Is Lefkada Town Worth Visiting? Top 10 Reasons To Visit
Going to Lefkada Greece? Check if Lefkada town is worth visiting for you.
If you are like us and are arriving from Preveza airport by car to the Greek island of Lefkada, then Lefkada town will be your first impression of the island. The bridge connecting mainland Greece with this island takes you straight into the heart of Lefkada town.
The capital city is the place where you can get anything you need: car and motorbike rental, accommodation, great restaurants, and boat trips.
That said, is Lefkada town worth visiting during your holiday on this stunning Ionian island?
Lefkada town is charming and diverse and is worth visiting. The town center with the narrow streets and colorful houses is a must-see. Walk along the marina to admire the view over the water and the many huge yachts. The town is also a great base for exploring Lefkada Island.
We did an amazing road trip on Lefkada island so we only spent three nights in the largest town on the island. But if you prefer to stick to one place to stay, then Lefkada is a great option.
Since we enjoyed staying in the main town of Lefkada, we can easily come up with 10 reasons why Lefkada town is worth visiting.
1. Lefkada Town Architecture
What we loved most about Lefkada town is that a huge part is made up of tiny streets with colorful houses.
The only way to explore this maze of streets is by foot or motorbike. This makes it ideal to stroll around and to get entirely lost.
Most of the streets have residential housing but there are a couple of hotels here as well. More towards the main square in town you will find restaurants, cafes, and shops.
The little streets almost all end up at the town’s main square or will lead you to the waterfront.
However, when taking the main road along the marina you can still find more traditional houses, often built with a base of stone and wood on the top.
2. Lefkada Town’s Marina
The town is surrounded by water. On the northern side, you can find a walkway along the water with the popular wooden bridge leading straight to town. This is a wonderful place to have something to drink and enjoy the beautiful sunset.
More towards the east side of Lefkada town you have the harbor. Over the years this harbour has been dramatically upgraded to receive the many yachts docking here.
We were impressed by the amount of huge yachts here. The one was bigger and more luxurious than the other.
The Ionian islands are of course a great place to explore by boat and we can imagine that Lefkada town would be an ideal location to start exploring more inland.
3. Lefkada Town’s Nearby Beaches and Sealake
It might not be immediately evident when walking through town, but Lefkada town has a couple of great beaches nearby (within 10 minutes). They are ideal if you are staying in Lekfada town but don’t feel like driving too far to other beaches.
While these beaches are usually not mentioned in the top 10 best beaches of Lefkada, you will be surprised how nice they still are.
On the east side, just crossing the main bridge you can find Kastro and Ammoglosa Beach. There are hardly any waves on these sandy beaches. These beaches are mainly popular among locals, so the perfect beach to take in the Greek vibe.
On the west side of town, you have a long strip of beach called Agios Ioannis. In the afternoon the wind often sets in making the water difficult to swim in. It is however the best place for wind and kite surfing.
When we were there, we drove a whole loop along the bridge taking a left and driving on the Peninsula. The road eventually took us to several parts of Agios Ioannis beach. For undeveloped beaches go to the Northern part of Agios Ioannis.
At the southern tip, you will find accommodation and restaurants. It is all very low-key and still pretty underdeveloped. I liked the atmosphere here. I can imagine that a lot of beach villages in Lefkada used to look like this many years ago.
The lagoon within the peninsula is a sea lake that attracts a huge number of migratory birds at the beginning of the autumn. Many birds stay here during the winter months such as herons, cormorants, and swans.
Beaches a within 30-minute drive:
Agios Nikitas and Milos Beach
Agios Nikitas is a really cute village. It can get extremely busy, especially its little beach. Luckily the beautiful Milos beach is just around the corner, which you can reach by foot or by boat.
Pefouklia beach
This is probably one of our favorite beaches near Lefkada town. When driving towards it you will immediately be struck by how it looks from above. The colors in the water are amazing.
Once at the beach, it can look very busy during the high season. But again, if you walk further down the beach you are going to find a spot almost all to yourself.
Kathisma Beach
Just passed Agios Nikitas you will find a sign pointing to Kathisma. The drive to this beach is very easy. To be honest we didn’t stay long. There is a whole string of sunloungers and umbrellas on the beach that belong to the many restaurants located there too.
Compared to other beaches, it seems too organized, especially with the additional activities such as paragliding. That said, if you want to do the latter, then we highly recommend doing that here. The view from above must be spectacular.
Beaches at Nidri and Nikiana
On the west side of Lefkada town, you can find the popular villages Nidri and Nikiana. Both villages have patches of beach along the (busy) main road. A popular one is Episkopos Beach in Nikiana.
But there are a lot more behind the string of restaurants and hotels in town as well.
In Nidri, we ended up on a small patch of beach near a beach club. If this is something you would like, then we suggest checking this area out
4. Choices in Restaurants and Cafes in Lefkada Town
Not surprisingly there are loads of restaurants to choose from in Lekfada town. You can find anything you feel like, from traditional Greek food and Italian to even burgers and fries.
Yes, they have it all.
