Access to Lefkada

Lefkada is one of the Greek Ionian Islands located off the west coast of mainland Greece. The island (also known as Lefkas and Leucade) is connected to the mainland by a 50 meter drawbridge that was built in the 1980s to replace the archaic chain-operated ferry originally introduced by the Emperor Augustus.

In fact Lefkada was not an island at all until the 5th century BC when the inhabitants dug a channel to separate themselves from the mainland.

 

 

 

Access by plane

The closest airport to Lefkada Island is located in Préveza (The international airport code is PVK). The airport actually stands on and takes its name from the sandy peninsula of Aktios. This is where the Battle of Actium was fought in 31 BC, when the fleet of Octavian decisively defeated that of Antony and Cleopatra. Anyone wishing to stay in Préveza is advised to take the Olympic minibus or a taxi from the airport terminal (around 5 euros, including the toll for the tunnel) or flag down the Lefkada-Préveza bus at the stop on the main road which is only a few minutes walk away. Facilities at Préveza are limited and the airport can get congested on Sundays when most of the UK charter flights operate. There are a couple of taverns close by the terminal building which provide welcome relief if you are waiting to check in

 

How far is it from Preveza Airport to Lefkada Island?

 

• Preveza Town – 10 minutes
• Lefkas Town – 20 minutes
• Nidri – 40 minutes
• Vassiliki – 90 minutes
• Parga – 90 minutes

 

Regular fly to Preveza on summer are from :

 

• Austria:
  • Vienna, Schwechat International (VIE) Operated by Air Berlin
• Germany:
  • Dusseldorf, International (Rhein-Ruhr) (DUS) Operated by Air Berlin
  • Berlin (TXL) Operated by Air Berlin
  • Hamburg (HAM) Operated by Air Berlin
  • Munich, Franz Josef Strauss (MUC) Operated by Air Berlin
  • Nuremberg (NUE) Operated by Air Berlin
  • Stuttgart, Echterdingen (STR) Operated by Air Berlin
• Netherlands:
  • Amsterdam, schiphol (AMS) Operated by Transavia
• United Kingdom:
  • London, Gatwick (LGW) Operated by Monarch Airlines
  • Manchester (MAN) Operated by Monarch Airlines

In the summer, flight times make it possible to fly from many UK, Irish and European airports to Prévezain one day. From early May to late October, international charter flights to Préveza arrive most days of the week from many parts of Europe. British charter flights are mainly from Gatwick and Manchester on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. There is also one flight from Heathrow airport on Sunday.

There are no more (since 22/02/2010 ) flights from Athens to Preveza since the end of Olympic airlines.

Access by Car and/or ship

Lefkas is 385 km from Athens, 420 km from Thessalonica, 180 km from Patra, and 100 km from Igoumenitsa. The bridge connecting Lefkas with mainland Greece (toll-free) provides the road access to the island. There are daily bus connections to Athens and Patra, and twice a week to Thessalonica.
Those travelling to the island from Italy have a particularly easy journey via the ports of Patra and Igoumenitsa (140 km of Sivota). There are daily ferryboats connecting Corfu with Igoumenitsa with timetables which change according to the season. Large ferries depart from Patras to Italy (Bari, Brindisi, Ancona, Venice) and vice versa, usually with a stop at Igoumenitsa.

There are several daily departures all year long.

 

Companies:

 

• Minoan
• Superfast
• Anek
• Blue star
• Reservation can be done on Greekferries.gr which gathers all companies

 

Our first advice would be to rent a car directly at the airport of Athens The journey to the island is around 4 or 5 hours. This allows you to enjoy your stay on the island further, by giving you easy access to shopping and sightseeing. Although this solution may be slightly more expensive, it is a more comfortable option than taking the bus.

Access by Buses

However, if you do decide on the latter option, know that Lefkada town’s bus station is located on Odhos Dhimitri Golémi and is opposite a small yacht marina. It has connections from Athens and Thessaloniki and is the hub of island transport.
The station’s new computerized system issues tickets with numbered seats which you should use to avoid potential confusion, although outside the town it’s normal to pay on board and sit anywhere.
The cost ranges from 30 to 40 euros for the trip between Athens and Lefkada Town. It will be necessary to go to Kifisos, which is the main bus station in Athens, through the bus X 93 leaving every 35–40 minutes. Then from the main bus station, you can take a bus travelling to Lefkada located in the box / line 39. You should have around 5 departures daily during the summer. The following times may be approximately accurate, though do check with the bus company before your departure to confirm times (www.ktel.org or +30 26450 22364 ).

 

ATHENS – LEFKADA (Summer 2009)
Departure Athens	07:00	13:00	16:30	20:30
Arrival Lefkada	10:10	16:10	19:40	23:40

 

During the summer, you can find some bus from and for Lefkada to the main city / vilages:

 

• Lefkada Town – Nidri – Vlicho : departure at 0530, 0600, 0640, 0700, 0740, 0915, 1000, 1045, 1130, 1230, 1315, 1325, 1400, 1700, 1930 0800, 1315, 1915
• Vlicho – Nidri – Lefkada Town : departure at 0730, 0745, 0815, 0900, 1000, 1100, 1215, 1320, 1415, 1445, 1530, 1600, 1745, 2115
• Lefkada Town – Vassiliki : departure at 0640, 1045, 1400, 1930 0800, 1930
• Vassiliki – Lefkada Town : departure at 0715, 1345, 1530, 2045 About…1430, 2045
• Lefkada Town – Ag Nikitas : departure at 0640, 1415
• Ag Nikitas – Lefkada Town : departure at 0730, 1500

 

Our goal is to help you during all your booking process so do not hesitate to contact us in case of any special requests.