How Many Days For Lefkada? 3-days to 1-Week Itinerary

Planning to explore Lefkada and wondering how many days you need for this stunning island?

For our summer holiday, we visited this little island located in the Ionian Sea and we loved every minute of it. We spent two whole weeks exploring this Lefkada island at an extremely slow pace. But how many days would we suggest after visiting one of the less visited Greek islands?

Lefkada is a small island and the main road will easily take you around the island within 2 hours. This makes it possible to see the best of the island in just three days. However, to fully discover hidden beaches, little roads, and small villages, we suggest going for at least 1 week.

The travel itinerary we made for our 2-week trip turned out pretty well. Of course, there are a couple of things we would have done differently and from our time in Lefkada, we have created a great 3-day and 1-week itinerary.

Our itineraries will take you to the most beautiful places island and have you swimming in the bluest waters you have ever seen…

We hope that the travel information and itineraries we provide here will save you time when planning your trip to Lefkada Island. 

Before we dive into our suggested itinerary, let’s check out things you might want to know before heading to Lefkada.

How To Get To Lefkada Island

Lefkada is one of the many Ionian islands on the west coast of Greece. It’s just a 5 hours drive from Athens. While Lefkada is considered an island you can easily reach it by car.

A bridge connects Lefkada with mainland Greece. 

There is no airport on Lefkada island. The closest airport is located in Preveza and is called Aktion National Airport, mainly known as Preveza Airport (PVK). The airport is just a 25-minute (depending on the traffic) drive to Lefkada town, the main town of Lefkada located in the north of the island.

If there is no pick-up included in your hotel booking, then there is a taxi stand on the right side of the airport exit.

There is no meter in the taxi, so make sure you confirm the price before hopping in. We had arranged a hotel in Lefkada town and the taxi trip was 40 euros. If you have to go further to let’s say Nydri or Agios Nikitas, then the price will be slightly higher. 

Rental companies have a lot of cars parked at the airport too. So if you plan to explore Lefkada by car then you should check out the option for airport pick-up.

There is a bus service from the Preveza airport to Lefkada town. However, you do need to be patient since it doesn’t go frequently.

We arrived around 8 in the morning the lady at the airport information desk told us that the next was at 10. So we decided to take a taxi instead. Besides, on a hot summer day, you don’t want to be walking around from the bus stop searching for your accommodation. 

In the summer months ferries run from the nearby island of Kefalonia to Lefkada island as well.

When is the best time to visit Lefkada island?

Weatherwise the best time to travel to Lefkada are in June, July, and August. During these summer months you’ll have hardly any chance of rain and the sun will be up for an average of 14 hours. The ideal beach weather I would say.

But….

These months are of course during the European summer season and is the peak season when it comes to tourists visiting the island.

We visited Lefkada at the beginning of July. Yes, it was busy but not extremely busy yet. Some beaches were overcrowded and you literally couldn’t find a spot to sit.

Avoid the crowd during the summer season by going to the long stretched beaches instead of the little cliff beaches

We really loved the clear blue sky and the sun glittering on the amazing Ionian sea but the temperatures could get extreme. Walking along the beach at 42 degrees Celsius can turn into a sweaty challenge.

Make sure to bring a hat and a sun umbrella (sold everywhere on the island) with you. These two things are very essential. 

If you want to avoid the crowd then April, May, September, or October are good options.

Temperatures are around 20-25 degrees Celsius making it ideal to stroll along the beach, discover the villages, and hike through the mountains.

We can imagine that in September and perhaps even in October the water can still be nice for those who don’t mind some cold swimming. During this time many restaurants and accommodations are open, unlike in the winter months.

In the months November, December, January, February, and March are the months when the island gets the most rainfall and temperatures can plummet to 10 degrees Celsius.

While you can always tour around and enjoy Lefkada town, the beaches and the mountain scenery, we don’t recommend going in these months. Lefkada is the perfect beach destination and it would be a shame if you can not fully enjoy it. 