You can find nice places all through town. We enjoyed dinner along the marina, where it felt less crowded, and enjoyed the ocean breeze. Plus our son could easily check out all the boats while waiting for dinner to be served.
For the best food, we avoid choosing a restaurant in the main square. Instead, we suggest going to the little restaurants tucked away in the little streets.
We were surprised that along the northern part of the island, there weren’t many restaurants along the water. Instead, this is a great place to be for a nice drink at the end of the day while enjoying the sunset.
Besides the busiest part of town, there are many cafes around Lefkada. All serve delicious cakes, coffee, and lunch. You will not go hungry here.
5. Lefkada Town Sights
Lefkada town has numerous museums you can visit. It might not be the first thing you would think of during the summer months, but it is ideal for a quick visit on a rainy day.
Angelos Sikelionos Museum, a musuem about the ecumenical Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos. The museum itself is located in this birth house and is found in the city center.
Archaeological Museum of Lefkada. It’s a small museum with rooms in which periods are chronically represented. One room covers the earlier historical life of the residents of Lefkada, while the other has statues of deities and artifacts of funeral monuments, urns, and costumes. One room is dedicated to the archaeologist William Dorpfeld, who conducted a lot of excavations on Lefkada.
Church Agios Nikolaos: tucked away within the little streets of Lefkada town you will walk by it unnoticed. The historical Greek Orthodox church looks beautiful on the outside, presumably amazing inside. We didn’t get a chance to have a look but if you do get the opportunity, then we highly suggest taking a peek.
Castle of Agia Maura. Just before you cross the bridge from the Greek mainland to Lefkada you will find the ruins of the castle of Agia Maura. It was built to protect the island from pirates and enemies. The remains are pretty evident you can easily see them just before crossing the bridge to Lefkada.
6. Rentals from Lefkada Town
Since Lefkada town is the main town of the island, you can pretty much arrange anything here. Including rentals
The best way to fully enjoy the island to the fullest is to rent wheels. In Lefkada town, there are dozens of rental companies along the main street that rent out scooters, ATVs, cars, and even bicycles.
Choice is in abundance making it easy to arrange something in town.
We rented our motorbikes at Lefkas on Wheels. They were very helpful and super friendly when we needed to change our bookings.
But more importantly, when we had trouble with one of our bikes, they immediately sent someone to fix it on the spot.
With this in mind, you will be driving to every corner of the island carefree.
If you don’t want to rent but still want to explore the island independently then Lekfada town is a good starting point. The main bus on the island leaves from here and goes to other seaside villages on the island such as Vasiliki and Nidri.
In the summer months, the local bus goes quite frequently.
7. Easy Day trips from Lefkada Town
As mentioned earlier, when staying in Lefkada town everything is within an hour’s driving distance. So going on day trips from Lefkada is one of the best things you can do to fully discover the beauty of the island and its stunning beaches.
Here are 4 suggestions for a great day trip:
1. Day trip Egremni Beach and Porto Katsiki Beach
These are probably the most famous beaches of Lefkada island and we can fully understand why.
Egremni Beach is a long long-stretched beach set along white cliffs. The combination of the white sand and the steep cliffs together with the amazing blue Ionian sea is stunning.
There is a catch though….
It is quite a hike down to get there. First, you need to walk downhill for 1km followed by hundreds of stairs. It isn’t all too bad, since you will be admiring the view the whole time.
The bad thing is walking back up….so be prepared.
Porto Katsiki Beach is a short drive from Egremni Beach. This makes it ideal to combine a visit to these beaches. This beach is smaller than Egremni so it fills up quickly in the summer season.
That said, try to find a spot furthest away from the entrance. You are likely to find a quiet spot here.
We highly suggest stopping at Taverna Oasis, located just at the junction to Porto Katsiki. It is a great spot for lunch or something small.
2. Day trip Waterfall and Mountains
While Lefkada Island is famous for its amazing beaches, the Nydri Waterfalls (also known as Dimosari Waterfalls) are worth visiting. The hike along the river gorge is pretty doable.
The waterfall and its green vegetation are very pretty. But what we particularly loved was the fact that we could swim in the water.
It can get pretty busy here so try to go early in the morning.
From the Nydri Waterfalls continue driving the mountains to Karya, a cute mountain village known for its winery. Then return to Lefkada downhill through the mountains again. From here you will have magnificent views of Lefkada town.
If you have lots of time left, you can also drive from Karya to one of the western coast beaches such as Avali Beach, Kavalikefta Beach, Milos Beach near the village of Agios Nikitas and Pefkoulia Beach.
It is quite a detour to get to Avali or Kavalikefta Beach but the road through the mountains is wonderful. You will pass little villages and have amazing views of the ocean.
3. Day trip Vasiliki and Karya
Vasiliki is a nice town located in the south of Lefkada island. It is known as a place for water sports, such as windsurfing.
We particularly enjoyed having Greek Yoghurt with fruit and lunch in the center of town, which is located along a harbor.
Instead of taking the main road from Lefkada town to Vasiliki we highly recommend taking the route passing the mountain villages of Karya, Egklouvi, Manasi, and Nikolis.
