travel
__________________
Luxury retreat
Lefkada
Greece
__________________
By Air
The local airport is Preveza, 40 minutes by car or taxi from the house. From May to October, charter flights operate from cities across Northern Europe and Scandinavia. In the UK there are several flights each Sunday from Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester, bookable through a variety of companies.
At other times of year, or if you wish to link a stay in Lefkada with other travel in Greece or beyond, access is by scheduled flight to Athens with domestic connections on Olympic to Preveza; to Corfu and on by ferry to Igoumenitsa where a car can meet you; or to Thessaloniki with connecting flights via Athens. Have a look also at 'By Bus' and ‘By Car’ below.
By Bus
From Athens or Thessaloniki, several services a day. The journey time is approximately 5 hours from Athens or 7 from Thessaloniki, in modern, comfortable coaches. Efficient and cheap. The scenery en-route is beautiful. See lefkas.net for loads of Lefkada information, including travel and bus timetables.
By Car
From Athens: it can be worth renting your car in Athens and making an interesting round trip, perhaps via the South Pelopponese in one direction, and Delphi in the other.
From Thessaloniki: Thessaloniki is a lovely city, well worth a couple of nights, and the journey through the mountains to Lefkas very, very, beautiful. Stopping off for a day or more in Zagoria in one direction and at Meteora in the other would add up to a wonderful trip; or drive via Delphi towards Athens. There are many exciting possibilities. Car hire is available through many operators both international and local, some of whom allow their cars to be picked up in Athens and dropped off in Thessaloniki or Lefkada (or vice versa) at no extra charge.
From Northern Europe: If you love the journey as much as being somewhere, it is bliss to bring your own car and travel from home to Lefkada with night stops en-route and on the overnight ferry from Venice (our favourite), Trieste, Ancona, Bari or Brindisi.
Ferries are very comfortable and efficient, with decent food, good en-suite cabins and pleasant sitting out areas on deck. They dock at Igoumenitsa or Patras, from each of which is about a two-hour drive through stunning coastal scenery to The Gecko. The following ferry lines will all get you to Igouminitsa from various starting points in Italy. Paleologos (www.ferries.gr) are an extremely helpful and efficient agency who can book all sectors, including journeys starting from and returning to different ports.
web.anek.gr/portal/page/portal/ANEK_prod Saturday morning: Fly one-way to Venice, Bari or Brindisi with BA, Ryanair, Alitalia or EasyJet. Spend a week in one of the gorgeous apartments, houses, or Trulli available to rent from Venetian Apartments or Long Travel. Catch a ferry from Venice, Bari or Brindisi to Igoumenitsa. Rent a car from Vasilis at Automotorent (see Lefkas.net) who will bring the car to Igoumenitsa to meet you. Spend a week at The Gecko. Fly back one-way from Preveza - check out the links above for one-way flights.
We love these trips!