A friendly lady at our accommodation mentioned that the rain has become unpredictable over the years. She told us we were lucky that we had not been there a couple of weeks earlier (end of June) because it rained every day for weeks on end.

So to be on the very safe side go for the summer months.

Unlike other Greek islands, Lefkada is somewhat cooler and still has a lot of lush greenery making it still very attractive despite the summer heat. 

How to get around Lefkada

The best way to get around the island is on wheels. In the busy summer months, we strongly suggest getting a motorbike instead of a car or ATV. Only if you are comfortable driving one of course.

A motorbike has a lot of advantages such as:

1. Easy parking! This is the number one reason to go for two wheels. Especially during the summer months, it is really difficult to find a parking space. Most beaches have a car park, but these fill up quickly. We even saw cars parked far from the beach while others found spots right along the edge of a steep road. You need to be skilled in parking to be confident enough to do that!
2. Lefkada is a small island so you won’t be driving for hours on end which is perfect if you go on a motorbike
3. The roads down to the beaches are pretty narrow and steep making it more comfortable on a motorbike
4. It’s more fun as you can stop wherever you want or turn around to head back more easily. 

The great thing about renting a motorbike in Greece is that you are allowed to rent a 125CC bike if you have had your driving license for more than 4 years.

A 125cc bikes are the best options for tackling steep hills and driving on dirt roads. There are 50cc bikes as well and they are perfect for exploring nearby beaches.

Don’t worry, most scooters are automatic such as the Sym Symphony. These are the most easiest scooters you can drive.

We rented our bikes at Lefkas on Wheels. They are quick at responding to your emails and are there ASAP if something is wrong with your bike.

At one point we were in the south of island when one of our bikes didn’t want to start. Within 40 minutes someone from Lefkas on Wheels arrived and fixed it on the spot. We hadn’t even finished our lunch yet!

When doing a Lefkada road trip on a motorbike you need to travel light.  All you can take with you is a small backpack which you can place in front of your legs or tie it on the back. Make sure you bring tie-ons so you can attach your bag to the back of the motorbike.

If you don’t want to tour around on a motorbike like we did, we recommend renting motorbike for a day trip if possible. They also have ATVs. It looks cool, but we saw that they had trouble parking at the beaches as well.

It is just less stressful by motorbike as you will have no problem with narrow roads and with parking.

There are a lot of car rentals on the island. As mentioned earlier, if you are arriving at the airport you might want to arrange a pick-up there.

Finding the best place to stay in Lefkada

If you are heading to the beautiful island Lekfada then you either can:

• stay at one village and explore the island from there OR
• do a road trip and stay at different villages during your trip to the island.

Both options are good of course. We stayed at 5 different villages and all of them were very different.

If you are still unsure where to stay in Lefkada then we highly suggest checking out Lefkada Town and Vasiliki as a base. They are good starting points for day trips to the most famous beaches of the island.

Looking for a small beach town? Then we recommend Agios Nikitas (very popular so it can be crowded) and Mikros Gialos. We also give suggestions on where to stay in our itinerary below.

Our 3-day Lefkada itinerary 

While we suggest staying as long as possible in Lefkada we understand that you might be looking for an ideal mid-week or long weekend destination or you just want to combine several Greek islands in one trip.

Lefkada is a small island so it is perfect for a short visit. We suggest going for at least 3 full days. 

If you are flying into Lefkada many European charter flights are arriving really early in the morning, making it perfect to stay 3 nights with an early flight back home on your 4th day. 

For this 3-day itinerary, you need to book your accommodation in Lefkada town and rent a car or motorbike for your entire stay.

Additionally, you will be renting a boat for a day from Nidri. Make sure you arrange this on time as well, since most websites don’t have direct bookings. You will need to email them first to confirm dates and availability. 

Upon arrival check the wind conditions first, since the beaches along the west coast are less suitable for swimming when there is a strong wind. Depending on the wind conditions, you can also switch days 2 and 3. 

