How to get to Lefkada
The island of Lefkada (or Lefkas or Levkas) is uniquely connected to mainland Greece by a floating rotating iron bridge. Unlike most Greek islands that require ferry access, Lefkada can be reached directly by car or bus without any ferry costs. The 50-meter long iron bridge, located at the channel of Agia Mavra, rotates on its axis to allow boats to pass through between the island and mainland.
- Free road access, no ferry needed
- Bridge opens for boats a few times a day
- Preveza (Aktio) airport 20 km
In short
Fly to Preveza-Aktion airport (PVK), 20 km from Lefkada town, and drive across the floating bridge in about 25 minutes. From Athens it is 380 km by road: about 4 hours by car or 5 hours by KTEL bus. You don't need a ferry, and there is none from Athens or Preveza.
Updated by the Lefkada-Rentals team in Lefkada town
- 1 Lefkada town
- 2 Floating bridge
- 3 Agia Mavra fort
- 4 Gyra beach
This engineering marvel makes Lefkada one of the very few Greek islands you can drive to, with free road access from the mainland. The road is open day and night; the bridge only swings aside a few times a day to let boats through the canal (see the opening times). This convenient access makes Lefkada an ideal destination for travelers who prefer to avoid ferry schedules and costs during their Greek island experience.
In the summer, there are many seasonal flights to Lefkada, or to other airports in the neighborhood. Lefkada is in the middle of the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos), which provides visitors with multiple access options. Travelers can fly directly to any of these neighboring islands and then reach Lefkada by passenger boat, or ferries.
This strategic location and variety of transportation options make Lefkada uniquely accessible compared to other Greek islands. Whether by direct flight, via neighboring islands, or by road from the mainland, the multiple access routes ensure visitors can easily reach Lefkada regardless of their starting point or travel preferences.
At a glance
How to get to Lefkada: distances and travel times
Approximate distances and times to Lefkada town. In summer, allow extra time for traffic and for the bridge openings.
| From | Distance | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preveza-Aktion airport (PVK) | 20 km | About 25 minutes | Taxi, transfer or rental car, across the floating bridge |
| Athens | 380 km | About 4 hours by car, 5 hours by bus | Motorway, or a KTEL bus from Kifisos bus station |
| Athens airport (ATH) | By air | About 1 hour | Summer flights to Preveza-Aktion with Aegean Airlines |
| Igoumenitsa port | 130 km | About 1.5 hours | By car, after the ferry from Italy or Corfu |
| Ioannina airport (IOA) | 134 km | About 1.5 hours | By car |
| Kefalonia (Fiskardo) | By sea | About 1 hour | Ferry to Vasiliki, May to October |
Agia Mavra channel
Lefkada floating bridge opening times
The floating bridge swings aside several times a day to let boats through the Lefkada canal, usually between about 08:00 and 22:00. Each opening lasts around 10 to 15 minutes, and cars wait on both sides until the bridge closes again.
The timetable changes with the season and is published by the Lefkada Municipal Port Fund. Check the current bridge schedule before you travel, especially on the way to catch a flight.
How to get to Lefkada
The island can be reached in several ways
By Plane
April to October
Seasonal flights to Preveza/Aktio (PVK) airport
- Aegean Airlines Athens, London-Gatwick
- Apollo Visby (Sweden)
- Arkia Israeli Airlines Tel Aviv
- Austrian Airlines Innsbruck, Vienna, Graz
- British Airways London-Heathrow
- Condor Hannover, Frankfurt, Stuttgart
- Cyprus Airways Larnaca
- Danish Air Transport (DAT) Aalborg, Aarhus, Billund
- easyJet London-Gatwick, London-Luton, Bristol, Manchester, Berlin
- Edelweiss Air Zurich
- Eurowings Stuttgart
- Finnair Helsinki
- FlyBAir Bern
- Helvetic Airways Bern
- Lübeck Air / Air Alsie, Rhomberg Reisen Salzburg (Austria)
- Norwegian Oslo-Gardermoen, London-Gatwick
- Novair Gothenburg-Landvetter, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda
- People’s Vienna, St. Gallen
- Rhomberg Reisen via Bulgarian Air Charter Linz (Austria)
- Ryanair Brussels-South Charleroi, Rome-Ciampino, Budapest
- Ryanair, operated by Malta Air Rome, Milan, Bergamo
- Ryanair, operated by Lauda Europe Vienna
- Sky Express Corfu, Kefalonia, Sitia (Crete)
- Smartwings Brno, Ostrava, Prague
- Sunclass Airlines Oslo-Gardermoen, Helsinki, Copenhagen
- Transavia Amsterdam
- Transavia France Paris-Orly
- TUI Airways London-Gatwick, Manchester
- TUIfly Nuremberg, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Munich, Vienna, Stuttgart
- Tus Airways Tel Aviv
- Volotea Bari
Do you need to book a flight for your holidays in Lefkada?
Compare and book flights from multiple airlines that fly to Lefkada at competitive rates! All available flight options can be found here. Expedia is very useful presenting flights to Lefkada from many different cities around Europe.
Search flights to LefkadaFrom Athens airport
Scheduled flights via Athens (ATH)
Fly on to Aktio/Preveza
Then direct flight to Aktio/Preveza (PVK) via Aegean Airlines, during the summer season.
Take the bus
Bus Athens - Lefkada (a few departures a day, about 5 hours) from Kifisos Intercity bus Station (KTEL, Lefkada bus station tel. +30 26450 22364).
Drive to Lefkada
Or rent a Car Rental to Lefkada and drive the 380 km (about 4 hours) on the motorway.
You can then rent a car by an international agent, or speak with a local agent and have your car rental in Preveza airport waiting for you!
By car or boat
From Venice port, Ancona, Bari or Brindisi in Italy then boat to Igoumenitsa (then 130 km to Lefkada). Several daily departures all the year long.
Companies:
Is there a ferry to Lefkada?
You don't need one: Lefkada is joined to the mainland by the floating bridge, so there is no ferry from Athens, Patras or Preveza. Ferries do sail from Lefkada to the nearby islands: a local ferry links Nidri with Meganisi in about 25 minutes, and in summer ferries go from Vasiliki to Kefalonia (Fiskardo, about 1 hour) and Ithaca. Read more about the ferries to Ithaca and Kefalonia.
By bus
Many regular interior lines in Greece - KTEL (Lefkada bus station tel. +30 26450 22364)
- From Athens
- From Thessaloniki
- From Igoumenitsa
- From Patras
- From Preveza
Plan your crossing
Book your ferry tickets
Need help?
If you need any help, please contact us. Our team is based in Lefkada.