There are lots of options to get to Lefkada!
Lefkada island is part of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. From the mainland, you can drive directly to the island. So, you have a wide range of easy options on how to arrive.
By plane – nearest airports:
1. Preveza – Aktion International Airport (20km)
2. Ioannina – Ioannina National Airport (170km)
3. Corfu island – Corfu International Airport (180km)
4. Kefalonia island – Kefalonia International Airport Anna Pollatou
5. Athens – Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (421km)
6. Thessaloniki – Thessaloniki Airport Macedonia (440km)
By car / bus / taxi from the nearest cities/airports:
Lefkada is a unique island since it is accessible directly by car! A bridge connects the island to Greek mainland. It opens up every hour to let the yachts and small boats pass from the port to the open sea. A lovely scenery while you wait in your car until the bridge closes down again.
By Boat
Lots of great options here too.
However, we are not the experts to advise you in this domain…
1. From Preveza Airport to Lefkada
Aktion International Airport (20km) is considered the airport of Lefkada. It takes about 22min to reach Lefkada by Car. So, this is the shortest and most comfortable way to arrive by flight. Most of the flights are charters operating between May – September. You can either rent a car from Preveza airport or take a Taxi. The Taxi price for one way is around 30€.* From Preveza follow the signs to Lefkada; take the small bridge connecting the mainland and Lefkada Island, which will bring you directly to the capital of Lefkas – Lefkada town.
Direct flights to Preveza are available from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol in the UK; Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Venice, Bari, Naples, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hanover, Munich, Dusseldorf, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Amsterdam.
2. From Ioannina to Lefkada
Ioannina National Airport (170km) is connecting mostly Athens and domestic / chartered flights. You can either hire a car or take a taxi. If you are driving from Ioannina, follow the signs for Arta, Preveza and finally Lefkada. The road takes about 2.5 hours (170km). In addition, you can take a bus from Ioannina to Lefkada for about 12€ one way.
3. From Corfu to Lefkada
Corfu International Airport (180km) has easy connection with many airlines and also low cost airlines. To get from Corfu to Lefkada you can either book a connection flight Corfu – Preveza via Skyexpress or go by ferry to mainland and then by car to Lefkada.
Ferry Corfu – Igoumenitsa
Once in Corfu airport, get to the port (5km) either by taxi from the airport (price is fixed to 15€, 10min drive) or by Bus No 15 (15min drive). The bus ticket can be purchased directly from the driver.
At the port, take a ferry to Igoumenitsa (it’s the closest town on mainland Greece) operating approximately every hour – see the exact timetable. The ferry takes about 1.5hour to reach Igoumenitsa.
Once in Igoumenitsa, you either rent a car from here or take a taxi to Lefkada/Sivota. Another alternative is to take a bus from Igoumenitsa to Lefkada town which operates only once per day. The prices for bus tickets available here.
! Be aware that THERE ARE TWO TOWNS CALLED SIVOTA! One is close to Igoumenitsa and another is in Lefkada Island (where you want to go). From Igoumenitsa follow the signs to Preveza, take the underwater tunnel towards Lefkada and finally in the island follow the main road and directions to Nikiana – Nidri – Sivota.
4. From Kefalonia to Lefkada
Kefalonia International Airport Anna Pollatou has easy connection with many airlines and also low cost airlines (the price is much lower than to Preveza airport). From Kefalonia you can get to Lefkada Island either by connecting flight to Preveza (just 20min) with Skyexpress or by ferry to Nidri town in Lefkada (beautiful trip!).
The ferry leaves from the port Fiskardo in Kefalonia and takes about 2hours to arrive at Nidri town in Lefkada. Timetable of departures here. To get to Fiskardo, you will need to go by bus/taxi from the airport to the city of Argostoli and to Fiskardo. Tickets can be purchased at the bus driver. More info at Kefalonia bus service portal.
5. From Athens to Lefkada
Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (421km) has the best connectivity with the international airports all year long. Many Low cost airlines possibilities as well.
By plane
From Athens you can either take a connection flight via AeganAir or Skyexpress to Preveza (or Ioannina).
By car
Probably the easiest way is to hire a car at the airport. The road of 421km takes about 4.5 hours and most part of it leads through a comfortable highway/motorway. Note – this is an expensive toll road.
By Bus
The buses are comfortable and air-conditioned (Mercedes) – price is 40€ per one way ticket. See the actual Ktel timetable & pricelist. So, if you choose this option, you will need to get to the bus station from the airport – either by bus X93 (it takes one hour drive & usually not air-conditioned buses) or by taxi.
From the bus station, take a bus to Lefkada town that normally operates 4 times a day you can find bus info & tickets here.
6. From Thessaloniki to Lefkada
Thessaloniki Airport Macedonia (440km) is the second biggest airport in Greece after Athens. It has good connection with international airports during the whole year. For the best flight combinations of flights / prices we recommend to use portal skyscanner.com
For local connection flights within Greece visit Skyexpress.gr
By plane
Take a connection flight Thessaloniki – Preveza by Skyexpress or go by car/bus directly to the Island.
By Car
Probably the easiest way is to hire a car at the airport and drive over (400km). Note – this is a toll road (much cheaper compared to Athens)
By Bus
The bus operates only once per day though. See the actual prices for bus tickets here.
*Prices for taxi / bus fares are estimates, provided just for your information. So, please check the exact prices and timetables directly with the route provider.