Day 1 Exploring the North

Morning

In the morning after leaving your bags behind at the accommodation or after breakfast head out to arrange a motorbike and car.

From Lefkada town head towards the west to Pefkoulia beach, just 15 minutes drive away. 

Before you arrive at this sandy beach don’t forget to stop at the lookout point where you can take in the amazing colors of the water.

Once at the beach, you can either stay near the beach restaurants or head towards the right where the crowd slowly fades.

There are hardly any rocks here and we spent hours just relaxing in the water. 

Before you go enjoy a refreshing drink or lunch at the restaurant before continuing to Agios Nikitas which is located just 10 minutes away.  

Afternoon

At Agios Nikitas walk along the road through the picturesque village. Make sure you have some lunch here before continuing to the beach as there will be no possibility to get something afterward.  

At the end of the main street, you will end up at the beach. This village beach is small and it can get full pretty quickly.

You can either take a dip here to cool off or immediately hop on the boat that will take you to Milos Beach, a stunning stretched beach around the next cliff. 

The boat will drop you off at the beginning at the beach where most of the people will stay. For a bit more space we suggest walking a bit further down.

The boat will return soon enough for pick-up. But you can also decide to tackle the steep stairs uphill where there is a path that will take you back to Agios Nikitas. 

Alternatively if you love water sports activities, you can continue driving a bit further to Kathisma Beach. This is beach has all the facilities you can imagine, such as sun beds, beach bars en even a swimming pool. This is a popular beach to go paragliding.

To be very honest, we prefer the quiet low key beaches. So if you are like us, head to Milos beach instead of Kathisma beach.

Evening

Towards the late afternoon head back to Lefkada town and wander the narrow streets in the old part of Lekfada. There are numerous restaurants in town.

We particularly like sitting along the waterfront where you have a full view of the harbor with its many boats.

For drinks and a bit of nightlife head to the northern part of town, at the little bridge where you will find more cafes than restaurants. 

Make sure you buy enough water and snacks for your boat trip tomorrow.

 Day 2 Exploring the East

Morning

Try to wake up as soon as possible and head off towards Nydri after breakfast. The main road isn’t all too fun to drive but don’t worry you will soon see signs pointing you to Nydri Waterfalls.

It’s about a 30-minute drive from Lefkada to Nydri, and we really enjoyed the last bit. It is kind of a residential area however a lot of lush greenery and a quiet narrow road. Once at Nydri Waterfall park your motorbike or car and continue walking. 

It is about a 20-minute hike up along the river. It isn’t that tough but don’t expect a smooth pavement and even stairs. There are benches along the way to take in the beautiful nature. 

We were there in the morning however it was still pretty busy. Towards the end, the path along the gorge is very narrow so everything went at a slow pace. But once at the waterfall, all we wanted to do was jump in!  

Late Morning – Afternoon

From the waterfalls take the drive to Nidri. Depending on where you have rented a small boat, it will take you around 15 minutes to get there.

Before jumping in the boat head to the bakery for some delicious bread or get a takeaway from the many restaurants there. 

You will get instructions from the owner who will also let you know where you can find the deserted beaches. Being on the water is a whole different experience than driving to the beaches.

Don’t forget to check out the underwater world. 

Evening

Once you have returned to the boat we recommend finding a restaurant nearby. The sunset in Nidri is something you want to take in before heading back to Lefkada town. 

Day 3 Exploring the West

Morning

On the last day, we will be driving along the west coast of the island. As always, we try to avoid driving the same road twice, and besides you don’t want to miss the gorgeous mountains of Lefkada.

So after breakfast drive from Lekfada to the mountain village Karya. Google will give you several suggestions so make sure you pick the one that takes you straight into the mountain.

The drive will be around 30 minutes including first-class views of Lefkada town and its sea lakes.

Once in Karya enjoy a drink under the huge trees at the main square. This little village is known for its delicious wines. So if you love one then this is the place to get yourself a bottle of Lefkada wine.

When you are ready it is time to continue your journey to the west coast of the island. 

