By walking in Lefkada town travellers can meet the tiny, but amazing old town with colourful houses, long lines of taverns and coffee bars. This city is a beloved travel destination in Greece, because it is a cultural and historical center as well, highly recommended for sightseeing tours.

Where to find Lefkada town, capital of Lefkada Island

The capital of the island, Lefkada town is located 24 kilometers away from Preveza, 373 kilometers away from Athens, and 380 kilometers away from Thessaloniki. It lies on the north side of Lefkada Island, directly next to the floating bridge of Agia Mavra: the city was built next to the main entrance of the Greek mainland.

The nearest airport to Lefkada town is the International Airport of Preveza – Aktio, situated 20 only kilometers away, with direct connections by local buses. The capital is an important traffic hub, because the most significant roads of the island lead from here to the east coast and to the west coast both. The most popular seaside resorts of Lefkada Island, such as Nidri, Nikiana, Vasiliki, or Agios Nikitas can be reached from here as well, just as the most famous blue beaches.

The coastal tourist resorts and some mountain villages are connected to the bus station of Lefkada town, from where public buses run daily between the most significant villages.

Where to park in Lefkada town, best parking lots

Parking in Lefkada town is no complicated, because the best local parking lots were constructed next to the most important roads. The biggest parkings can be find in the southern and in the northern parts of the city. The first large car park is situated next to the main road at primary port, while the second parking lot lies at the end of the seaside promenade, directly next to the Archeological Museum of Lefkada (Cultural Center).

These parking lots can be used for free, and offer places for hundreds of cars. If you would like to avoid these parking lots, and you prefer to park your car on the streets, there are also options, but the inner streets are usually much filled by cars. The main bus station of Lefkada (KTEL Lefkadas) is located near the southern parking lot, in the direction of Nidri. Directly next to the southern port a small bus stop was built, but the central bus station lies 700 meters away from there.

Lefkada town informations, which you should know

The name of Lefkada town is the same as the island, similar to a lot of islands in Greece: the city is known as Λευκάδα or Lefkas. The capital is the largest town of the island with its 10,000 inhabitants, and belong to a medium sized settlements of Greece. As you can see on the photos, the houses of Lefkada town were built on the most flattest part of the island, and there are just a few suburban parts, which are situated on the surrounding hills.

The local history is quite interesting, because the capital has ancient roots. On the surrounding hills the ancient city of Lefkas (Leukas) flourished a few thousands of years ago, and was a leader settlement of the region. Ancient Lefkas had modern society with an own army, significant naval fleet and economy.

After Romans were founded the city of Nicopolis, just a few kilometers away from ancient Lefkas, the city slowly lost its importance. In the middle ages the area of the capital was under the control of Venetians, who made the town important again and developed its economy. The Venetians built a strong fort near the town to protect Lefkada, known today as Agia Mavra.

Today Lefkada town is the center of local economy, where most services and shops operate in Lefkada Island. The largest port of the region is situated here, which is slightly bigger than Nidri marina: dozens of sailboats, elegant yachts and small ribs dock here. This marina is equipped by boat repair facilites as well.

The port of Lefkada town has probably the calmest waters in the area of Ionian Islands, it is very well protected from open sea currents, from bigger waves and from the western winds both. Very important informations for travellers: from this port there are no daily boat trips and excursions, which sail famous beaches of the west coastline.

What to see in Lefkada town on a sightseeing tour

Lefkada town is not just a capital and the largest settlement on the island, but has several reasons for a visit during a holiday. If you are looking for best places for sightseeing and for picturesque streets in Lefkada Island, you should definitely visit Lefkada town!

The most beautiful streets of Lefkada town are located on the north side of the town, where a seaside promenade and a pedestrian road were constructed. This charming coastal promenade was named after the famous Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos (Aggelou Sikelianou), who was born in Lefkada Island.

The houses of the narrow street were built mostly in colourful Venetian style, with sea views to a small canal, where coffee bars and restaurants are waiting for guests. Sikelianos street is closed for road traffic in the evenings between 18:00 – 06:00, when this road becomes one of the most visited pedestrian streets during the bustling summer nights.

The cocktail bars of this place are the heart of the bustling nightlife of Lefkada, especially during weekends from July until September. Next to the promenade there flows a narrow canal, called often as Kanali by the locals, connected by small culverts to the neighboring lagoon, and to the Ionian Sea.

The iconic wooden bridge of Lefkada town is situated also here, which is a highly recommended place by travellers to make the best photos. This local attraction is famous by its magical sunsets, and belong to the best sunset spots in Lefkada Island. In recent years in front of the wooden bridge there is a small fishing boat, illuminated often at nights. On maps you can find Lefkada wooden bridge as “Ξύλινη Γέφυρα Λευκάδας” in Greek language.

Most museums of the city can be visited near the coastal promenade, such as the Archaeological Museum of Lefkada (Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Λευκάδας) and Museum of Angelos Sikelianos (Μουσείο Άγγελου Σικελιανού).

