Kastos Island, Greece: A Car-Free Ionian Island
Kastos is a small, elongated island in the Ionian group, lying south-east of Lefkada just below the island of Kalamos and separated from it by a deep channel. Kastos measures almost 6 square kilometres, 7 kilometres long and 800 metres wide, with mainland Greece about 5 kilometres away. The island is car-free and its olive-covered hills make it an excellent island for walking.
- Island group
- Ionian
- Area
- ~6 km²
- Population
- 120
- Highest point
- 142 m
The island of Kastos
Kastos is 7 kilometres long and 800 metres wide, rising to a highest point of 142 metres, far lower than the 754-metre peak of neighbouring Kalamos just to the north. Kastos has low hills covered with olive trees, some of them hundreds of years old, and only a few roads, so the island is car-free and everyone keeps a boat or covers the short distances on foot. The many good paths and the gentle height make Kastos an excellent walking island, and at Vigla stand the remains of buildings from ancient times.
Kastos village
Kastos village is the island's only settlement, on the east side, and it shares its name with the island. The village is known as a good and safe harbour, and its roughly 120 residents live mainly from tourism and fishing. Everyone on Kastos lives here, so the village is the island's single centre for boats, tavernas and daily life.
How to get to Kastos
Reach Kastos by caique, a traditional wooden boat, from the small town of Mytikas on the mainland, which runs regular daily connections. From the village of Nidri on Lefkada there are also organised trips out to the islands of Kalamos and Kastos, so the island is easy to combine with a day on the water.
