If your crew is new to sailing, long crossings and strong winds can turn a holiday into a worry. The Ionian Islands sit off the west coast of mainland Greece, and many cautious crews start their sailing life here. The plan below keeps the distances short and the days simple.
The group is traditionally called the Heptanese, or "Seven Islands" (Ionian Islands). In practice it includes many smaller islands besides the seven principal ones. You will not see them all in a week, and you do not need to. Pick a small corner, sail short legs, and leave the long miles for another trip. That one decision will lower the pressure on everyone aboard.
Where you are actually sailing
The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean. It connects to the Adriatic Sea to the north. Southern Italy, including Sicily and Calabria, bounds it on the west. Southern Albania sits to the north, and the west coast of Greece, including the Peloponnese, runs along its east side. All the major islands in the sea belong to Greece. The main ones are Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada and Ithaca (Ionian Sea).
Seven islands with one story
The seven primary islands run from north to south. Six of them lie off the west coast of Greece: Corfu, Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaca, Kefalonia and Zakynthos. The seventh, Kythira, sits alone off the southern tip of the Peloponnese. It is a special case: Kythira is not even part of the Ionian Islands region, because it belongs to the region of Attica. Centuries of Venetian rule kept the islands outside Ottoman control and gave them a distinct identity with many Italian influences. They joined the modern Greek state in 1864. Some Venetian names still stick in English. Kerkyra is often called Corfu, and Zakynthos is often called Zante. Old charts and guides may use either form, so do not let the spelling throw you. Readers following this should also see The British Virgin Islands in seven days: a circuit that still works.
A week of short hops
Restraint is the whole trick. Choose one or two bases, such as Corfu in the north or Lefkada further south, and plan loops from there. Check the forecast each morning before you leave, and agree on a simple rule: no forecast, no departure. Keep fuel, water and food topped up at every good stop, because a crew that is not rushed makes better choices. Remember that this is a working waterway too. Ferry routes cross it between Patras and Igoumenitsa in Greece and Brindisi and Ancona in Italy, so keep a proper watch for ships and ferries. Plan the day so that you arrive in the early afternoon. That leaves slack time if the wind builds or the harbour fills up.
What the water is really like
This is deep water, not a shallow lagoon. Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean at 5,109 metres, lies in the Ionian Sea. The sea is also one of the most seismically active areas in the world. None of that should scare you off a coastal hop. But it does explain why weather and sea state deserve respect here, and why the forecast matters more than the miles. The water carries old stories as well. It is famous for the seafaring adventures of Odysseus, the warrior-king of the island of Ithaca. Sail past it and you are reading the oldest travel tale in the region.
Conclusion: A gentle first week
A week in the Ionian does not need a hero route. Short legs, one or two bases, morning forecasts and a patient pace will do more for a nervous crew than any list of famous places. Come home with one island you loved and one skill you learned, and the next week will plan itself. We covered a connected angle in The Amalfi Coast in a week: ports, timing, and the two hours that decide the trip.
