Discover the most popular tourist resort of the island: in Lefkada Nidri is an amazing destination for a holiday, where daily boat trips, beautiful promenade and wide range of restaurants and cocktail bars are located. The famous village is well known by travellers, because its location is also idyllic: on the east coast of Lefkada high mountains meet emerald coloured sea, surrounded by small islands.
Nidri is known also on Lefkada maps as Nydri or Νυδρί in Greek language, has thousands of visitors every year, who enjoy its unique atmospheres and the local tourist services. In the area there can be find more than 200 apartments and hotels, which offer great options for a stay. It’s worth to know that from June to August Nidri has one of the most bustling nightlife in Lefkada, where the main pedestrian road and the coastal promenade getting filled by travellers.
- Known as: Nydri, Νυδρί
- Coordinates: 38.706790, 20.709751
- Apartments and hotels in Nidri: click here for prices, dates and reviews!
If you are looking for a place in Lefkada, where daily boat excursions to the best beaches are available, where you can choose between dozens of restaurants and has a charming port, read this travel guide about Nidri!
Where to find
On the maps you can find Nidri on the east coast of Lefkada, about 16 kilometers from the capital of the island. The village is situated on the slopes of the mountains, in front of Yenion peninsula: the entire area is characterized by green hills and pine forests. One of the highest mountains behind Nidri is Skaros (Skaroi), which is a legendary place for its ancient oak forest. From these mountains the views are amazing to this entire region and to the small islands of Ionian Sea, where Skorpios, Madouri and Meganisi can be seen.
According to the famous German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, the area of Nidri was once the famous state of Ancient Ithaca, a legendary home of Odysseus. This is just a theory, but in the area there are some archeological sites actually, where ancient tombs were discovered by him.
The access of Nidri is quite simple in Lefkada, because the main road which leads on the east coast touches this village. Near the center there are paid parking lots for the vehicles, but further away in some streets you can park free. It’s worth to known that the center of the Nidri is closed for road traffic due to the newly constructed pedestrian street.
Travel guide of Nidri, Lefkada
In Lefkada Nidri and its area is the largest tourist resort on the east coast, where a lot of of tourist services are offered. Most of the supermarkets and gift shops can be find on the main street, which became pedestrian road in recent years: car rental agencies, tourist offices, restaurants and coffee bars are open from May till the last days of summer season. This street is important for locals as well, because bakeries, a pharmacy and a post office are also here. On a sightseeing tour in Nidri this street can’t be missed, it’s worth to walk through, especially if your apartment or hotel is located near the village.
The famous coastal promenade is situated just about one minute walk from the pedestrian street, which are connected by narrow alleys to each other. Many travellers mention this place as the best attraction in Nidri: a really beautiful and well maintaned promenade, where palm trees, a lot of flowers, statues and monuments can be find. If you are looking for excursion boats to sail to the best beaches on the west coast, just visit this place, from where most of the daily boat trips depart.
By walking on the promenade you will meet incredible wide range of restaurants and cocktail bars, most of them has a special designs and imaginative layouts with bougainvilleas and oleanders. The coastal promenade of Nidri is the place also, where the statues of Aristotle Onassis and Wilhelm Dörpfeld can be visited, who have done many honorable things for the island of Lefkada in the past.
The best restaurants in Nidri are located in the pedestrian street and in the coastal promenade: just walk around and taste delicious flavours of Lefkada’s cuisine with the best local wines. You can find here many different restaurants: smaller taverns which offer grilled meats for guests (gyros and souvlaki), a lot ot larger taverns with traditional Greek food and fish, but there are also Italian restaurants with well made pizzas and pastas. Recommended restaurants in Nidri with a lot of great reviews are The Barrel, Basilico Restaurant, Catamaran, Pomodoro, Sapore di Piperi, Tasty Gyros, but there are a bunch of other taverns which you can give a chance.
The nightlife in Nidri is bustling on these streets, especially during high season nights of July and August. From late afternoon hundreds of tourists walk the pedestrian street and the seaside promenade and visit the local shops and restaurants, and enjoy their holiday in Lefkada.
