An island connected to mainland Greece by a swinging bridge, Lefkada is considered the gateway to the Ionian oases. Also known as the island of poets, where many artistic writers were born, or lived – it’s understandable: the island is inspiring and naturally beautiful.
Explore the best of Lekfada with these travel tips and must-visit spots:
LOGISTICS
GETTING THERE:
Obviously your route depends on your starting point and where you’re heading to after. But for us: we flew into Athens and drove across the mainland for 4h30, through Patras, onto Lefkada (the north of the island is connected to the mainland via a bridge). For those that prefer to drive for a shorter time, or not at all, these are the other possible routes:
- driving + ferry: driving 2h30 from Athens to Patras, and taking a ferry to the south of Lefkada for ,
- flight + a bit of driving: flying into Preveza International Airport, a town in the mainland, and driving 20min to the north of Lefkada (note that these flights are seasonal, and do not have routes to/from Athens),
- flight + ferry | no driving: flying into Kefalonia, and taking a ferry to the south of Lefkada. You will need to get from the south of Kefalonia to the north, in order to move from the airport to the port. Consider spending a few days in Kefalonia.
While flying in can ‘save time’ and seem more direct, be sure to check the flight prices, as they generally more expensive than the other options mentioned, especially if you’re in a group.
GETTING AROUND:
As mentioned, we drove to the West Coast from Athens, taking a car was the obvious means of transport. You could try an alternative route and fly into the island of Kefalonia, and ferry across to Lefkada, or to fly into the closest mainland airport in Ioannina, and drive down. However, Lefkada is a big island to explore, and its ‘local authenticity’ means that there is less public transport for tourists, as the locals have cars and most visitors are Greeks road-tripping. If you are not likely to hire a car, the only other suggestion I can think of is to join a boat tour around the island for the day, and explore the beaches from the water.
WHERE TO STAY:
To try and break the driving load from Athens, we opted to stay in the main town of Lefkada, at the ‘entrance’ of the island (in the north). Staying so central is also great for those that would enjoy having dinner in the main town, and relishing in its busyness. However, there are other points on the island, like Nydri in the east, and Vassiliki in the south, that also offer great places to stay, and home the two ports that allow for island hopping.
HOW LONG TO STAY:
While this is entirely up to you, if I were to share my two cents (this is an experience based blog, lol) iI would suggest staying in Lefkada for 2-3 nights, and use the remaining days to explore the rest of the Ionian, island-hopping to Kefalonia, Ithaca and/or Zakynthos, or travel further north to the slice of Greece’s Italy: Corfu.
EXPLORE
For anyone looking up ‘things to do in Lefkada’, many blogs may list the museums and monuments. While you may find it interesting to see the statue of Onassis in Nydri, or to visit the Archeological museum, the items listed below are the places I would recommend for a summer holiday:
Porto Katsiki, beach
Arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece: Porto Katsiki is a pebble beach along the west coast of Lefkada. Surrounded by the iconically Ionian white cliffs, and bright blue waters, this beach is an incredible place to spend the day. Despite its popularity, the beach remains ‘unorganised’ meaning you will need to bring your own snacks, umbrellas and towels. There is free parking available, along with a small cafe above, with well-kept steps to guide you down.
Egremni, viewpoint
The 2.5km of beach is one of Travel + Leisure’s “13 Places Where You Can See the Bluest Water in the World”. Egremni has only recently become ‘accessible’ by land (before you would only visit by boat) preserving its clean and authentic beauty. While you can enjoy a day on the beach, I would suggest stopping at the viewpoints and taking in the beauty from above too. For those spending a day on its shore, be sure to pack appropriately.
Kathisma, organised beach
An ideal ‘family’ beach; Kathisma is more accessible by foot, and also offers the ‘long beach with blue waters’ appeal. Equipped with coast-line cafes and watersports, along with beach umbrellas and chairs, Kathisma is an easy beach to relax at and take in the Mediterranean sun.
Lefkada, town
From the bridge on the water with the lit-up cafes, all the way down the cobble street spotted with restaurants and stores, the town is a lovely place to spend your evenings.
Fly Me Sun & Stars Bar, rooftop bar and restaurant
One of the most incredible places I have ever been to: this three story restaurant and bar are situated in the middle of nowhere in Lefkada’s mountains. This modernly designed building is wedged into these tree-filled cliffs facing the horizon. The cringe name originates from the spot being a paragliding take-off location, and I completely understand why. Anyway, badly articulated but so recommended!
Monastiri, gyro
Since our daily habits included eating breakfast at the apartment, or grabbing spanakopitas (spinach pies) from the local bakeries with coffee, the only other time we ‘ate out’ was in the evenings and in the town: while we did sit at other spots, we somehow always ended up back at Monastiri – the street-food taverna. We watched a few EuroCup matches there and enjoyed the usual greek salad, gyro and chips. It’s a lovely local spot that’s been serving customers for decades.
Stavrakas, sweets
For something sweet, I would suggest Stavrakas’s Gelatissimo, their bigger bakery with plenty of ice cream flavours too. For something to share, visit one of the loukoumades cafes for greek donut balls.
Adventure sports:
- Parts of the island can get quite windy and make great wind-surfing spots, as well as paragliding.
- Likewise, if you’d like to get a different perspective of Lefkada’s beauty, consider taking a boat cruise around the island. However, if you are on a budget and would like to do one boat tour on your Ionian escapades, I’d recommend doing one in Zakynthos instead, or even a day trip from Kefalonia to Ithaca.
- For those wanting to get their steps in, the hike to Nydri waterfalls looks insanely beautiful.
Vassiliki, port village
Depending on your itinerary, consider exploring the port town of Vassiliki in the south of Lefkada. For those travelling to Kefalonia or Patras, this is likely to be your island entry/exit point.
ISLAND HOP
Explore the Ionian further, and island-hop between the islands of Greece’s west coast:
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