Morning & Afternoon

From Karya Square, you will drive towards the west. Make sure you take the sharp corner uphill immediately after you have left the town center. If you miss this, Google Maps will take you everywhere through town.

From here on just enjoy the lush mountain vegetation and the stunning views. There was hardly any traffic and the roads brought us through little mountain villages, along mountain valleys where we continuously had amazing views

Along this 50-minute drive, there are 3 beautiful beaches. If you like beach hopping then you should choose just two. If you want to enjoy a full day at the beach then we suggest choosing one. 

The first beach you will drive by is Gialos Beach. The road to the beach is a fun ride as it will take you downhill along the many olive groves. It is a beautiful pebbled beach and it is the least busiest of the 3. While it isn’t the most famous and not as breathtaking as the other two, we loved relaxing at the beach.

The water is clear and it is the ideal place if you want to loose the crowd…

After Gialos Beach, you have Egremni Beach. This is one of the most famous beaches of Lekfada as it was once named the most beautiful beach in the world.

We fully understand why…

The view of the beach, the sand, the bright white cliffs, and most of all the blue water is just amazing.

Make sure you are fit to tackle the 1 km hike up and down plus 350 stairs. If you want to spend the whole day there, bring food and drinks with you.

There is a small restaurant just before you turn from the main road into the smaller one. They can arrange take-away as well if you want. 

The third beach is Porto Katsiki, probably the number two famous beach of Lefkada. Things are a bit more organized here. There are a couple of restaurants and a huge parking area. There is no hiking involved, only the steps.

Since this beach is much smaller than the previous 2 we suggested, it can get pretty crowded here. But still, the view and the water make it worth visiting. 

Between Porto Katsiki and Egremni Beach, there is a wonderful place called Oasis Taverna along the main road. It’s a perfect place to have something to eat or drink between the two beach visits.

They have a nice seating area and a huge garden. If you are traveling with children, then there are swings and huts to play in.  

Evening

Towards the end of the afternoon head back to Lefkada town. We suggest sticking to the main road since it can be dark. It’s a long drive, 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45, depending on where you are coming from.

Once in Lefkada, return the motorcycle and relax at the waterfront to enjoy your last evening in Lefkada. 

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Our 7-day Lefkada itinerary

As mentioned earlier, we spent two whole weeks in Lefkada. So how did we spend our two whole weeks? By making a lot of detours and on some days we would just relax the entire day at one beach.

In total, we stayed in 5 places (Lefkada town, Karya, Vasiliki, Micros Gialos, and Nikiana) and we saw 20 beaches during our trip.

Every single beach was gorgeous in its own way. And while it is great to see so many beaches, in the end, we can pretty much guarantee that no matter which beach you visit in Lekfada, they are all great. So don’t worry about missing out. 

This 7-day itinerary is a road trip, meaning you will not always be spending one night at the same hotel.

We prefer traveling like this because:

1. we try to avoid driving the same road twice

2. each location has a different character resulting in new experiences

3. if you did book horrible accommodation you don’t have to stay there the entire trip

That said, if you prefer to stick to the same hotel, then that is ok too. If so we suggest staying in Lefkada town and/or Vasiliki. If you take to the main road, then most beaches and sights are just less than 1.5 hours away.

The places that you will be staying at in this itinerary are:

Day 1 Agios Nikitas 

Morning

Once you are arrived at Lefkada island head into Lefkada town to arrange a motorbike or a car if you haven’t picked one up yet at the airport.

Perhaps you want to have a drink at the harbor before heading to Agios Nikitas, just a 30-minute drive away. You will pass a stunning viewpoint of Pefkoulia beach. Make sure you stop here to get an idea of what the beaches will look like this upcoming week.

Afternoon

At Agios Nikitas check in at your accommodation, and enjoy a nice Greek lunch before heading to the beach.

Agios Nikitas has its own nice beach which is probably more fun to visit in the early morning before the crowd arrives.

