum of Asian Art is also located in Corfu’s Old Town. Its collection comprises more than 11,000 objects from China, Japan, India, the Himalayas and Central Asia. Bus route 2, on the Mantouki–Kanoni route, is listed as a connection from the port of Corfu to the museum. If you would like to include this part of the wider destination in your plans, check the timetable separately.

This makes it possible to distinguish Lefkimmi’s local themes from the cultural attractions in the wider destination of Corfu: beaches, churches and the Alykes are among the main points of interest in Lefkimmi, while the Old Town and the Museum of Asian Art are explicitly presented here in the context of Corfu.

Discover more destinations: Vitalades, Giannades, Velianitatika, Afion, Gimari, Magazia, Gaios, Rantatika.

View the wider travel guide: Corfu.