The mountain area offers wonderful panoramic views and lush vegetation, even in the summer months.
Once in Vasiliki head to the famous and gorgeous Agiofili beach before heading back to Lefkada.
Either choose the main road on the west side which is somewhat quieter than the east and stop at Agios Nikitas.
Or visit the wonderful villages of Sivota or Mikros Gialos on the southern part of the island before heading to Nidri or Nikiana to enjoy a fresh fish dinner. The road along the eastern coast of the island is very busy though, so expect more traffic here.
4. Day trip West Coast Beaches Hopping
The west coast offers the most incredible cliff beaches set along crystal clear waters. To get there you will be driving along small winding and twisting roads down to the beaches. It is a fun driving experience.
You can head to Avali Beach with the nearby Gaidores and Kavalikefta Beach.
Avali and Kavalikefta are quite busy but if you make the effort and walk further away you will leave the crowd behind. There are a couple of small restaurants here.
The beach in Gaidores is a bit rougher due to the many stones and boulders, however, like everywhere in Lefkada the water is crystal clear here. So a wonderful beach to be on as well.
Gialos Beach is a 1-hour drive and a bit further away than the beaches mentioned above.
However, driving to this beach is nice as it will take you through a lot of olive groves. There are many stands selling olive oils too, so definitely a great place to get some.
Gialos beach is pretty long making it an ideal place to go to if you want some space.
There are two beach shacks here which are perfect for lunch.
All these beaches have an extremely relaxed atmosphere. Perhaps because there aren’t many hotels or other activities going on here.
8. Day trip Sailboat cruises from Lefkada Town
While most boat day trips leave from Nidri, you can find a lot of sailing companies in Lefkada town. This is the starting point of many sailboat cruises that often last a week. During this cruise, you will explore Lefkada and its small islands.
When in Lefkada we spoke to a couple of people who spent two weeks in Lefkada: one week on a sailboat and one week on the island. They all had the best time and recommended it.
We can imagine how amazing it would be to explore these nearby islands, perhaps even see dolphins, and to be able to jump in the amazing turquoise waters whenever you feel like it.
We are sure to explore these options if we would travel to Lefkada again.
9. Just 15 minutes from Nidri and Nikiana
While Lefkada Town is the main city of the island, Nidri is the tourist hotspot. You can find loads of hotels here, just like restaurants and the typical tourist shops. Plus along the main road, there is easy access to the beaches with calm waters and there are tons of excursions leaving from here too to the small islands nearby.
But the great thing about this part of the island is that you can go on a boat trip all by yourself. There are many boat rentals to choose from and the best part is that you don’t need a license to rent one.
There isn’t any open water here making it ideal to hop on a small boat and explore the many bays and hidden beaches along the east coast.
You would expect it to be pretty expensive to rent a small boat. But when we were there, during the high season we saw that you could book one for 150 euros for the day.
It’s a lot of course for just a day. But if you are like us, a family of three, and would go on an organized day trip (we did sea kayaking) then you will pay almost the same.
Nidri and Nikiana are located along the busy main road, making it less attractive to walk along. However, Nidri has a pedestrian zone where you can find many restaurants and shops.
The water along these two villages is very pretty and very calm. Making it ideal for swimming and water sports.
While it is a popular area to stay at, we preferred staying in Lekfada town. Luckily Lefkada town is just a 15-minute drive from Nidri. So if you do need to be there for a boat tour, to rent a boat or just to explore the area, it is very easy to get there.
10. Lefkada Town is near Preveza Airport
This is probably the most practical reason why Lefkada town is worth visiting and staying. It is the nearest to Aktion International Airport, also known as Preveza Airport. Direct flights leave and depart from here.
If you haven’t arranged any transportation before your arrival, then there are taxis here that can take you to Lefkada Island.
It isn’t the cheapest but if you need to go to Lefkada town then you will pay 40 euros. Other destinations on the island are more expensive.
With this in mind, this makes Lefkada town ideal if you plan to arrange a rental to explore the island once you arrive in Lekfada. Or if you have an early flight the next day, then you can arrange an early pickup and you are at the airport in 20 minutes.
So is Lefkada Town Worth Visiting for you?
As you can tell we highly recommend visiting Lefkada town. Whether it is just for a quick visit (we recommend late afternoon) to wander through the little streets or to stay here during your Lefkada holiday.
It has a lot to offer when it comes to accommodation, restaurants, and shopping. Additionally, Lefkada Island is very small, so you will be anywhere on the island within an hour.
That said, most of the tourism is centered in Nidri town. We think that many tourists end up here because many hotels are included in holiday package deals.
Nidri has a nice little pedestrian-only street plus a beautiful harbour. The ocean water is nice too, however, we didn’t find a lot of nice beaches. Additionally, the town itself is located right along the main road of the island.
To get to and from Nidri you will always need to pass this road. Getting around Lefkada town is more pleasant. You can take the little roads to get anywhere in town.
We also enjoyed the beautiful beaches along the west coast more, which are easier accessible from Lefkada town than Nidri.
So if you have a hard time choosing between these two we highly suggest Lefkada town. But that is of course based on our experience and views.