For this afternoon we suggest going to Milos beach, either by boat or on foot climbing over the hill. You can do both of course as well.

Relax at Milos Beach and enjoy the fact that you are finally on the amazing island of Lefkada.

Evening

Once you have returned from the beach, stroll around the cute village of Agios Nikitas. Try to get some snacks for the next day. 

Day 2 Avali, Gaidores, Kavalikefta and/or Gialos Beach

Morning

For tonight you can either arrange accommodation at Vasiliki or book accommodation along the route such as Chortata or Komilio. These are tiny villages though and not many tourists spend a night here, so don’t expect a large selection of accommodations or restaurants.  

Once breakfast is done it is time for a whole day of exploring beaches. If you want to see as much as possible you can do all 3 suggested beaches in the morning. They are located near each other:

1. Avali beach
2. Gaidores beach
3. Kavilikefta beach

Want a more relaxing time?

We recommend doing two, such as Avali OR Gaidores Beach (both located next to each other on the same dirt road) and Kavilikefta beach.

Or just stay in this part of the coast the whole day, and skip the beach (Gialos beach) we suggest going to in the afternoon.

To get to these three beaches you will experience the winding downhill road for the first time. It can get narrow towards the end as a lot of cars tend to park here.

Avali Beach is a long stretched soft sand beach. There are beach restaurants here too. When we were there it was pretty busy so we decided to continue taking the dirt road to see where it would take us.

Further away from the beach, it became quieter until we eventually came to the connecting beach Gaidoros. The beach here is more rough. Pebbles and rocks make up for the beach and you have huge boulders in the water.

Luckily the crystal-clear waters make it easy to maneuver around them. We decided to spend the first part of the morning here. 

To get from Avali or Gaidores Beach to Kavilikefta Beach drive a bit back until you arrive at the paved road and turn right here. Don’t worry, there are signs pointing you to the correct direction.

Kavalifketa is a more organized beach with lots of parking and a tiny restaurant.

It can get extremely busy here. To lose the crowd walk to the left side of the parking area, where you will find a long-stretched beach without the massive rocks.

Afternoon

From Avali/Kavalikefta to Gialos beach it’s a 45-minute drive. There are beach restaurants at Gialos so you can decide to have lunch there.

We particularly loved driving down the road to Gialos beach, along the many olive groves. The beach itself is quiet and is very long. You can either relax on the right side of the beach restaurants where you will feel like the only ones.

On the left side, there are many camper vans parked. It is quiet but somehow we had this feeling that we were continuously watched by the people sitting and relaxing in front of their camper van.

But again, if you walk further you will have whole patches of beach to yourself. Watch out when driving a motorbike in this section of the beach. The road has a lot of sandy parts. I lost balance and fell straight on my right side…

Evening

Depending on where you have booked your accommodation, enjoy a wonderful Greek dinner at a restaurant nearby.

If you have decided to stay at Vasiliki then we enjoyed having dinner in town, along the waterfront. There is a great atmosphere here and we loved the view over the water and mountains. 

Day 3 Egkremni and Porto Katsiki

Morning

Today is the day to visit the most popular beaches in Lefkada. If you are here during the summer season we suggest leaving early to enjoy the beach before the crowd arrives.

It’s up to you to decide which beach you wish to visit first. We visited Egremni Beach first which is a 35 minutes drive from Vasiliki followed by Porto Katsiki.

Egkremni was once announced as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and when we were approaching it we could see why. It is gorgeous.

As mentioned earlier it is pretty tough to get to the beach. The 1 km down and uphill can be a challenge, more so than the 400 steps along the cliff. While our son would disagree, we do think the pain and effort is worth it.

In the morning you can take advantage of the shade, but it will affect the pictures of the bright white sandy beach.

Afternoon

For the afternoon we headed to Porto Katsiki beach, which is a 30-minute drive from Egremni Beach. Along the way, we suggest having a nice lunch at Oasis Taverna, just along the main road at the junction of Porto Katsiki and Egremni Beach.