Visit Lefkada old town, where hidden gems can be find

Behind the seaside promenade you can discover the charming old town of Lefkada. The colorful houses are not so old as they seem, but many buildings were constructed in traditional Venetian style, decorated with fragrant flowers and other plants. Especially the narrowest alleys of the old town are charming, so when we explore Lefkada town on a sightseeing, it’s worth to walk around and discover these hidden gems.

The best pedestrian street in Lefkada town, which is also the longest on the entire island, starts from the wooden bridge. This charming street is filled by coffee bars, clothing and souvenir stores, small squares and tiny churches from the medieval era: during summer evenings this place getting filled by locals and travellers both.

The main square of the old town is situated also here, where bars and restaurants are waiting for guests. On the north side of the square you can meet one of the oldest churches of the town, St. Spyridon Church or Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Σπυρίδωνα in Greek – it was under renovation for long time.

When you walk around the streets, you will meet a lot of hidden gems of the old town, most of the old chapels and churches can be find here. The oldest church is called Pantokratoras, and it was built by the Venetians in the 17th century.

Local services, supermarkets and shops in Lefkada town

Almost every streets and small squares in Lefkada town has its own restaurants, cocktail bars, supermarkets, bakeries, souvenir shops, and clothing stores. Most of the stores open at 9 AM, but the largest local supermarkets (AB Vasilopoulos, Sklavenitis, Lidl, etc), which open earlier.

A lot of shops are open until late night in the capital, but some of these are closed during afternoons, and reopen a few hours later. You can find in the city the widest range of services: banks, ATM-s, hairdressers, car and tire repairs, fuel stations – literally everything you need.

The largest supermarkets in Lefkada town are AB Vasilopoulos, My Market, LIDL, Sklavenitis, which are located 1-2 kilometers away from the center, primarily in the southern area of the city. These significant supermarkets have free and spacious parking lots, and are very well equipped, offering the widest range of goods in Lefkada island.

The capital has numerous fuel stations, such as Aegean, Shell or BP, mostly built in the outskirts. Refuelling a car or bike is easy, these petrol stations can be accessed from the southern ring road. The general hospital of Lefkada Island is situated in the southern outskirts, near Agios Ioannis.

Best beaches near Lefkada town

Among the beaches of Lefkada town there are some stunning beaches with unique features, which are worth to visit. Most of these local beaches are situated on the narrow northern areas, which encircle the lagoon of the city. The nearest place for swimming is Ammoglossa beach, situated near the floating bridge of Agia Mavra. This travel destination reminds many visitors to a shallow lagoon at some places. Next to Ammoglossa we can find Kastro beach, just a minute walk from there.

Sligthly further away from Kastro starts the long Gira beach, which is partly organized by some beach bars and sunbeds at some places. The seabed of Gira is filled by rocks and coarse sand, and the water is shallow at many places. The best beach near Lefkada town is Agios Ioannis beach in our opinion, where the old windmills and the kitesurfers of Lefkada can be find. The sea has incredible colours in the area of Agios Ioannis beach, therefore visitors mention it often as the ‘Caribbean beach of Lefkada.’

All of these beaches near Lefkada town can be reached by a 25-50 minutes of walking from the city center, but if we using bicycles or cars to exploring the highlights, it’s much easier and quicker.

The nearest ‘big’ blue’ beach of the west coast is the wide and spacious Pefkoulia beach, which lies 9 kilometers away from here, while other local highlights, such as Mylos beach and Kathisma beach are situated 13-14 kilometers away.

Local apartments and studios in Lefkada town, where to stay in the area

Lefkada town is a great location for holidays in Greece for many travellers. It’s location is good in the island, because several gems of the west coast can be accessed quite easy from here – Kathisma beach, Pefkoulia beach and Mylos beach are situated within 16 kilometers. The bustling streets of the capital offer many attractions for a sightseeing, which can be recommended for adults and for children as well.

In the center of the city and in the outskirts within 2-3 kilometers many apartments, studios and hotels were built, from budget rooms to higher quality apartments, exclusive villas and boutique hotels.

Find partments and hotels in Lefkada town and Agios Ioannis and book now!

Book a hotel or a room directly in the town center is recommended primarily for those travellers, who are looking for cozy hotels and who like bustling atmospheres. The outskirts are much calmer: just 2 kilometers away from the central areas we can find a small resort, known as Agios Ioannis. Most apartments of this tiny settlement were built in an old olive forest, but Agios Ioannis has beautiful beach, and can be highly recommended for a stay for families and couples.

Lefkada town photos and infos

On a holiday in Lefkada Island, Greece it’s worth to visit the capital, at least for a sightseeing. We are sure that its charming streets, the atmospheres of the old town with its bustling pedestrian streets will impress everyone!

• Known as: Lefkada, Lefkas, Λευκάδα
• Location: 311 00 Greece
• Population: approx. 10,000
• Facilities: traditional taverns and fast food restaurants, coffee bars, pubs, supermarkets, souvenir shops, bakeries, car rental agencies, ATM, port, car wash, fuel stations, museums, pharmacy, apartments and studios for rent, tobacco shop, bookstore, post office, police, bus station
• Nearest beaches: Agios Ioannis beach (2 km), Gira beach (4 km), Kastro beach (1,5 km), Ammoglossa beach (1,5 km)

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