Porto Katsiki beach (Παραλία Πόρτο Κατσίκι) is one of the most beautiful beaches in Lefkada Island, Greece. This amazing place is characterized by dramatic steep cliffs, white pebbles, breathtaking panoramic views and blue sea colours. Travel guides and magazines mention often that Porto Katsiki beach is a symbol of Lefkada Island, because this gem is so unique and exceptional in this region!
On a vacation a visit to Porto Katsiki beach is a top activity and offer one of the best moments of the holiday, where thousands photos and videos are taken year by year. This travel destination is listed as one of the local best beaches, which can be reached by cars and by local boat excursions both, and each access has its own charm.
Where to stay in Lefkada: find and book apartments and hotels of the island here!
Where to find Porto Katsiki beach in Lefkada Island and how to get there
Porto Katsiki beach is located in the southwestern side of Lefkada Island, further away from most of the villages. The capital of the island, Lefkada town lies approx. 44 kilometers away from here, while Nidri (36 km), Agios Nikitas (30 km) and Vasiliki (14 km) are further away as well. If you are looking for the nearest village to Porto Katsiki beach, take a look at Athani, which is a small mountain village approx. 11 kilometers away from the bay.
One of the most important informations to access Porto Katsiki beach in Lefkada Island is that this top destination can be reached by cars, and by local boat trips and daily excursions as well.
How to access Porto Katsiki beach by cars and scooters
The primary access to Porto Katsiki beach in Lefkada Island by car is a long and winding asphalt road, which leads on the west coastline through mountanious areas. The hills where the road was built, are covered by with millions of pine trees: this scenic route offer a great insight into the beauties of the island, where the nature is almost untouched.
The road to Porto Katsiki beach is quite narrow at some places, but its quality is much better than the route which leads down to Kavalikefta, Megali Petra and Avali beaches.
Porto Katsiki beach parking
The road ends at Porto Katsiki beach parking lots, where many spacious parking lots were constructed. These areas are controlled parking lots, and you have paid for parking, prices are up to 15 Euros / day.
The prices for parking tickets you to pay directly to the local staff when entering to the parking lot. During high season months the paind parkings fill up quickly in the morning hours, and after that the only options for parking with cars are at the edges of the road.
Sailing to Porto Katsiki beach by boat trips and excursions
The second option to visit Porto Katsiki beach is to catch a daily boat trip. Boat trips can also be good solutions if you don’t want to drive, or you haven’t got a car. The local boat trips and daily excursions to Porto Katsiki beach depart from two ports of Lefkada Island, which are the harbours of Nidri and Vasiliki villages.
From these popular tourist resorts there are several daily trips, which depart in the morning hours, and visit not just this beautiful gem on the west coast of Lefkada, but also other amazing beaches such as Egremni beach.
Most of these excursion boats don’t dock ashore during high season months due safety reasons, and passengers can admire Porto Katsiki beach from the sea. During daily boat trips travellers have chance to swimming in blue waters.
So if you want to visit Porto Katsiki beach by boat trip, just take a trip to the port of Nidri (Nydri) or Vasiliki, or stay in these charming villages during your holiday in Lefkada Island. During boat trips you can see the breathtaking southern cliffs of the island, where the picturesque Lighthouse of Lefkada (Cape Doukato) was built a few decades ago.
Informations of Porto Katsiki beach, what to find and what to see here
After you have arrived to Porto Katsiki beach, you will see a few coffee bars near the parking lots. The local cantinas offer cold drinks and snacks for guests, and also here you can find some shaded terraces from where magnificient panoramic views can be seen. It’s worth to stop here for a minute, and take some pictures or a video.
From the top of the cliffs a narrow staircase leads down to the beach, with more than 80 steps. Walking down to the sand of Porto Katsiki beach is much easier and less exhausting than the famous stairs of Egremni beach.
As you can see on the photos, the seabed of Porto Katsiki beach is characterized by white coarse sand and pebbles, where the sea deepins quickly. These features are quite similar to other beaches on the west coast Lefkada Island, especially on the southern coastline.
Behind the narrow shore the steep cliffs are quite near, and if you are looking up, they can clearly see how huge they are! It’s very important to know that in recent years the coast was not organized, there were no parasols and sunbeds, so don’t forget your umbrella.
Due to the western location of Porto Katsiki beach this gem belongs to that beaches of Lefkada, which are much exposed to waves. The waves of the Ionian Sea are transforming Porto Katsiki beach into incredible blue, where the waters look like as millions shades of blue colours.
When the blue waves rise high in the bay, swimming is recommended only for experienced persons, or if they are already too big, respect the strength of the waves and keep your distance from the sea. When the sea surface is calm and there are no such waves, the colours of the sea are slightly less blue.
Sea temperatures of Porto Katsiki beach depend mainly of the actual weather conditions and sea the currents. The average sea temperatures are 23 – 27 Celsius here during summer months, but sometimes bigger waves bring some cooler waters for a few days. For snorkeling Porto Katsiki beach is not the best place in Lefkada Island in our opinion, the most recommended parts for diving are at the sea caves, near the stairs.
On the north side of Porto Katsiki beach you can see a small peninsula, which offered exceptional panoramic views to the entire bay several years ago. Unfortunately this peninsula can’t be reached nowadays, because its narrow staircase was destroyed by an earthquake in 2015, and the path became dangerous.
Where to stay near Porto Katsiki beach in Lefkada Island
The nearest apartments to Porto Katsiki beach are located in Athani, which is a small village in the mountains. This tiny settlement of Lefkada Island is situated approx. 10 kilometers away from here. The area of Athani offer some apartments and villas as well, this region is calm and peaceful, making this place ideal for a relaxing holiday.
The apartments and villas of Athani village you can find and book here!
Other recommended option for a stay near this beach, where apartments and studios can be rented is the charming fishing village, Vasiliki, which lies approx. 14 kilometers away. Vasiliki is a tiny, but picturesque settlement of Lefkada Island with nice seaside promenade and port, numerous restaurants and coffee bars, and also a few supermarkets.
The local hotels, studios and apartments in Vasiliki find and book here!
If you would like to stay near to Egremni beach, Porto Katsiki or Gialos, just look to at apartments of those areas. Keep in mind that by car Porto Katsiki beach can be accessed literally from every village of Lefkada Island, while boat excursions depart only from Nidri and from Vasiliki.
Porto Katsiki beach photos and infos
- Known as: Paralia Porto Katsiki, Παραλία Πόρτο Κατσίκι
- Coordinates: 38.602709, 20.550083
- Sea water color: blue, turquoise
- Sand type: pebbles, rocks, coarse sand
- Depth: deepens quickly
- Sea surface: moderate
- Crowds: usually crowded
- Facilities: beach bars, paid parking lot, parasols and sunbeds for rent, toilet
- Other Information: staying on the this beach is at your own risk, due to the danger of falling stones
- Accessibility: by car, by daily boat trips from Nidri and Vasiliki
Take a look to Porto Katsiki beach photos, which show you the magic of this gem in Lefkada Island, Greece.
+ Pros
- amazing water colours, breathtaking natural scenery
- unique panoramic views
- one of the most beautiful beaches in Lefkada and all over Greece
- can be visited by cars and by boat trips both
– Cons
- crowded during summer months, especially in August
- deepens quick
- expensive services
If you are interested in the best beaches of Greece, just visit the amazing Porto Katsiki beach and enjoy the natural wonders of Lefkada Island!