In our case, when we arrived at Porto Katsiki beach it was extremely busy. Not sure if this would be the case if we headed to this beach in the morning.

Unlike Egremni, there are a couple of stairs down to the beach but you don’t have to hike 1km. Perhaps this is the reason why it was way busier…

Again, try to walk much further down. The further you are away from the entrance of the beach the more quiet it will be.

For both Porto Katsiki and Egremni Beach we had to pay 2 euros per bike for parking. It might be 5 or 10 euros for a car. 

Day 4 Vasiliki to Karya and Nidri

Morning

For the morning you can either explore the beach at Vasiliki or take a 9-minute drive to the nearby cliff beach Agiofili.

Agiofili Beach is an extremely beautiful but also a popular beach. It is packed by the end of the morning.

So go early, perhaps swim before going for a scenic tour through the mountains towards Karya. 

Afternoon

Make sure you choose the route passing  Nikolis, Manasi, and Egklouvi. The landscape is very diverse, from hills to valleys and meadows.

In the summer it can get very hot so you would expect a dry climate, but in Lefkada, this is the opposite. 

At some points, you need to make a turn into a small almost hidden street. We drove past such streets numerous times. So don’t worry about losing the way, it is part of the deal. 

Evening

Once in Nidri, enjoy the water, have dinner along the waterfront or at a harbor, and end the day with a stunningly beautiful sunset

Day 5 Nidri Waterfalls, boat rental

Morning & Afternoon

Wake up early and after breakfast jump on your motorbike or in your car to head to the Nidri Waterfalls.

The waterfall and the hike along the river are wonderful, but the best part is to actually jump in the water. It is cold and it will wake you up in an instant, but most of all it is so much fun. 

After the refreshing dip head back to Nidri where a rented boat (which you should booked in advance) is waiting for you.

It’s time to explore the east coast and the beaches that are hardly or inaccessible by road.

Before you hop on get enough lunch at the bakery or restaurant for takeaway. You will be on the water the whole day!

Day 6 Ferry to Meganisi, explore Meganisi

Morning and Afternoon

In the summer season, there is a daily ferry heading from Nidri Harbor to Meganisi. Try to get the morning ferry so you can enjoy an entire day at Meganisi.

There are many stunning beaches with turquoise waters here and most of them are quiet, even in the peak season.

Unfortunately, we didn’t do proper research before heading to Lefkada and once there we regretted that we hadn’t included this island in our itinerary. You can head to the beaches by road but boat rentals here as well. Perfect if you want to go beach hopping from the water again. 

Evening

Relax and enjoy your accommodation at Meganisi

Day 7 Ferry back to Lefkada

Afternoon and Evening

After enjoying the morning at Meganisi, head to the ferry again for your last destination: Lefkada town.

From the first impression, Lefkada town seems to be a main road along the harbor, which is full of the most stunning luxurious yachts and boats.

But if you go on foot and take one of the narrow roads across the main street you will be surprised how cute this city is.

There is a whole maze of tiny streets with houses, shops, and restaurants. No cars are allowed here making it ideal to just wander. You will eventually end up at a square and a somewhat bigger street that will lead you back to the water.

In the north part of Lefkada town, you have a pedestrian-friendly road with terraces along the quiet water. Here you can also find the famous bridge of Lefkada where hundreds of people take pictures.

The restaurants here mainly serve drinks and snacks. For restaurants, we recommend finding something along the other side of the harbor. 

Conclusion: How many days for Lefkada?

Like always, these itineraries can be mixed and combined. As we mentioned, we stayed two whole weeks and could easily do it again.

But while we stayed on the island, we also met a couple of people who did two weeks Lefkada: one week on a sailing boat and one week on land.

Perhaps this is something for you?

Many sailing companies take you along many Ionian islands starting and ending in Lefkada. If you have your sailing license then you can even rent a sailing boat for yourself. Otherwise, it is possible to rent one privately with a captain included.

No matter how you explore this island, or where you decide to go we can assure you that you are going to have an unforgettable time.