What to see in Nidri, best sights and attractions
By visiting Nidri in Lefkada one of the best sights is the coastal promenade and the port of course, which are strongly recommended for everyone. Take a walk in the port, where the panoramic views to the small islands, the local restaurants and the anchored boats are unforgettable. The largest church of Nydri is called ‘The holy temple of the Dormition of Theotokos’, and can be find in the north side of the village, at the end of the main pedestrian road. It is a small, traditional building which were built of stones, with a bell tower.
The other important sights of the village are the archeological findings, which were discovered by Wilhelm Dörpfeld. These ancient places are known as ‘Tumuli’ or Royal Tombs, and to visit them just drive (or walk) in the direction of Vasiliki village, till the junction of bypass road. The best attraction of Nidri is the most famous waterfalls in Lefkada, known as Dimosari, about 3 kilometers away from the village center. Dimosari waterfalls (or known as Nidri waterfalls) can be reached by hiking, and offer pleasant walk for everyone.
Sights near Nidri are also the small islands in front of the village, which can be discovered by the local boat excursions or by boat rental.
Nidri port (Nydri marina)
The port of Nidri is the second largest port in Lefkada island, just Lefkada town marina is larger. Nidri port is very important in everyday life of Lefkada, because most of the excursion boats are docked here, and it is also an important ferry station for the ferries of Meganisi island. In recent years the ferries which connect Kefalonia island operated also here, but there was an important change: the ferry station was moved to Vasiliki village. Now the ferries between Lefkada and Kefalonia run from Vasiliki, while the ferries of Meganisi stayed in Nidri.
Nidri port offer the widest range of boat excursions and daily cruises in Lefkada: from smaller boats to the largest boats of the island the options are almost endless. The most famous excursion boats are Nidri Star, Eptanisos, Makedonia Palace, Odysseia, Nikolaos boat, which visit the neighboring Ionian Islands (Kefalonia, Ithaca), and some of the best beaches on Lefkada west coast, including Porto Katsiki beach and Egremni beach.
There are boat trips which take a BBQ round trip, or visit secluded beaches of the area, such as Lakka beach. If you are interested in the local daily boat trips, just walk around the port in the evenings, or ask a local tourist office in the village. The actual daily schedules and destinations of the excursion boats are often advertised on billboards and flyers.
In the evenings, when all the boats were docked at port, you can walk on board and look around, and if you like, you can buy the tickets from the staff. The south part of Nidri port is used by the ferries, so you can transport your car or bike to other amazing Ionian Islands from here. There are boat rental companies as well, where you can rent a boat to discover the emerald bays on the east coast of Lefkada.
Nidri beach
The local beach, known simply as Nidri beach is situated in the north side of the village, in the direction of Perigiali and Lefkada town. This is a well organized area with coffee bars, parasols and sunbeds for rent, restaurant, and the largest water sport centers of Lefkada. From the main road narrow alleys lead to the sea.
The sea surface at Nidri beach is usually calm, there are no such waves as on the west coast, which make this place ideal for smaller children. Sea temperatures are usually higher here, than on the west coast: the seabed is quite shallow and local currents don’t influence it much. Other significant beaches near are Passa beach (or known Perigiali beach) in the north and Desimi beach in the south about 5 kilometers away.
Where to stay
This area offer a lot of interesting tourist options Lefkada island, where a lot of apartments, studios and hotels can be rented for a holiday. The local accommodations are usually located next to main road and can be reached easy, but several were built on the slopes of the surrounding hills and mountains, offering quieter places for a holiday. Due to the high popularity the best apartments in Nidri fill up quickly, so it’s strongly recommended to book in advance.
Click here for Nidri apartments and hotels in 2023!
Nidri info box
- On maps Nydri / Νυδρί
- 16 km south from Lefkada town
- Population: 1100 (increases much during summer months)
- Facilities: restaurants, cocktail bars, apartments, studios, supermarkets, souvenir stores, bakery, car rental agencies, ATM, ferry port, daily boat excursions, car wash, post office, fish spa, pharmacy, bus stop, water sports, paid parking lots
- Nearest beaches: Nidri beach (0 km), Perigiali beach (1 km), Desimi beach (7 km)
+ Reasons to visit Nidri village in Lefkada island
- bustling summer life
- a lot of great taverns, coffee bars, souvenir shops and tourist services
- daily boat trips and excursions from the port
- night life
- pretty scenery
– Cons
- can be crowded during high season
- the beach is average compared to the west coast
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